Geraldo Rivera
- Style
- Chevron
- Peak Era
- 1980s
- Born
- 1943
- Fan Votes
- 0 legendary · 0 meh
About Geraldo Rivera
Gerald Michael Rivera was born in New York City in 1943 and practiced law before a local news director hired him in 1970. His 1972 exposé of conditions at the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island won a Peabody Award and helped drive reforms in the care of the developmentally disabled. He joined ABC's 20/20 in 1978 and became one of the network's most visible correspondents.
Then came the vaults. In 1986 he hosted the live special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults, which drew a huge audience and famously found almost nothing. The next year he launched the syndicated talk show Geraldo (1987–1998), whose on-air brawl in 1988 left him with a broken nose and an even bigger profile.
He joined Fox News in 2001 as a war correspondent and later hosted Geraldo at Large, remaining with the network until 2023. Through all of it, the mustache did not move.
Why the Stach Became Iconic
Geraldo's mustache is a broadcasting institution. Thick, dark (later salt-and-pepper), and dramatically proportioned, it has been on television continuously since the Nixon administration. It survived a chair to the face in 1988 and a desert sandstorm in 2003, which is more than most news anchors can say.
Whether you find the man serious or silly, the mustache is beyond debate: it is one of the most durable trademarks in American media.
Appearances
- Eyewitness News, WABC (1970–1975)
- Good Night America (1973–1977)
- 20/20 (1978–1985)
- The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults (1986)
- Geraldo (1987–1998)
- Rivera Live, CNBC (1994–2001)
- Geraldo at Large, Fox News (2005–2014)
- The Celebrity Apprentice (2015)
- He is a licensed attorney; he graduated from Brooklyn Law School and practiced before moving to journalism.
- His 1972 Willowbrook report won a Peabody Award.
- The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults (1986) was one of the most-watched syndicated specials of its era, despite the vault being essentially empty.
- His nose was broken during a 1988 on-air brawl on his talk show, and he continued the taping.
- He was runner-up on the 2015 season of The Celebrity Apprentice.
