Anderson Cooper Biography

Anderson Cooper, journalist

Birthdate: June 3, 1967

Birthplace: New York, New York

Sign: Gemini

Anderson Hays Cooper was born from a wealthy and prominent family. His mother, artist/actress/socialite Gloria Vanderbilt is the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II of the one of the wealthiest families in history, the Vanderbilt Family of New York. His father is writer Wyatt Emory Cooper.

His father's death in 1978 had greatly affected him as he felt very connected with him. But it was his older brother Carter's suicide in 1988 that made him decide to be a journalist.

He has never married and, although there are speculations about his sexuality, he has opted to not discuss his personal life.

After he graduated from Yale University, he had worked as a fact checker for Channel One. He was able to enter Burma with a fake press pass and met with students fighting the Burmese government. He sold his news to Channel One.

His big break came in 1995 when he became a correspondent for ABC News. He eventually rose to be a co-anchor in the overnight news program "World News Now" in 1999. However, in 2000, feeling the pressure of being in the news industry, he took a job as a reality show host in "The Mole."

He returned to broadcast news in 2001 at CNN. After several newscast positions, he was made anchor of his own show, "Anderson Cooper 360" in 2003.

His "Dispatches from the Edge" memoir topped the New York Times bestseller list in 2006.