David McCullough

Biography

David McCullough was an American historian and narrator who wrote popular works of American history and became a familiar voice in documentary film. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, he earned a degree in English literature at Yale University before turning to writing. His first book, The Johnstown Flood, appeared in 1968, and he went on to publish biographies and histories including Truman and John Adams, both of which won the Pulitzer Prize; HBO later adapted them for television. He narrated documentaries such as Ken Burns's The Civil War and the 1985 film Huey Long, and he narrated the 2003 film Seabiscuit. For twelve years, from 1988 to 1999, he hosted American Experience on PBS. His honors included two National Book Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. He died in 2022.

89years old at death

Born July 7, 1933Pittsburgh
Died August 7, 2022Hingham
Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
Also credited as David Gaub McCullough and David G. McCullough

Movie Career

Films: 4
Career span: 32 years1985 to 2017

Every film, newest first

2017California TypewriterIMDb rating 7.3
2003SeabiscuitIMDb rating 7.3
1996The Battle Over Citizen KaneIMDb rating 7.7
1985Huey LongIMDb rating 7.6

Genres

Did you know?!

Behind the camera
McCullough spent three years writing in his spare time while employed at American Heritage. His book The Johnstown Flood, which chronicled a severe flood disaster in American history, came out in 1968.
Behind the camera
McCullough began John Adams as a book about both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, then dropped Jefferson to focus on Adams alone.
Early training
McCullough called studying English at Yale a privilege, thanks to faculty members like John O'Hara, John Hersey, Robert Penn Warren, and Brendan Gill. He sometimes ate lunch with Thornton Wilder, who taught him to keep an air of freedom in a storyline.
A change of course
After finishing his studies, McCullough went to New York City, where Sports Illustrated took him on as a trainee in 1956. He then worked in Washington, D.C., as a writer and editor for the United States Information Agency.
A first
David McCullough gave the first John Hersey Lecture at Yale University. His talk took place on March 22, 1993, and he had been selected for the annual event.