Death Cause, Wife, Net Worth

Publish date: 2024-05-04

• Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings was born in Toronto, Canada and held both Canadian and American nationality.
• He was a journalist, best known for anchoring ABC's show "World News Tonight".
• He gained recognition after his coverage of the Munich Olympics massacre in 197•
• He won 16 Daytime Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards during his career as a journalist.
• At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated at more than $50 million.



Known for movies

Short Info

Date Of BirthJuly 29, 1938
DiedAugust 7, 2005, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
SpouseKayce Freed (m. 1997–2005), Kati Marton (m. 1979–1993)
FactNews anchorman


Who was Peter Jennings?

Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on 29 July 1938 – his zodiac sign was Leo, and he held both Canadian and American nationality. He was a journalist who’s perhaps still remembered best for the work which he had done for the multi-national commercial broadcast TV network ABC, especially for having anchored their show “World News Tonight”.

Early life and education

Peter was raised in Toronto alongside his younger sister Sarah, by their father Charles Jennings who was a radio broadcaster and worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and their mother Elizabeth (nee Osborne) who was a housewife.

Peter fell in love with his father’s job at a very early age, and was nine years old when he hosted the children’s show “Peter’s People” for the radio station CBC Radio. Peter’s father was on a business trip when his son performed on air for the first time, and was outraged when he found out about it, because he disliked nepotism.

Peter enrolled at Trinity College School when he was 11, and mostly enjoyed playing sports during his time there. He transferred to Lisgar Collegiate Institute after the family had moved to Ottawa, Canada, but dropped out while attending 10th grade; Peter later revealed that this happened because he was bored with studying, and preferred to spend time with girls and reading comic books.

He later attended Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, but dropped out of both.

Early career

Peter began working at the Royal Bank of Canada as a teller when he was 19, but became interested in acting around that time, appearing in amateur plays such as “South Pacific” and “Damn Yankees”.

He was 21 when he joined the local radio station CFJR; Peter worked in their news department, and several of his stories were then covered on CBC. He was hired to work at CJOH in 1961, and then got to host his own show “Club Thirteen”.

Peter was 24 when hired to work at CTV, and when the US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963, Peter was the first Canadian journalist to cover the story; three months after that, he moved to the US and began working at ABC.

Later career

After having been hired by ABC, Peter began anchoring their 15-minute show “Peter Jennings With the News”, thus becoming the youngest person to anchor a news show in the US; he had problems adjusting to work in the US, and quit after three years to become a foreign correspondent.

He began working for ABC in Beirut, Lebanon, having established a Middle East bureau there, and became the first American to interview the late Yasser Arafat, former chairman of Palestine Liberation Organization. Peter had also fallen in love while in Beirut, and began dating the Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi.

He gained recognition after his coverage of the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972, when eight Palestinian terrorists took nine Israeli Olympic team members hostage, killing two.

The following year saw Peter cover the Yom Kippur War, and he returned to the USA in the second half of 1974, having been invited to anchor the ABC’s morning show “AM America”, but it was cancelled after close to a year.

Peter became ABC’s chief foreign correspondent in November 1975, and was the first US reporter to interview the late Iranian politician and religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini, who was in exile in Paris, France at that time. On 10 July 1978, Peter began co-hosting ABC’s “World News Tonight” in London, England.

It was revealed by ABC on 9 August 1983 that Peter had signed a four-year contract with them, and would continue hosting “World News Tonight” by himself; he debuted on 5 September, and it was then that ABC’s ratings began to climb.

Peter attracted a lot of attention when he covered the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster for 11 straight hours, while some of his following notable coverages were the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, the Gulf War in 1991, and the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995.

On 11 September 2001, Peter spent 17 straight hours covering the 9/11 attacks.

He retired three years later, but returned and went on to work for ABC until 1 April 2005, when he anchored “World News Tonight” one last time before his death.

Awards and accolades

Peter won 16 Daytime Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards during his career as a journalist, while the “Washington Journalism Review” named him Best Anchor four times, in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992.

In 2004, Washington State University presented Peter with an Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting.

In 2005, just eight days before Peter passed away, he learned that he was to be inducted into the Order of Canada; his daughter Elizabeth accepted the insignia in October 2005.

Love life and wife

Peter was married four times. He married his first wife Valerie Godsoe in 1961, following a two-year relationship, but their divorce was finalized on 21 September 1963.

Peter exchanged vows with Anoushka Malauf, a Lebanese photographer, in 1973, but they divorced in 1979.

His third wife was the Hungarian-American author and journalist Kati Marton, whom he married in 1979, and Kati gave birth to their daughter Elizabeth in the same year, while their son Christopher followed in 1982. Peter and Kati divorced in 1993.

He married his fourth wife Kayce Freed in 1997, and they remained together until Peter’s death in 2005.

Hobbies and interesting facts

Peter was a bit of an author and with the help of Todd Brewster, he published two books: “The Century for Young People” in 1999 and “In Search of America” in 2002.

Peter was a philanthropist who had donated money and volunteered with numerous charity organizations, while he was mostly focused on working with war veterans and underprivileged children.

He was a lover of animals, and also donated money to animal shelters.

Death

Peter revealed in the first half of the year 2005 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, and he died from complications caused by it on 7 August 2005. His remains were cremated and half of them were kept at his Long Island home, while the other half were kept at his second home in the Gatineau Hills, Canada.

Age, height and net worth

Peter was 67 years old at the time of his death, and would’ve been 83 today. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, his height was 6ft 2ins (1.9m) and he weighed around 175lbs (80kgs).

At the time of his death, Peter’s net worth was estimated at more than $50 million.

General Info

Full NamePeter Jennings
Date Of BirthJuly 29, 1938
DiedAugust 7, 2005, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
ProfessionJournalist, Screenwriter, Newscaster
EducationTrinity College School, Lisgar Collegiate Institute, University of Ottawa, Carleton University

Family

SpouseKayce Freed (m. 1997–2005), Kati Marton (m. 1979–1993)
ChildrenElizabeth Jennings, Christopher Jennings
ParentsCharles Jennings, Elizabeth Osborne Jennings
SiblingsSarah Jennings

Accomplishments

AwardsNews & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story - Programs, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Sched...
NominationsNews & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism – Long Form, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming – Long Form, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Arts and Culture Programming, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Continui...
MoviesEcstasy Rising, Peter Jennings Reports: The Search for Jesus, The Tragedy of the Munich Games, A Line in the Sand: What Did America Win?
TV ShowsABC World News, Peter Jennings Reporting, ABC 2000 Today, CTV National News, Turning Point, To Save Our Schools, To Save Our Children, Sadat: Action Biography, Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD, 45/85, September 11, 2001 - ABC News Coverage, Capital To Capital, Vietnam: Ten Years Later

Social profile links

Quotes

#Quote
1Always have a sense of humor about life - you'll need it - but always be courteous to boot.

Facts

#Fact
1Release of the book, "Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life" by Kayce Freed Jennings. [November 2007]
2Release of his book, "In Search of America" by Peter with Todd Brewster. [2002]
3Release of his book, "The Century" by Peter with Todd Brewster. [1998]
4Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 276-278. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.
5The only national news anchor to host specials for and with children on a regular basis. They were usually titled "Peter Jennings Answering Children's Questions." Topics included drugs, crime, prejudice, war, and 9/11.
6Became the sole anchor of ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1953) (aka "World News Tonight") on September 5, 1983, following the death of Frank Reynolds.
7He was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on June 29, 2005 for his services to journalism.
8Accepted an honorary doctor of law degree from Rider University, then Rider College on January 21, 1968
9Son of pioneer Canadian broadcaster Charles Jennings.
10After failing as a 27-year-old anchorman for ABC News, he left the country and lived abroad as a foreign correspondent in Europe and the Middle East for ten years where he made a name for himself as an investigative journalist. He then returned to the anchor desk as a mature newsman.
11He had a sister named Sarah.
12Owned a chinchilla farm.
13(April 5, 2005) Diagnosed with lung cancer. He had given up smoking for at least 10 years before September 11, 2001 attacks happened, after which he admittedly started smoking again.
14(May 30, 2003) Became a U.S. citizen.
15Attended Carleton University, Rider College and the University of Ottawa.
16Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world [1990]
17News anchorman
18Dropped out of high school in Grade 10 in Canada, and failed to attain the equivalent of a GED. His father owned/managed a TV station, however, and he got his foot in the door that way.
19Children: Elizabeth and Christopher

Pictures

Movies

Writer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Peter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis2005TV Movie
Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD2004TV Movie documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: How to Get Fat Without Really Trying2003TV Movie documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: I Have a Dream2003TV Movie documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: In Search of America2002TV Mini-Series documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: Bitter Medicine: Pills, Profit and the Public Health2002TV Movie writer
Minefield: The United States and the Muslim World2001TV Movie
Peter Jennings Reporting: Dark Horizon - India, Pakistan, and the Bomb2000TV Movie documentary
ABC New Years Eve Special with Peter Jennings1999TV Movie writer/creator
Rage and Betrayal: The Lives of Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols1996TV Movie
Cover-Up at Ground Zero1994TV Movie documentary
ABC Turning Point: Kansas City Murder Squad1994TV Movie documentary
Common Miracles: The New American Revolution in Learning1993TV Movie documentary
A Line in the Sand: What Did America Win?1991TV Movie documentary
Worlds in Turmoil1989TV Movie
45/851985TV Movie documentary

Editorial Department

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Peter Jennings Reporting: UFOs - Seeing Is Believing2005TV Movie documentary senior editor
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir2005TV Series senior editor - 2 episodes
No Place to Hide2005TV Movie documentary senior editor
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy2003TV Movie documentary associate editor

Editor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Growing Up in the Age of AIDS: An ABC News Town Meeting for the Family - With Peter Jennings1992TV Movie
Worlds in Turmoil1989TV Movie

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
ABC New Years Eve Special with Peter Jennings1999TV Movie producer
Worlds in Turmoil1989TV Movie producer

Miscellaneous

TitleYearStatusCharacter
America.012001TV Series segment writer
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus2000TV Movie documentary presenter

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media1992Documentary acknowledgment
The World Is Watching1988Documentary thanks
One Day in September1999Documentary thanks

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Phonograph Conversations2013Himself
30 for 302010TV Series documentaryHimself
Ted Williams2009TV Movie documentaryHimself (voice)
An Unlikely Weapon2008DocumentaryHimself
Budapest to Gettysburg2007Documentary
Loose Change: Final Cut2007Video documentaryHimself
911 Flatline2007Video documentary shortHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis2005TV MovieHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: UFOs - Seeing Is Believing2005TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Daily Show2000-2005TV SeriesHimself
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir1986-2005TV SeriesHimself - Anchor / Himself / Himself - Lead Anchor
No Place to Hide2005TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
The Tony Danza Show2005TV SeriesHimself
How's Your News?: On the Campaign Trail2004TV Movie documentaryHimself
Great Performances2002-2004TV SeriesHimself - Host
25th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards2004TV SpecialHimself - Presenter
Tavis Smiley2004TV SeriesHimself
The O'Reilly Factor2004TV SeriesHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD2004TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host-Senior Editor
Larry King Live2002-2004TV SeriesHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: Ecstasy Rising2004TV Movie documentary
The Museum of Television & Radio Annual Honors a Salute to Tom Brokaw2004TV MovieHimself
Journalists: Killed in the Line of Duty2003TV Movie documentaryHimself (voice)
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy2003TV Movie documentaryHimself
ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration2003TV Special documentaryHimself
Jim McKay: My World in My Words2003TV Movie documentaryHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: In Search of America2002TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
20/202002TV Series documentaryHimself - Reporter
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1996-2002TV SeriesHimself
Late Show with David Letterman2001-2002TV SeriesHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: Homeland2002TV Movie documentary
July 4th: a Musical Celebration2002TV SpecialHimself
ABC 20022001TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
America.012001TV SeriesHimself - Anchor
Breaking the News2001TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Rosie O'Donnell Show1996-2001TV SeriesHimself
ABC News 20012000TV MovieHimself
ESPN SportsCentury2000TV Series documentaryHimself
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus2000TV Movie documentaryHimself (reporter)
ABC 2000: The Millennium1999TV Movie documentaryHimself - Anchor
ABC New Years Eve Special with Peter Jennings1999TV MovieHimself - Host
Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is1999TV Movie documentaryHimself (1972 Olympic Correspondent, ABC News)
The Century: America's Time1999TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself - Host-Narrator
The Century1999TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself - Host-Narrator
Cancer: Race for a Cure1998TV Movie documentaryHimself - Anchor
Late Night with Conan O'Brien1998TV SeriesHimself
Divas Live: An Honors Concert for VH1 Save the Music1998TV Special documentaryHimself - Audience Member (uncredited)
Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years1997TV Movie documentaryHimself - Presenter
Frank Capra's American Dream1997TV Movie documentaryHimself (voice)
The Daily Show Year-End Spectacular '971997TV SpecialHimself
The GQ Men of the Year Awards1997TV SpecialHimself
Rage and Betrayal: The Lives of Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols1996TV MovieHimself - Host
Turning Point1996TV Series documentaryHimself - Host
Hiroshima: Why the Bomb Was Dropped1995TV Movie documentaryHimself - Presenter
Howard Stern1994-1995TV SeriesHimself
Cover-Up at Ground Zero1994TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
ABC Turning Point: Kansas City Murder Squad1994TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Last Party1993DocumentaryHimself
A National Town Meeting: Who Is Ross Perot?1992TV MovieHimself - Host
Growing Up in the Age of AIDS: An ABC News Town Meeting for the Family - With Peter Jennings1992TV MovieHimself - Host
A Line in the Sand: War or Peace?1991TV Movie documentaryHimself - Anchor
Schwarzkopf: How the War Was Won1991Video documentaryHimself - Anchor
A Line in the Sand: What Did America Win?1991TV Movie documentaryHimself
Carnegie Hall: Live at 1001990TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
This Reporter1990TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
American Masters1990TV Series documentaryHimself
Only the News That Fits1989DocumentaryHimself - ABC News anchor
Worlds in Turmoil1989TV MovieHimself - Anchor
The AIDS Quarterly1989TV SeriesHimself - Host
5th Annual TV Academy Hall of Fame1989TV SpecialHimself
Beyond the Cold War: The Risk and the Opportunity1989TV Movie documentaryHimself - Anchor
JFK Remembered1988TV Movie documentaryHimself - Host
1988 Presidential Debates1988TV SeriesHimself - Panelist
The World Is Watching1988DocumentaryHimself (ABC News, meets with Miguel D'Escoto)
We the People1987TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
Liberty Weekend1986TV Special documentaryHimself - Host
45/851985TV Movie documentaryHimself
To Save Our Schools, to Save Our Children1984TV Movie documentaryAnchor
XVlll Summer Olympic Games Los Angeles1984TV MovieHimself
Good Morning America1975TV SeriesHimself - News Anchor
ABC's Wide World of Sports1971TV SeriesHimself
The Joey Bishop Show1967TV SeriesHimself
Bright and Early1966TV SeriesHimself - Newsreader
Telescope1965TV Series documentaryHimself - Guest
Issues and Answers1965TV SeriesHimself
CTV National News1961TV SeriesHimself

Awards

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2006EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Scheduled NewscastABC Evening News (1953)
2006EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled NewscastABC Evening News (1953)
2000TV Guide AwardTV Guide AwardsFavorite News Personality
2000EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding News and Documentary Program Achievement - Programs & SegmentsABC 2000: The Millennium (1999)
1993Award of ExcellenceBanff Television Festival
1991TCA AwardTelevision Critics Association AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Children's ProgrammingFor "War in the Gulf: Answering Children's Questions".

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2006EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled NewscastABC Evening News (1953)
2006EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Investigative Journalism - Long FormNo Place to Hide (2005)
2006EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsBest Story in a Regularly Scheduled NewscastABC Evening News (1953)
2006EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story - Long FormPeter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis (2005)
2005EmmyNews & Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Investigative Journalism - Long FormPeter Jennings Reporting: From the Tobacco File: Untold Stories of Betrayal and Neglect (2004)
2003EmmyBusiness and Financial Reporting Emmy AwardsOutstanding Coverage of a Current Business News StoryABC Evening News (1953)
2001TV Guide AwardTV Guide AwardsNews Person of the Year
1969EmmyPrimetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Achievement within Regularly Scheduled NewsABC Evening News (1953)

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia

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