Nick Clooney | |
|---|---|
 Clooney in 2006 | |
| Born | Nicholas Joseph Clooney (1934-01-13)January 13, 1934 (age 92) Maysville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupations | Journalist, anchorman, game show host, television host |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingGeorge |
| Relatives | Rosemary Clooney (sister) Betty Clooney (sister) Miguel Ferrer (nephew) |
Nicholas Joseph Clooney (born January 13, 1934) is an American journalist, anchorman, politician, and television host. He is the brother of singersRosemary Clooney andBetty Clooney and the father of actorGeorge Clooney.
Clooney was born inMaysville, Kentucky, the son of Marie Frances (née Guilfoyle; 1904–1972) and Andrew Joseph Clooney (1902–1974). He was one of five children.[1] His father was of Irish and German descent and his mother was of Irish ancestry.[2]
While serving as a corporal in theU.S. Army,[when?] Clooney worked as adisc jockey in theAmerican Forces Network inGermany, hosting the showsMusic in the Air andMelody-Go-Round. He then moved toCalifornia for a try at show business. When that did not work out, Clooney moved toOhio, where he met Nina Warren when she was a contestant in abeauty pageant he was judging; they married in August 1959. In addition to his son, George, Nick Clooney had a daughter named Adelia (known as Ada) (d. December 2025).
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Clooney had an eight-year stint (1958–1966) atWKYT-TV inLexington, Kentucky,[3] then went to Ohio to host his own TV show,The Nick Clooney Show, first inColumbus, Ohio, forWLWC television in 1968, then forCincinnati'sWCPO-TV in 1969, and finally with its greatest degree of success for crosstown rivalWKRC-TV through the early 1970s.The Nick Clooney Show was a local morning show, with a variety and talk-show format. In December 1974, he gained his first national fame by hosting theABC daytimegame showThe Money Maze. Broadcast nationally on ABC at 4 p.m., WKRC-TV (at the time an ABC affiliate) delayedThe Money Maze so it could be seen back-to-back withThe Nick Clooney Show at 10:30 and 11 a.m., respectively.
After ABC canceledThe Money Maze on July 4, 1975,[4] Clooney returned to WKRC-TV and became the station's news director and lead anchor. As a journalist, he is probably best remembered for his coverage of the 1977Beverly Hills Supper Club fire and its aftermath, which spanned several years. Many people in the region first heard about the fire from Clooney when WKRC interrupted its Saturday night prime-time schedule to broadcast news of the fire. Clooney pursued ahard news focus that was quite different from thesensationalism often seen on local television. Under his leadership, WKRC-TV became a solid #1 in the local news ratings, dethroning CBS affiliate WCPO-TV, which had controlled ratings for more than two decades underAl Schottelkotte's leadership.
After leaving WKRC in 1984, Clooney then worked inLos Angeles, California, as the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. co-anchor atKNBC. He returned again to WKRC-TV in the late 1980s, but by that time,NBC affiliateWLWT was number one in the late newscast, with former Cincinnati mayorJerry Springer as its main anchor; Clooney was not able to lead WKRC back to ratings leadership it enjoyed in the past. He moved on toSalt Lake City, Utah for several years to anchor and help launch the news operation of the market'sFox stationKSTU with its 9 p.m. newscast. Then in 1994, Clooney worked a short stint as a news anchor for NBC affiliateWGRZ-TV inBuffalo, New York.[5] He resurfaced nationally in television as a host and researcher for thecable channelAmerican Movie Classics, where he introduced and presented backgrounds of classic movies, along withBob Dorian. In 1999, he returned to his former radio homeWSAI in Cincinnati, starting as afternoon host September 13, then moving to mornings in November to replaceBob Braun, who had health problems.[6]
Because of his long association with WKRC-TV and helping it become one of the dominant stations in the Cincinnati area alongside WCPO-TV, Clooney has been critical of WKRC-TV's current owners, theSinclair Broadcast Group, over theirconservative viewpoints and their requiring affiliates to run certain news segments known asmust-runs during its stations' local newscasts including WKRC-TV. Clooney was critical of Sinclair's mandated commentary scripts known asjournalistic responsibility promos during thefirst presidency ofDonald Trump, stating that he would have "quit and become a cab driver" if station management had forced him into reading it on the air.[7]
Clooney ran as aDemocrat in the2004 election for a seat in theHouse of Representatives representingKentucky's 4th Congressional District. His opponent for theopen seat wasRepublicanGeoff Davis. Clooney was recruited to run byKen Lucas, the outgoing Democratic congressman who had held onto the conservative district with his moderate views. With his name recognition and well-publicized endorsement from Lucas, Clooney was a big favorite to keep the seat in Democratic hands.
Early in 2004, Davis fought through a (sometimes rough) three-way Republicanprimary. Despite a commanding early lead, when the national media began to report on the electoral contest (due to his famous sonGeorge Clooney), his Republican opponents began using the phrase "Hollywood vsthe Heartland" to describe the race.[8][9] Clooney's lead began to disappear and he was dealt a blow when bothThe Kentucky Enquirer and theCommunity Press newspapers endorsed Davis.
Clooney lost 44% to 54%. During his concession speech, he said his short career in politics was over. He went back to writing a column forThe Cincinnati Post three times a week, covering a wide range of topics, until thePost's discontinuation at the end of 2007.
In 2006, Clooney and his son George traveled toDarfur,Sudan, and filmed a documentary,A Journey to Darfur, which was broadcast on Americancable TV as well as inUnited Kingdom and France. In 2008, it was released on DVD with the proceeds from its sale being donated to theInternational Rescue Committee to help the people of Darfur.[10][11][12][13]
Clooney became an activist for Darfur. He has done several open forums and speeches at local high schools in Ohio and Kentucky, and has participated in different rallies for Darfur. On March 16, 2007, following a Darfur rally, Clooney was awarded an honorary Class of 1952 diploma fromSt. Xavier High School, the high school he attended in Cincinnati before moving to California.[14] On October 11, 2007, Clooney visitedTurpin High School in Cincinnati to talk to students about Darfur. TheUniversity of Kentucky announced that it would present him with an honorary degree at its 2007commencement.[15]
Clooney served as the host of theDayton Literary Peace Prize awards ceremony in both 2007[16] and 2008.[17]
In fall 2008, Clooney joined the faculty atAmerican University inWashington, D.C. as American University School of Communication and Newseum Distinguished Journalist in Residence. Clooney's appointment is part of a long-term partnership between the School of Communication and the Newseum, the interactive museum of news in Washington, D.C. As part of the school-Newseum partnership, Clooney hosted the fifth annual AU School of Communication-Newseum Reel Journalism Film Festival and other events at the Newseum. "After a news career that stretches back to the Eisenhower administration, I'm looking forward to joining American University's School of Communication and the Newseum to work with a new generation of prospective journalists," said Clooney.[18]
Clooney taught Opinion Writing in fall 2008, and in spring 2009, he taught Films that Changed Us, a new course based on his book,The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen (Atria, 2002). The book analyzes the significance of such iconic American films asThe Birth of a Nation,The Jazz Singer,Dr. Strangelove,Stagecoach,The Graduate,Star Wars andSaving Private Ryan.
Clooney was the commencement speaker for theUniversity of Cincinnati on June 8, 2012, and was awarded an honorary degree the following day.[19]
In 2014, Nick Clooney appeared inThe Monuments Men which was directed by his son, George Clooney, who played one of the leading characters, Stokes. Nick Clooney played the older Stokes visiting Bruges, Belgium, years later to see theMadonna, which was one of the many treasures rescued by the Monuments Men.
In 2021, Nick Clooney joined theSons of the American Revolution.[20]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forUnited States Representative fromKentucky's 4th congressional district 2004 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| Other | |
