Known for movies
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
as Writer
Friday Night Lights (2004)
as Writer
Shattered Glass (2003)
as Writer
Three Nights
as Writer
Short Info
| Date Of Birth | November 1, 1954 |
| Spouse | Lisa C. Smith, Sarah Whiting Macdonald, Debra Stone |
| Fact | His son, Gary Bissinger, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Buzz's alma mater. |
Buzz Bissinger is an American sportswriter and author, best known for his book Friday Night Lights, which was adapted into a film and television series. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 16, 1951, to parents Harry and Sylvia Bissinger. He has two brothers, Robert and David. Bissinger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the school’s daily newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian. He graduated with a degree in English in 1974.
Bissinger began his career as a journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 1987. He has also written for The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and GQ. His book Friday Night Lights was published in 1990 and was adapted into a film in 2004 and a television series in 2006.
Bissinger has been married three times. His first marriage was to Lisa Jones in 1976, with whom he had two children. The couple divorced in 1992. He married Tonya Lewis in 1994, and the couple had one child before divorcing in 2002. His third marriage was to Connie Chung in 2003.
Bissinger has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He earns a salary of $1 million per year from his writing and other work.
General Info
| Full Name | Buzz Bissinger |
| Date Of Birth | November 1, 1954 |
| Profession | Journalist, Author |
| Education | Phillips Academy, University of Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
Family
| Spouse | Lisa C. Smith, Sarah Whiting Macdonald, Debra Stone |
| Children | Zach Bissinger |
| Parents | Eleanor Lebenthal Bissinger, Harry Gerard Bissinger II |
Accomplishments
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting |
| Nominations | Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Biography / Auto-biography |
| Movies | Friday Night Lights, Shattered Glass |
Social profile links
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | His son, Zach Bissinger, is autistic. |
| 2 | His son, Gary Bissinger, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Buzz's alma mater. |
| 3 | Favorite songs: "Telephone" by Lady Gaga, "Layla" by Eric Clapton, "Jumping Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones, "Luckenbach, Texas" by Waylon Jennings, "Knocking on Heaven's Doors" by Bob Dylan. |
| 4 | He is also a contributing editor to Vanity Fair magazine. |
| 5 | Is a second cousin of Peter Berg and Mary Berg. Peter directed Friday Night Lights (2004), based on Buzz's book. Buzz's paternal grandmother, Gertrude Louise Winkler, and Peter and Mary's maternal grandfather, Robert Eli Winkler, were siblings. Buzz is thus a second cousin, once removed, of Peter's son, Emmett Berg. |
| 6 | Awarded Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, 1985-1986. |
| 7 | Has three sons, H.G. 'Gary' Bissinger IIII, Zachery 'Zack' Stone Bissinger (twins, born in 1985), And Caleb St. John Macdonald Bissinger, (born in 1991). |
| 8 | Previous newspaper experience includes stints on Norfolk, Virginia's Ledger-Star, 1976-1978, St. Paul's Pioneer Press Dispatch, Minnesota, 1978-1981; investigative reporter at Chicago Tribune, Illinois, and reporter, then editor at the Inquirer, 1981-1988. |
| 9 | Graduate of University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1976. |
| 10 | Winner of the National Headliner Award, 1983 and co-recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 1987, for series on the Philadelphia court system he wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer. |
| 11 | His mother, Eleanor Lebenthal Bissinger, is related to the family that founded and runs Wall Street's Lebenthal Fund. |
Pictures
Movies
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday Night Lights | 2006-2011 | TV Series book - 75 episodes | |
| Friday Night Lights | 2004 | book "Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream" - as H.G. Bissinger | |
| Shattered Glass | 2003 | article - as H.G. Bissinger | |
| NYPD Blue | TV Series teleplay by - 4 episodes, 2001 story by - 3 episodes, 2001 |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYPD Blue | 2001 | TV Series co-producer - 19 episodes |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Am Cait | 2016 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| 60 Minutes Sports | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Author, Friday Night Lights (segment "Friday Night Lights") |
| Today | 2015 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest |
| Entertainment Tonight | 2015 | TV Series | Himself - Vanity Fair Contributing Editor |
| Good Morning America | 2015 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
| Imus in the Morning | 2014 | TV Series | Himself |
| Philadelphia: The Great Experiment | 2013-2014 | TV Series | Himself |
| Piers Morgan Tonight | 2012-2013 | TV Series | Himself |
| Hardball with Chris Matthews | 2013 | TV Series | Himself |
| Face the Nation | 2012 | TV Series | Himself - Sports Panelist |
| Tavis Smiley | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
| Reliable Sources | 2011 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
| 'Friday Night Lights': The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers | 2005 | Video documentary short | Himself (as H.G. Bissinger) |
| Dinner for Five | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Jane Pauley Show | 2004 | TV Series | Himself |
| NFL Films Presents | 1967 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment Tonight | 2015 | TV Series | Himself - Vanity Fair Contributing Editor |
| Extra | 2015 | TV Series | Himself - Vanity Fair Contributing Editor |
Awards
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | OFTA Television Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Writing in a Drama Series | Friday Night Lights (2006) |
| 2005 | USC Scripter Award | USC Scripter Award | Friday Night Lights (2004) |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
