Mike Wallace: A Lion In Winter
A Look At The Extraordinary Highlights Of His Career
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End Of Mike Wallace Era
"The end of an era" may be a cliché, but there's no other way to describe Mike Wallace's decision to retire from "60 Minutes." Harry Smith spoke with Wallace, who has been with CBS News for 43 years.
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Mike Wallace's Career In Full
Ed Bradley reports on the many heart-wrenching stories and exclusive interviews that "60 Minutes'" correspondent Mike Wallace has covered over the years.
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Wallace Bids Adieu To '60'
Before saying goodbye, Mike Wallace visited his alma mater in Ann Arbor, Mich., where his journalism career began.
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Mike Wallace (CBS)
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Mike Wallace, interviewing Eleanor Roosevelt. (CBS)
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Interviewing Nancy Reagan. (CBS)
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Mike Wallace, during his controversial interview with Jose Conseco. (CBS)
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Photo Essay
'60 Minutes' Man
CBS newsman Mike Wallace announces his retirement... sort of.
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This Is CBS
Photos, a timeline and some information about the people who make it the Tiffany Network.
To mark the occasion, Ed Bradley takes a look back at some of the extraordinary highlights from Wallace's career: a career based on a deceptively simple idea.
"Let's ask the questions that might be on the minds of the people looking in," Wallace said. "They would love to feel that, hey. If I were there in that chair where Wallace is, here’s what I would want to know."
Over the decades, Mike Wallace has gone after politicians, murderers, dictators such as Panama's Manuel Noriega — and even Hollywood legends, like Bette Davis.
"It may just have been that you were difficult, Bette," Wallace told the actress.
"No, no, no, no," she insisted.
"Not just difficult, impossible," Wallace replied during the interview.
He's been the heart and soul of 60 Minutes, showing his colleagues, time and again, how it's done.
His encounter with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was classic Wallace.
"You don’t trust the media, you’ve said so. You don’t trust whites, you’ve said so. You don’t trust Jews, you’ve said so. Well, here I am," Wallace said to Minister Farrakhan.
"So what?" Farrakhan responded,
There was straight talk and no nonsense, but fireworks erupted when the subject turned to corruption in Nigeria.
"No, I will not allow America or you, Mr. Wallace, to condemn them as the most corrupt nation on earth," Farrakhan said to Wallace in a fired-up voice. "How dare you put yourself in that position as a moral judge. I think you should keep quiet."
Farrakhan later told Wallace, "I didn’t mean to be so fired up."
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