Bill Kurtis
Encyclopedia
Bill Kurtis is an American television journalist, producer
, narrator
, and news anchor. He is also the current host of A&E
crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice
, and Cold Case Files
. Previously, he anchored CBS Morning News
, and was the longtime anchor at WBBM-TV
, the CBS
owned-and-operated TV station in Chicago (a role to which he has recently returned).
to Wilma Mary (Horton; 1911–2002) and William A. Kuretich, of Croatian
origin (1914–2001), a Marine Corps
general and decorated veteran of World War II
. His father's military career resulted in extensive travel for the family. When they settled down, he was raised in Independence
, Kansas
.
At 16, Kurtis began working as an announcer for KIND-AM, a commercial station in Independence of which he is currently a part owner. He graduated from The University of Kansas
with a B.S.
in journalism
in 1962 and went on to earn his J.D.
from the Washburn University School of Law
in 1966. While in law school he did the evening news for Stauffer Publications TV station WIBW in Topeka and clerked for the law firm of Colmery and Russell. After passing the Kansas bar examination
and winning a job with a Wichita
law firm
, Kurtis discussed his options with Harry Colmery and Bob McClure, of Colmery and Russell, and decided on a career in journalism.
in Topeka, Kansas
. On the evening of June 8, 1966, a severe thunderstorm 20 miles (32 km) southwest of town generated a tornado that headed straight towards Topeka. Kurtis warned: "For God's sake, take cover." This warning became synonymous with the 1966 Topeka tornado that left 16 dead and injured hundreds more. Kurtis remained on the air for 24 straight hours to cover the destruction. His performance during this disaster proved to be his big break.
He moved to Chicago in 1966 to work at WBBM-TV
, first as a reporter and then as an anchorman. In 1982, he moved to New York
to anchor
the CBS
Morning News
, but returned to Chicago three years later to produce documentaries for the television show The New Explorers. Kurtis also returned to WBBM-TV at that time and worked as an anchorman there until 1996. He started his own production company, Kurtis Productions, in 1990 and joined the A&E cable television network
the following year. He frequently appears on A&E as the host and narrator of Cold Case Files
and American Justice
.
Kurtis has received numerous awards for his television work, including over twenty Emmy
s and the Illinois Broadcasters Association 1998 Hall of Fame Award and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters
2003 Hall of Fame Award.
He contributed a spoken-word intro to the Dandy Warhols' 2005 album Odditorium or Warlords of Mars
. Other narration work includes his introduction to various news clips on the CD portion of the multimedia book, We Interrupt This Broadcast
.
Most recently, Kurtis was featured in a series of commercials for AT&T Mobility which poke fun at his serious investigative journalist persona. He appears on a tropical island or in a similarly desolate place and, after explaining the AT&T Laptop Connect Card, states "I'm Bill Kurtis, and I've just found [trademark pause] the Internet." He appears oblivious to the background, which features mythical things such as the fuselage of Amelia Earhart
's long-lost aircraft in one instance, the Fountain of Youth
in another, a yeti
in a third, and a leprechaun
with a pot of gold
in a fourth.
A second group of ads in the series took a different approach and featured Kurtis "racing" figures such as Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps
, undefeated professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and record-fast serving tennis
player Andy Roddick
(amongst other historically "fast" individuals) in Internet speed-surfing contests, allowing himself access to AT&T technology, inevitably winning each time. He concluded each contest by announcing his victory, for example, "I'm Bill Kurtis [pause], and I'm faster than Michael Phelps."
In a third group of promotions, Kurtis appears in various locations with a netbook
to demonstrate the coverage of AT&T's wireless data network. He has been seen riding in a motorcycle sidecar
, aboard a passenger airplane, and in a small diner, among other places, and ends by saying something that lampoons his serious-reporter personality (e.g., "I'll have a cherry lime rickey
and a hard-boiled egg" to the waitress in the diner).
On November 13, 2009, Kurtis reunited for one evening with his co-anchor of 20 years earlier, Walter Jacobson
, to anchor the WBBM 10 PM news in Chicago while the usual anchor, Rob Johnson, was on vacation.
In an effort to bolster ratings and improve the respectability of WBBM's newscasts, the station announced in July 2010 that Kurtis and Jacobson would permanently anchor the 6 p.m. newscast on WBBM beginning on September 1.
In 2011 Kurtis became the voice of Roger Ebert
on Ebert Presents: At the Movies.
by Peter Byck
. He was selected after a long search to find a voice that was familiar but not polarizing. The director believed that his narration would be "authoritative and neutral", and reach a wider audience.
He was the narrator in the 2004 Will Ferrell
comedy film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
.
beef after purchasing an 8000 acres (32.4 km²) ranch near Sedan, Kansas. While looking for innovative uses for his ranch, Kurtis learned about the health and environmental benefits of grass-fed beef and founded Tallgrass Beef Company
. A separate ranch owned by Kurtis and his sister, near Independence, Kansas was the original site that Laura Ingalls Wilder
wrote about in her book Little House on the Prairie
and is operated as a tourist attraction. He is also an investor in the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois
. Kurtis is a principal of KICA/KICA-FM/KKYC/KMUL/KWUA stations in the Clovis-Portalis, New Mexico and Muleshoe, Texas areas.
Kurtis's sister, Jean Schodorf
, is a Republican
Kansas State Senator. During her 2010 run for the United States House of Representatives
, Kurtis narrated a campaign commercial for her.
, episode "Cartman Joins NAMBLA
," The boys are playing a game called "Investigative Reports with Bill Kurtis" where a player must decide to deny a scandal or cover it up.
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, and news anchor. He is also the current host of A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice
American Justice
American Justice is an American criminal justice television program on the A&E Network, hosted by Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the Selena Murder of a Star, Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, the Hillside Stranglers, Matthew Shepard, or the Wells Fargo heist, with...
, and Cold Case Files
Cold Case Files
Cold Case Files is documentary television series on the cable channel A&E Network hosted by Bill Kurtis that documents the investigation of various long-unsolved murders through the use of modern forensic science , and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the...
. Previously, he anchored CBS Morning News
CBS Morning News
For CBS's main morning news program, formerly known as CBS Morning News, see The Early Show.CBS Morning News is the half-hour daily television broadcast from CBS News that airs following Up to the Minute and features late-breaking news stories, weather forecasts, and sports scores...
, and was the longtime anchor at WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
, the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
owned-and-operated TV station in Chicago (a role to which he has recently returned).
Early life
Kurtis was born in Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
to Wilma Mary (Horton; 1911–2002) and William A. Kuretich, of Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
origin (1914–2001), a Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
general and decorated veteran of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His father's military career resulted in extensive travel for the family. When they settled down, he was raised in Independence
Independence, Kansas
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,483.-Geography:...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
At 16, Kurtis began working as an announcer for KIND-AM, a commercial station in Independence of which he is currently a part owner. He graduated from The University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
with a B.S.
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
in 1962 and went on to earn his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the Washburn University School of Law
Washburn University School of Law
The Washburn University School of Law, commonly referred to as Washburn Law, is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school has 79 faculty members and 445 students...
in 1966. While in law school he did the evening news for Stauffer Publications TV station WIBW in Topeka and clerked for the law firm of Colmery and Russell. After passing the Kansas bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
and winning a job with a Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
, Kurtis discussed his options with Harry Colmery and Bob McClure, of Colmery and Russell, and decided on a career in journalism.
Television career
Kurtis began his television career as a full time anchor at WIBW-TVWIBW-TV
WIBW-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital translator on UHF channel 44. Both operating frequencies are transmitted in Maple Hill. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios at Southwest Commerce Place...
in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. On the evening of June 8, 1966, a severe thunderstorm 20 miles (32 km) southwest of town generated a tornado that headed straight towards Topeka. Kurtis warned: "For God's sake, take cover." This warning became synonymous with the 1966 Topeka tornado that left 16 dead and injured hundreds more. Kurtis remained on the air for 24 straight hours to cover the destruction. His performance during this disaster proved to be his big break.
He moved to Chicago in 1966 to work at WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
, first as a reporter and then as an anchorman. In 1982, he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Morning News
CBS Morning News
For CBS's main morning news program, formerly known as CBS Morning News, see The Early Show.CBS Morning News is the half-hour daily television broadcast from CBS News that airs following Up to the Minute and features late-breaking news stories, weather forecasts, and sports scores...
, but returned to Chicago three years later to produce documentaries for the television show The New Explorers. Kurtis also returned to WBBM-TV at that time and worked as an anchorman there until 1996. He started his own production company, Kurtis Productions, in 1990 and joined the A&E cable television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
the following year. He frequently appears on A&E as the host and narrator of Cold Case Files
Cold Case Files
Cold Case Files is documentary television series on the cable channel A&E Network hosted by Bill Kurtis that documents the investigation of various long-unsolved murders through the use of modern forensic science , and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the...
and American Justice
American Justice
American Justice is an American criminal justice television program on the A&E Network, hosted by Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the Selena Murder of a Star, Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, the Hillside Stranglers, Matthew Shepard, or the Wells Fargo heist, with...
.
Kurtis has received numerous awards for his television work, including over twenty Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s and the Illinois Broadcasters Association 1998 Hall of Fame Award and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters
Kansas Association of Broadcasters
The Kansas Association of Broadcasters is a group supporting broadcasters in Kansas, United States, primarily through lobbying and coordination.-Mission:...
2003 Hall of Fame Award.
He contributed a spoken-word intro to the Dandy Warhols' 2005 album Odditorium or Warlords of Mars
Odditorium or Warlords of Mars
Odditorium or Warlords of Mars is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released on 13 September 2005 on Capitol Records...
. Other narration work includes his introduction to various news clips on the CD portion of the multimedia book, We Interrupt This Broadcast
We Interrupt This Broadcast
We Interrupt This Broadcast is the title of a non-fiction book from 1998. It was written by Joe Garner; the foreword was written by the veteran American newscaster Walter Cronkite. In addition to many descriptions and pictures of notable news events from the 20th century, compact discs containing...
.
Most recently, Kurtis was featured in a series of commercials for AT&T Mobility which poke fun at his serious investigative journalist persona. He appears on a tropical island or in a similarly desolate place and, after explaining the AT&T Laptop Connect Card, states "I'm Bill Kurtis, and I've just found [trademark pause] the Internet." He appears oblivious to the background, which features mythical things such as the fuselage of Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
's long-lost aircraft in one instance, the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...
in another, a yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
in a third, and a leprechaun
Leprechaun
A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
with a pot of gold
Pot of Gold
"Pot of Gold" is the fifth and final single from Sengalese singer/songwriter Akon's debut studio album, Trouble. Released as a European only single, the song failed to chart significantly anywhere, peaking at #77 in the United Kingdom and at #95 in Germany. The single was not released in the United...
in a fourth.
A second group of ads in the series took a different approach and featured Kurtis "racing" figures such as Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions...
, undefeated professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and record-fast serving tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
(amongst other historically "fast" individuals) in Internet speed-surfing contests, allowing himself access to AT&T technology, inevitably winning each time. He concluded each contest by announcing his victory, for example, "I'm Bill Kurtis [pause], and I'm faster than Michael Phelps."
In a third group of promotions, Kurtis appears in various locations with a netbook
Netbook
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...
to demonstrate the coverage of AT&T's wireless data network. He has been seen riding in a motorcycle sidecar
Sidecar
A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle.-History:A sidecar appeared in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903, issue of the British newspaper Motor Cycling. Three weeks later, a provisional patent was...
, aboard a passenger airplane, and in a small diner, among other places, and ends by saying something that lampoons his serious-reporter personality (e.g., "I'll have a cherry lime rickey
Lime Rickey
The Rickey is a category of mixed drinks closely resembling a highball made from a base spirit, half of a lime squeezed and dropped in the glass, and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is added to the Rickey. Originally created with bourbon whiskey in Washington, D.C. at Shoomaker's bar by...
and a hard-boiled egg" to the waitress in the diner).
On November 13, 2009, Kurtis reunited for one evening with his co-anchor of 20 years earlier, Walter Jacobson
Walter Jacobson
Walter David Jacobson is a Chicago television news personality and current anchor of the 6 p.m. news on WBBM-TV. He had been working at WBBM-TV since February 2010 once again doing Walter Jacobson's Perspective twice a week on the 10 O'Clock News prior to being promoted to anchoring the 6 p.m...
, to anchor the WBBM 10 PM news in Chicago while the usual anchor, Rob Johnson, was on vacation.
In an effort to bolster ratings and improve the respectability of WBBM's newscasts, the station announced in July 2010 that Kurtis and Jacobson would permanently anchor the 6 p.m. newscast on WBBM beginning on September 1.
In 2011 Kurtis became the voice of Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
on Ebert Presents: At the Movies.
Film work
Kurtis narrated the 2010 documentary film Carbon NationCarbon Nation
Carbon Nation is a 2010 documentary film by Peter Byck about technological- and community-based energy solutions to the growing worldwide carbon footprint. The film is narrated by Bill Kurtis...
by Peter Byck
Peter Byck
Peter Byck is a film director from Louisville, Kentucky. His most recent and substantial work is the documentary Carbon Nation, narrated by Bill Kurtis.-References:...
. He was selected after a long search to find a voice that was familiar but not polarizing. The director believed that his narration would be "authoritative and neutral", and reach a wider audience.
He was the narrator in the 2004 Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
comedy film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or simply Anchorman, is a 2004 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film, which was also written by Ferrell and McKay, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the then-new Action News format...
.
Business
Since 2005, Kurtis has become heavily involved in raising and marketing grass-fedCattle feeding
Different cattle feeding production systems have separate advantages and disadvantages. Most cows have a diet that is composed of at least some forage . In fact most beef cattle are raised on pasture from birth in the spring until autumn...
beef after purchasing an 8000 acres (32.4 km²) ranch near Sedan, Kansas. While looking for innovative uses for his ranch, Kurtis learned about the health and environmental benefits of grass-fed beef and founded Tallgrass Beef Company
Tallgrass Beef Company
Tallgrass Beef Company is a Kansas-based beef company that sells grass fed and grass finished beef. Tallgrass Beef became the first grass fed beef producer to sell steaks in Chicago in 2005 when Harry Caray’s Restaurant began selling Tallgrass Beef. Its beef is sold via restaurants and grocery...
. A separate ranch owned by Kurtis and his sister, near Independence, Kansas was the original site that Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...
wrote about in her book Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie
Little House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...
and is operated as a tourist attraction. He is also an investor in the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois
Northbrook, Illinois
Northbrook is a village located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, which is also a North Shore suburb of Chicago. The population was 33,170 at the 2010 census....
. Kurtis is a principal of KICA/KICA-FM/KKYC/KMUL/KWUA stations in the Clovis-Portalis, New Mexico and Muleshoe, Texas areas.
Personal life
Kurtis and his longtime partner, Donna La Pietra, are very active on the Chicago social circuit, supporting numerous non-profit organizations. He has also done several public service announcements, including RFB&D (Recording For The Blind and Dyslexic). Kurtis's wife, Helen (who was his high school sweetheart and whom he married in 1963), died of cancer in June 1977. They had two children, Mary Kristin (born December 1965) and Scott Erik (born October 1970). Scott Kurtis, 38, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia since he was in his mid-teens, was found dead July 20, 2009, on his father's Kansas cattle ranch, where he had lived. His body was discovered by his sister, who lives near the ranch. Scott Kurtis suffered from heart and thyroid ailments as a result of weight-gain resulting from medication to treat his schizophrenia.Kurtis's sister, Jean Schodorf
Jean Schodorf
Jean Kurtis Schodorf is a Republican member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 25th District since 2001. She is currently the Majority Whip. From 1989 to 2000, she was on the Board of Education for Unified School District 259 and was the Board President in 1993, 1997 and 1999...
, is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Kansas State Senator. During her 2010 run for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Kurtis narrated a campaign commercial for her.
Writing credits
- Bill Kurtis on Assignment published October 1, 1983 (out of print) by Rand McNally; ISBN 0-528-81005-7
- American Justice published August 1, 1999 by TV Books Inc.; ISBN 1-57500-109-8
- The Death Penalty on Trial: Crisis in American Justice about the death penalty was published November 30, 2004 by PublicAffairs; ISBN 1-58648-169-X
Pop culture
In the TV series South ParkSouth Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, episode "Cartman Joins NAMBLA
Cartman Joins NAMBLA
"Cartman Joins NAMBLA" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 53rd episode of the series overall...
," The boys are playing a game called "Investigative Reports with Bill Kurtis" where a player must decide to deny a scandal or cover it up.
External links
- Tallgrass Beef Company
- A Bill Kurtis Tribute
- A&E American Justice
- A&E Cold Case Files
- Illinois Broadcasters Association
Media
- Interview on The BusinessMakers Show