Terry Gross
Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Gross, who has been host of Fresh Air since 1975, when it was broadcast only in greater Philadelphia, isn't afraid to ask tough questions. But Gross sets an atmosphere in which her guests volunteer the answers rather than surrendering them. What often puts those guests at ease is Gross' understanding of their work. "Anyone who agrees to be interviewed must decide where to draw the line between what is public and what is private," Gross says. "But the line can shift, depending on who is asking the questions. What puts someone on guard isn't necessarily the fear of being 'found out.' It sometimes is just the fear of being misunderstood."
Gross began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, New York. There she hosted and produced several arts, women's and public affairs programs, including This Is Radio, a live, three-hour magazine program that aired daily. Two years later, she joined the staff of WHYY-FM in Philadelphia as producer and host of Fresh Air, then a local, daily interview and music program. In 1985, WHYY-FM launched a weekly half-hour edition of Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which was distributed nationally by NPR. Since 1987, a daily, one-hour national edition of Fresh Air has been produced by WHYY-FM. The program is broadcast on 566 stations and became the first non-drive time show in public radio history to reach more than five million listeners each week in fall 2008, a presidential election season. In fall 2011, Fresh Air reached 4.4 million listeners a week.
Fresh Air with Terry Gross has received a number of awards, including the prestigious Peabody Award in 1994 for its "probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight." America Women in Radio and Television presented Gross with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award for her "outstanding contributions to public radio" and for advancing the "growth, quality and positive image of radio." In 2007, Gross received the Literarian Award. In 2011, she received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community.
Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Gross received a bachelor's degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Gross was recognized with the Columbia Journalism Award from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in 2008 and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Princeton University in 2002. She received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993 and Doctor of Humane Letters in 2007, both from SUNY–Buffalo. She also received a Doctor of Letters from Haverford College in 1998 and Honorary Doctor of Letters from Drexel University in 1989.
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Needham, who died in 2013, worked as a Hollywood stuntman for over 40 years. In this 2011 interview, he detailed some of his most death-defying feats — and why he disliked modern special effects.
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Wallach, who died in 2014, learned to ride horses as a young man. He later made a career playing villains in Westerns like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Originally broadcast in 1990.
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Eastwood's breakout role came in the 1964 Western A Fistful of Dollars. In 1997 he talked about his signature squint: "[There's a] bunch of lights ... and it's 90 degrees and it's hard not to squint."
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Rossellini talked about being the daughter of movie icons Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini and about playing playing an abused woman in Blue Velvet.
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Hopper, who died in 2010, became famous for the 1969 hippie biker road trip movie, Easy Rider. "There was a lot of smoking grass on that picture. ... I didn’t do it. But I drank," he said in 1990.
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In this 2000 interview, Poitier talked about his disastrous first audition, why reading was a struggle and how he went on to become the most famous Black actor of his generation.
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In 2012, the Oscar-winning actor talked about shifting accents for various roles, including her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady: "It's work, but it's not a struggle; it's fun."
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Hopkins won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the cannibalizing serial killer Hannibal Lector The Silence of the Lambs. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1991 about the character's distinctive voice.
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As a kid, Foster appeared in both the Disney film Freaky Friday and as a child prostitute in Taxi Driver. She later won an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs. Originally broadcast June 17, 2002.
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Over the course of his decades-long career, Caine has appeared in well over 100 films, including Alfie, The Ipcress File and The Dark Knight Batman films. Originally broadcast in 1992.