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Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Johnny Brandon to Ric Burns
Ken Burns Biography (1953-)
Full name, Kenneth Lauren Burns; born July 29, 1953, in Ann Arbor, MI (some sources say Brooklyn, NY); son of Robert Kyle (an anthropology professor) andLyla (a homemaker; maiden name, Tupper) Burns; brother of Ric Burns (a producer, director, and writer); married Amy Stechler (a filmmaker and writer), July 10, 1982 (separated); children: Sarah, Lilly. Addresses: Office: Florentine Films, P.O. Box 613, Walpole, NH 03608; c/o Florentine Films, Maple Grove Rd., Walpole, NH 03608.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Director, producer, cinematographer, film editor, photographer, writer
- Birth Details
- July 29, 1953
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Famous Works
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CREDITS
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Television Work
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Documentary Miniseries
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, The Civil War (also knownas The American Civil War), PBS, 1990
- Director, producer, and cinematographer (with Buddy Squires and Allen Moore), Baseball (also known as The History of Baseball), PBS, 1994
- Senior executive producer, senior producer, and cinematographer, The West, PBS, 1996
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, Thomas Jefferson, PBS, 1997
- Director, executive producer, producer, and cinematographer, Lewis andClark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, PBS, 1997
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, Frank Lloyd Wright, PBS,1998
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, Not for Ourselves Alone: TheStory of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony, PBS, 1999
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, Jazz, PBS, 2001
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, Mark Twain, 2002
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Documentary Specials
- Director, producer, cinematographer, and film editor, Brooklyn Bridge, PBS, 1982
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God, PBS, 1985
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, The Statue of Liberty, PBS, 1985
- Director, producer, and cinematographer, Huey Long, PBS, 1986
- Director, producer (with others), and photographer, Thomas Hart Benton, PBS, 1989
- Director and producer, The Congress, PBS, 1989
- (With Stephen Ives) Producer, "Lindbergh," The American Experience, PBS, 1990
- Director, producer, cinematographer, and music director, Empire of theAir: The Men Who Made Radio, PBS, 1992
- (With Jim Brown) Producer, The Songs of the Civil War, PBS, 1992
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Television Appearances
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Miniseries
- General Hancock's aide, Gettysburg, TNT, 1993
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Specials
- Himself, The Civil War: The Filmmaker, PBS, 1990
- Himself, Public Television: Public Debate with Charlie Rose, PBS,1992
- Himself, The Making of Baseball, PBS, 1994
- Host, Baseball--A Preview of the New Ken Burns Series (also knownas Baseball: An American Epic--A Preview), PBS, 1994
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Episodic
- Himself, NewsRadio (also known as News Radio and The Station), NBC, 1997
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WRITINGS
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Television Documentary Miniseries
- (With Geoffrey C. Ward and Ric Burns) The Civil War (also known asThe American Civil War), PBS, 1990
- (With Ward) Baseball (also known as The History of Baseball), PBS, 1994
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Thomas Jefferson, PBS, 1997
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Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, PBS, 1997
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Television Documentary Specials
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The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God, PBS, 1985
- (With Geoffrey C. Ward) Huey Long, PBS, 1986
- (With Ward and Tom Lewis) Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, PBS, 1992
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Nonfiction
- (With Geoffrey C. Ward, Ric Burns, and Don E. Fehrenbacher) The CivilWar: An Illustrated History (companion guide to the documentary The Civil War), Knopf (New York City), 1990
- (With Ward; author of preface with Lynn Novick) Baseball: An Illustrated History (companion guide to the documentary Baseball), introduction by Roger Angell, Random House (New York City), 1994
- (With Ward and S. A. Kramer) 25 Great Moments, Random House, 1994
- (With Ward and Jim O'Connor) Shadow Ball: The History of the Negro Leagues, Random House, 1994
- (With Ward and Paul Robert Walker) Who Invented the Game?, Knopf,1994
- (Author of introduction) The People, Yes, foreword by Carroll T. Hartwell, Aperture (New York City), 1995
- (Author of preface) Dayton Duncan and others, Lewis and Clark: An Illustrated History (companion guide to the documentary Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery), Knopf, 1997
- (With Ward) Jazz: A History of America's Music, Knopf, 2000
- (With Ward and Dayton Duncan) Mark Twain: An Illustrated Biography, Knopf, 2001
- (With Ward) Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Knopf, 2001
- Contributor to books, including Centennial, Pindar Press, 1986; contributor of photographs to Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God: The History and Visions of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing from 1774 to the Present (companion volume to the documentary Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God), by Amy Stechler Burns, foreword by Bertha Lindsay, Portland House (New York City), 1987.
Further Reference
ADAPTATIONS
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The West: An Illustrated History, by Geoffrey C. Ward, is a companion to the documentary The West. It was published by Little, Brown (Boston, MA), in 1996.
OTHER SOURCES
Books
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Contemporary Authors, Gale, 2002
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Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Volume 20, Gale Group,2000
Periodicals
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American Heritage, September/October, 1990, p. 96
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Commentary, December, 1996, p. 41
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Journal of Urban History, May, 1997, p. 387
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People Weekly, December 31, 1990, p. 46
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Yankee, October, 1990, p. 78
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