Buzz Bissinger | |
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.jpg) Bissinger in 2023 | |
| Born | Harry Gerard Bissinger III (1954-11-01)November 1, 1954 (age 71) New York City, United States |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Harry Gerard Bissinger III, also known asBuzz Bissinger andH. G. Bissinger (born November 1, 1954)[1] is an American journalist and author, best known for his 1990 non-fiction bookFriday Night Lights. He is a longtime contributing editor atVanity Fair magazine. In 2019, HBO released a documentary on Bissinger titled “Buzz”.
Born in New York, Bissinger is the son of Eleanor (née Lebenthal) and Harry Gerard Bissinger II.[2][3] His father was a former president of the municipal bond firm Lebenthal & Company. He graduated fromPhillips Academy in 1972 and from theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1976, where he was a sports and opinion editor forThe Daily Pennsylvanian.[4][5] He is the cousin ofPeter Berg, who directed the filmadaptation of Bissinger's bookFriday Night Lights.[6]
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In 1987, while writing forThe Philadelphia Inquirer, Bissinger won thePulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for his story on corruption in thePhiladelphia court system.
In 1998 his article "Shattered Glass," an exposé of the career ofNew Republic writerStephen Glass, was published in the magazineVanity Fair, where he is a contributing editor. The article was adapted for the 2003film of the same name.
Bissinger's July 2015Vanity Fair cover story "Call Me Caitlyn," on the transition of former Olympic decathlete, businessperson, and television personality Bruce Jenner toCaitlyn Jenner star ofE!'sKeeping Up with the Kardashians andI Am Cait, with photographs by Annie Leibovitz, was one of the biggest international scoops in years. Bissinger had exclusive access to Jenner both immediately before and after her cosmetic surgery. The 11,000-word article was months in the making and kept heavily under wraps until it was released on the magazine's website on June 1.
Bissinger's article forVanity Fair, "Gone with the Wind" (August 2007), about the saga of 2006Kentucky Derby WinnerBarbaro, has been optioned by Universal Pictures.[7] His magazine work has also appeared inThe New York Times andSports Illustrated.
In 2008, Bissinger wrote "The Throwback," an online sports column forThe New York Times.[8]
Bissinger also served as a columnist atThe Daily Beast. On October 8, 2012, Bissinger endorsedMitt Romney for president.[9] Bissinger wrote a piece in August 2020 saying that he and his wife would move toItaly ifDonald Trump were re-electedPresident of the United States.[10]
He briefly hosted a daily radio talk show on WPHT Philadelphia 1210 with Steve Martorano.[11]
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Bissinger is perhaps best known for his bookFriday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, which documents the 1988 season of thefootball team ofPermian High School inOdessa, Texas. This work was the inspiration for the 1993 television seriesAgainst the Grain, and was turned into a successfulfilm (which was released in October 2004), and atelevision series which debuted onNBC on October 3, 2006. The book has sold nearly two million copies. In a list of the one hundred best books on sports ever,Sports Illustrated rankedFriday Night Lights fourth and the best ever on football. ESPN calledFriday Night Lights the best book on sports over the past quarter-century.
A Prayer for the City, published in 1998, offers insight into the urban political scene of Philadelphia during Mayor (who later became theGovernor of Pennsylvania until 2011)Ed Rendell's term in the 1990s.
TheNew York Times' bestsellingThree Nights in August, published in 2005, chronicles a series in August 2003 between theSt. Louis Cardinals and theChicago Cubs through the perspective of Cardinals managerTony La Russa.
Shooting Stars was published by Penguin Press in September 2009.[12] The book, co-authored with basketball superstarLeBron James, tells the story of James' high school career where he and his four best friends won a championship in basketball. As part of the promotion ofShooting Stars, Bissinger appeared as a "Guest Commenter" on aDeadspin post on October 1, 2009.[13]
In April 2012, Bissinger releasedAfter Friday Night Lights, a sequel toFriday Night Lights which focuses on Bissinger's relationship withJames "Boobie" Miles, a major character in his first book.
Father's Day, published in May 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is a memoir that revolves around a singular cross-country road trip taken with one of his twin sons, Zach, an autistic savant.
In 2022 Bissinger wroteThe Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II, which was widely reviewed.[14][15][16][17][18]
In 2013, Bissinger was awarded an honorary degree byDrexel University in recognition of his exceptional contributions as one of the “nation’s most honored and distinguished writers.” He has received numerous other awards for his writing.[19]
Bissinger has been married three times.[20][21] He has questioned his own sexuality as well as his gender preference.[21]
He is addicted to both shopping and sex, and has been to therapy for both.[22] In a column published inGQ, Bissinger states he is ashopaholic with an obsession for expensive designer clothes, spending $638,412.97 between 2010 and 2012.
He is married to Lisa C. Smith, a former Assistant Vice Chancellor ofNYU Abu Dhabi.[19] He has three sons.[19][21] A resident ofWashington state, he divides his time between homes in Philadelphia and thePacific Northwest.[citation needed]
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