Years of Minutes: The Best of Rooney from 60 Minutes

Andy Rooney, January 19, 1919 - Andrew Rooney was born January 14, 1919 in Albany, N.Y. He attended Colgate University until he was drafted into the Army in 1941. In February 1943, he was one of six correspondents who flew with the Eighth Air Force on the first American bombing raid over Germany. After the War, he wrote for "The Garry Moore Show" from 1959 to 1965, and for Arthur Godfrey from 1949 to 1955, both on CBS. He also wrote for CBS News public affairs broadcasts such as "The Twentieth Century," "News of America," "Adventure," "Calendar" and "The Morning Show with Will Rogers Jr." Rooney wrote the first example of what has become his specialty, the television essay, with "An Essay on Doors" in 1964. From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with Harry Reasoner on such CBS News specials as "An Essay on Bridges" in 1965, "An Essay on Hotels" in 1966, "An Essay on Women" in 1967, "An Essay on Chairs" in 1968 and "The Strange Case of the English Language" also in 1968. "An Essay on War" in 1971 won Rooney his third Writers Guild Award. In 1968, he wrote two CBS News specials in the series "Of Black America." His script for "Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed" won him his first Emmy Award In addition to his contributions to 60 Minutes, Rooney wrote, produced and narrated a series of broadcasts for CBS News on various aspects of America and American life, including "Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington," for which he won a Peabody Award, "Andy Rooney Takes Off," "Mr. Rooney Goes to Work" and "Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner." The 2002-03 season marks Rooney's 25th season on 60 Minutes. His reports, "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney," became a regular feature in September 1978. He won Emmy Awards for these essays in 1979, 1981 and 1982. On May 19, 2002 he presented his 800th segment on the broadcast. Rooney, the CBS News correspondent, writer and producer, has won the Writers Guild Award for Best Script of the Year six times, more than any other writer in the history of the medium. Rooney's final regular appearance on 60 Minutes was on October 2, 2011, after 33 years on the show. It was his 1,097th commentary. He was hospitalized on October 25, 2011, after developing postoperative complications from an undisclosed surgery, and died on November 4, 2011, at the age of 92.