Chris Matthews

Over the trajectory of his life, preeminent television broadcast journalist Chris Matthews built formidable careers as a news correspondent, presidential speechwriter, published author, and newspaper bureau chief. The winner of the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, Matthews came to specialize in covering iconic events of global significance, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the premier post-apartheid election in South Africa, and Northern Ireland's Good Friday Peace Talks. Matthews graduated from Holy Cross College and studied economics at UNC-Chapel Hill, then spent the first 15 years of his lengthy career in the White House under the Carter administration, before moving on to a series of posts in Congress -- including staff positions for Edmund Muskie and Frank Moss, and an aide position for House speaker Tip O'Neill that spanned six years.

Matthews subsequently moved into journalism, first in print work (holding court as the San Francisco Examiner's Washington Bureau Chief from 1987 to 2000 and as a columnist of San Francisco Chronicle from 2000 to 2002), then in broadcast journalism with several NBC and MSNBC programs. These included the syndicated news broadcast The Chris Matthews Show, and the politically themed talk show Hardball with Chris Matthews, inspired by Matthews' 1988 book, Hardball. - Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide