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How to Write a Biography
At some point in their academic careers, all students will be required to write a biography. In this guide, learn how to write a biography with tips for every phase of the process, from planning to research and writing. And because a biography is only as good as the author’s research, find links below to the best sources of biographical information on the Web, including interviews and obituaries.
Expand All Guide SectionsTips for Writing a Biography
Get advice on how to write a biography from those who have done it before. The following resources ... read more »
Researching for a Biography
Encyclopedias, newsmagazines and history Web sites are good places to begin your research. Many ... read more »
Interviews
Interviews have the potential to offer writers an intimate window into a person’s world, and their firsthand accounts can lend useful substance to a biography.
Insights for Interviews
- When searching for biographical information, don’t forget to search for interviews. Add the term “interview” to a person’s name when doing a Web search. Chances are if they’ve done an interview, you’ll find record of it online.
Top Sites for Interviews
Charlie Rose has interviewed hundreds of “America’s best thinkers, writers, politicians, athletes, entertainers, business leaders, scientists and other newsmakers” since his show first aired in 1991. Browse interview subjects alphabetically, or use the search field.
The Mike Wallace Interview was a series of prime-time television interviews conducted between 1957 and 1960. Wallace donated 65 interviews conducted between 1957 and 1958 to the University of Texas, which hosts video and transcripts of the conversations. His guests are an impressive array of artists, politicians, war heroes, athletes, businessmen, actors and more. Wallace owns the copyright to these selected videos, though many of his other interviews can be found on YouTube.
TED TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is probably the most well-known site for inspiring, amusing and cool talks with innovative thinkers and leaders. Learn about emerging technologies, the fashion world, religion, medicine and much more from the Web site of the TED Prize and annual TED Conference.
The Paris Review has conducted more than 300 interviews with important authors since the 1950s. An archive of Paris Review interviews is available on the magazine’s Web site. Full interviews are available as PDF downloads. Browse the archive alphabetically or by date, or search for a specific figure.
Booknotes is the online archive of C-Span’s author interviews by C-Span CEO Brian Lamb. Find interviews with 800 authors from 1989 to 2004. All interviews are available in streaming video with full transcript.
Michael Parkinson, a British broadcaster, hosted the chat show “Parkinson” from 1971-1982 and 1998-2007, interviewing many of the world’s most famous actors, musicians, athletes and other celebrities. His Web site currently features videos conducted during the end of his show’s run, though it promises to soon expand its archive.
Archive of American Television comprises more than 600 interviews with television actors, presenters, writers, directors, producers and other broadcasting pioneers.
BBC Four features dozens of audio interviews conducted over the last 50 years with people from the world of arts and entertainment, politics and philosophy.
Bill Thompson’s Eye on Books features thousands of audio interviews with authors. The interviews are organized by book title.
Obituaries
Obituaries are a useful source of biographical information for deceased persons. Found in all major ... read more »
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