Journalist. Best known for his hardnosed interview style and determination to get to the bottom of stories, he was a fixture on the long-running weekly TV series "60 Minutes" from the inception in 1968 until his retirement in 2008. Myron Leon Wallace was born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in New England, his father was a wholesale grocer and insurance broker he attended the same elementary school as John F. Kennedy in Brookline, Massachusetts. He enrolled at the University of Michigan where he studied Journalism and gained radio experience while working at the campus station attaining his degree in 1939 and following graduation, he continued to work on a wide range of radio programs. After serving as a communications officer with the United States Navy during World War II, he launched his career in television with various positions in the media. During this period, he also had a stint as an actor with the Broadway production "Reclining Figure" (1954 to 1955) and appeared as a guest panelist on several TV game shows including "The Name's the Same" and "To Tell the Truth." He found his niche when he became host of the New York-based interview-formatted program "Night Beat" and after going national in 1957, it was re-named "The Mike Wallace Interview." A much broader audience was now aware of Wallace's at-times relentless interviewing style in which they became accustom to during the course of his career. He served as a correspondent with CBS News and from 1961 to 1963 he narrated a popular series titled "Biography" which provided detailed recounts in the lives of former presidents, prime ministers, military figures and other historical personalities. When Don Hewitt was conceiving the concept for "60 Minutes," Mike Wallace was the first journalist he had in mind for the new groundbreaking series. For 40-years, his in-depth segments with what became known as "ambush interviews" in which the subject was caught off-guard reigned a popular feature during the series' run. However, one particular segment with General William Westmoreland (Commander of US Military Operations during the Vietnam War) led to a lawsuit against Wallace and "60 Minutes" due to the nature of content. The matter was later resolved, but not before taking a toll on Wallace. In 1962, his son Peter died in a fall while hiking in mountains in Greece. Wallace later revealed that for many years he had battled severe depression. He received 21 Emmy Awards for his efforts and left an indelible imprint on journalism.