• Autria Godfrey was born in the USA on 28 December 1984 and holds American nationality
• She is best known for her career of an anchor and reporter, especially for the work she has done with the WJLA TV station
• She studied broadcast journalism at Texas A & M University and American University, and began working as a weekend anchor and reporter after graduating
• Autria has won an Emmy Award for her success in the field of broadcasting and has an estimated net worth of over $1 million
• She is active on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, with over 6,000, 2,100 and 5,000 followers respectively.
Known for movies
Short Info
Died | March 16, 1983, New York City, New York, United States |
Spouse | Mary Bourke |
Mark | Theme song: "Seems Like Old Times" |
Fact | After years of being a popular radio personality in Washington, DC, Godfrey tried to get the top execs at CBS Radio to air his radio show on the full network. They turned him down, claiming that he was strictly a local host. However, on April 12, 1945, the network needed someone to serve as commentator for the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Godfrey was assigned to host the sad event. His remarks were so sincere and heartfelt that CBS finally gave him a nationally broadcast talk/variety series. |
Contents
- 1 Who is Autria Godfrey?
- 2 Early life and education
- 3 Autria’s career
- 4 WJLA-TV station
- 5 Personal life and marriage(s)
- 6 Problems with the law
- 7 Autria’s perfect day
- 8 Doing the Ice Bucket Challenge
- 9 Appearance and net worth
- 10 Social media presence
- 11 General Info
- 12 Family
- 13 Accomplishments
- 14 Social profile links
- 15 Marks
- 16 Facts
- 17 Pictures
- 18 Movies
- 19 Awards
Who is Autria Godfrey?
Autria was born in the USA on 28 December 1984 under the zodiac sign of Capricorn and holds American nationality. She is best known for her career of an anchor and reporter, especially for the work which she has done with the WJLA TV station.
#WorldEmojiDay (and allegedly this is chocolate ice cream) ? pic.twitter.com/kXZieA8uzc
— Autria Godfrey (@ABC7Autria) July 17, 2017
Early life and education
Autria grew up in Texas in a middle-class veteran family but she did not share much about her parents or her siblings – it is only known that her father was battling cancer for the second time in 2015 as Autria showed her support on her Twitter account.
Autria’s home town was a very small place and the local high school which she attended had only around 90 students – after she matriculated, she enrolled at Texas A & M University, and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She continued her education at the American University where she studied Broadcast Journalism – she was already quite active at that time, and was interested in debates about numerous topics, and was also a big contributor to the local newspapers.
During an interview in the “Good Morning Washington” show, Autria admitted that she began to hate journalism while she was studying it at her high school – she went to her advisor who apparently claimed that the only option she had left was broadcasting. It actually took only a couple of classes at her university for her to fall in love with this profession.
Autria’s career
As soon as she was done with her studies, Autria began working as a weekend anchor and reporter, and so spent most of her time travelling, covering numerous events including the Country Music Awards held in Nashville. She soon began working as a co-anchor for the “Good Morning Charlottesville” show, and quickly got the job of a lead anchor. As she grew more popular, she wanted to progress in her career and therefore left the show and started working for Tribune Broadcasting as their Capitol Hill Correspondent. She quit that job in 2009 and received an opportunity to be an In-Game reporter for Washington Wizards National Basketball Association team in 2011. This was a period in her career during which she wanted to become a sports PR although she had no experience at all, but believed she would succeed at it. Her employers didn’t share her opinion but had found another job for her which included interviewing the audience and players during matches. During these years she also covered many important events including the rescue of Chilean miners and the mid-term elections in 2010 as a freelance news reporter.
Autria reported numerous events of importance such as the opening of George W. Bush Presidential Library, as well as the Washington Navy Yard shooting – she was there to cover the Virginia Tech shooting, and Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Williamsburg. In 2011, she began working for WJLA station as their news anchor of “Good Morning Washington” show, and their “ABC7 News at Noon” show. She won an Emmy Award for her success in the field of broadcasting, which helped make her even more popular in the TV broadcasting industry.
WJLA-TV station
WJLA-TV is yet another ABC affiliated TV station based in Washington D.C. – it is the main station of the Allbritton Communications Company. Its tower is located in the Tenleytown part of Washington and shared with WUSA station.
The station began broadcasting for the first time on 3 October 1947 and was called TWVW and owned by Washington Star – it was the first Band III VHF station in the US and it soon changed its name to WMAL-TV. After ABC purchased the station in March 1977, they renamed it to the name it carries today – WJLA-TV. It was the second TV station in Washington after WUSA to broadcast high definition newscasts.
Personal life and marriage(s)
Autria thought she was marrying the love of her life when she exchanged vows with Scott Thurman, who worked as an anchor as well. They met at the very beginning of Autria’s career and had been dating for years before deciding to marry in 2008 – their marriage lasted for four years as they divorced in February 2012. One year after, Autria was offered a place of a lead anchor for the “Good Morning Washington” show, which used to be her ex-husband’s position.
It took a while before Autria found love again, but did so with Paul Lindsay who is an American exceptionalist – their wedding was held at the Dumbarton House in Washington on 3 June 2017.
Problems with the law
Even though this is not something to be expected from a TV personality such as Autria, she was once arrested for public intoxication and trespassing – the police picked her up after someone reported her for getting into a fight in a bar in February 2017. She was told to leave the place but was so persistent and came back inside after spending couple of minutes outside – policemen had no other choice but to arrest her. The incident could’ve cost Autria her career, but she was only taken off air for a couple of days. When asked to comment about Autria’s arrest, the WJLA’s community relations director Shamia Holloway said that the station doesn’t comment on personnel or their personal issues.
Autria’s perfect day
When asked how her perfect day would look like, Autria explained that it would be a day spent sleeping, but then added how she loves to go hiking and paddle boarding, while she would also love to visit Barcelona – as long as she is outside and the weather is good, it is a perfect day for her. Autria is also a very good tap dancer as she practiced it a lot during her days in high school.
Doing the Ice Bucket Challenge
Whoever said that you cannot have fun working the morning show was very wrong – Autria and her co-anchor Jummy Olabanji were challenged to do the popular “Ice Bucket Challenge” and they did it live during the “Good Morning Washington” show on 22 August, 2014.
Appearance and net worth
Autria is currently 34 years old. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes, but her height and weight are not known.
According to authoritative sources, Autria’s net worth is estimated to be over $1 million as of early 2019, and is likely to rise as the popular anchor is still very active.
Social media presence
It is quite normal to expect Autria to be very active on all the popular social media platforms – she launched her Twitter account in June 2010 and has so far gathered over 6,000 followers and tweeted more than 5,500 times. Her Instagram account is followed by nearly 2,100 people while she’s posted around 160 pictures, but she uses it mostly to keep in touch with her family – she has a Facebook page as well, with nearly 5,000 fans.
General Info
Full Name | Arthur Godfrey |
Died | March 16, 1983, New York City, New York, United States |
Profession | Actor, Aircraft pilot, Entertainer, Sailor, Radio personality, TV Personality, Too Fat Polka, Makin’ Love Ukulele Style, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep |
Nationality | American |
Family
Spouse | Mary Bourke |
Parents | Kathryn Morton Godfrey, Arthur Hanbury Godfrey, Too Fat Polka, Makin’ Love Ukulele Style, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep |
Siblings | Dorothy Gene |
Accomplishments
Awards | Peabody Award |
Nominations | Primetime Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Personality, Primetime Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality, Too Fat Polka, Makin’ Love Ukulele Style, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep |
Movies | Flatbed Annie and Sweetie Pie: Lady Truckers, The Great Bank Hoax, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows, The Glass Bottom Boat, 50 Years Before Your Eyes |
TV Shows | Candid Camera, Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, Your All American College Show |
Social profile links
Marks
# | Marks / Signs |
---|---|
1 | Theme song: "Seems Like Old Times" |
2 | Ukulele |
Facts
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | In 1960 Arthur Godfrey was announced for the role of Abel Frake in the forthcoming 20th Century-Fox Picture "State Fair", eventually released in March 1962 with Tom Ewell having replaced Godfrey. |
2 | His radio shows were broadcast over the AFRS network. These were played by the local outlets from vinyl recordings. |
3 | Grandfather of DC Housewife, Mary Schmidt Amons. |
4 | He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard; for Recording at 6616 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 1559 Vine Street in Hollywood, California. |
5 | He once remarked on his television show that, when told they had booked Tommy Leonetti, he thought that it was a trio called "Tommy, Lee and Eddie.". |
6 | He was a close friend of narrator Peter Thomas. |
7 | Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 323-325. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. |
8 | Was an avid amateur (ham) radio operator with the call sign K4LIB. This call is now owned by the Arthur Godfrey Fan Club, which runs an annual ham event in honour of his memory. |
9 | Was thought to have been at least the partial inspiration for the character of Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes in Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957). The character of Rhodes was that of a popular TV personality whose folksy image covered up the fact that he was a vicious, manipulative bully privately. |
10 | He was rated as a Naval Aviator in 1950 (his previous attempts to serve during the war were thwarted by a leg injury). He was certified to fly virtually every type of aircraft in existence during his lifetime (rotor, jet, multiple engine, helicopter, holding FAA type ratings from the DC-3 to the Constellation) and was an honorary pilot for Eastern Airlines. He appeared in a 1953 Eastern Airlines film with famed pilot Dick Merrill at the helm of a Constellation. His friend Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker gave him a customized DC-3 in 1947, which he more than returned in kind through plugs for the airline along with his endorsements about flying safety to his millions of flying-wary listeners during the 1940s. |
11 | Steve Allen, Eddy Arnold and Joe E. Brown served as substitute hosts/performers on Talent Scouts (1948) and on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends (1949). |
12 | After years of being a popular radio personality in Washington, DC, Godfrey tried to get the top execs at CBS Radio to air his radio show on the full network. They turned him down, claiming that he was strictly a local host. However, on April 12, 1945, the network needed someone to serve as commentator for the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Godfrey was assigned to host the sad event. His remarks were so sincere and heartfelt that CBS finally gave him a nationally broadcast talk/variety series. |
13 | He made his radio debut in the mid-'20s on a radio talent show as a banjo player and singer. He later hosted his own musical/variety program, "Red Godfrey The Warbling Banjoist & His Uklelee Club. |
14 | Inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2001. |
15 | He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988. |
16 | At his TV peak in 1953, he starred in three different television shows simultaneously -- Arthur Godfrey and His Friends (1949), Talent Scouts (1948), and Arthur Godfrey Time (1952). |
17 | He was known for finding and grooming young, undiscovered talent. But he insisted on loyalty and absolute control over their careers. One of his bigger finds, singer Julius LaRosa, was unceremoniously fired by a very gracious-sounding Godfrey ON THE AIR simply because the up-and-comer found himself an agent. Godfrey's popularity soon declined after the incident -- his "nice guy" public image irreparably damaged. |
Pictures
Movies
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Love Boat | 1979 | TV Series | Ned Dunkmueller |
Flatbed Annie & Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers | 1979 | TV Movie | Uncle Wally |
Angels' Brigade | 1979 | Arthur Godfrey | |
Flying High | 1978 | TV Series | Red Greene |
The Great Bank Hoax | 1978 | Maj. Bryer (Ret.) | |
Ellery Queen | 1976 | TV Series | Claude Sitwell |
The Red Skelton Hour | 1967-1969 | TV Series | Shifty Sam / Farmer |
Your All-American College Show | 1968 | TV Series | Host |
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! | 1968 | The Bishop: The 'In' Group | |
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | 1967 | TV Series | Sheriff Tinsley |
The Glass Bottom Boat | 1966 | Axel Nordstrom | |
Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine | 1964 | TV Series | Cameo |
4 for Texas | 1963 | Mr. Godfrey (uncredited) | |
Fifty Years Before Your Eyes | 1950 | Documentary | Narrator |
Arthur Godfrey and His Ukulele | 1950 | TV Series | Host |
Music Department
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Gintberg på kanten | 2011-2016 | TV Series documentary music - 13 episodes |
Soundtrack
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Six Feet Under | 2004 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
The Dean Martin Show | 1967 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
The Glass Bottom Boat | 1966 | performer: "The Glass Bottom Boat", "Whatever Will Be, Will Be Que Sera, Sera" uncredited | |
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends | 1958 | TV Series performer - 1 episode |
Writer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
America: The Everglades | 1971 | TV Movie documentary | |
America: The Ocean Frontier | 1970 | TV Movie documentary |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Arthur Godfrey Time | 1952 | TV Series | Himself |
Premiere | 1951 | TV Special | Himself |
It Could Happen to You | 1947 | Short | Himself - Narrator and Radio Show Host |
Oz: The American Fairyland | 1997 | Video documentary | Himself (voice) |
The Arthur Godfrey Special | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself - Guest of Honor |
The Alan Hamel Show | 1979 | TV Series | Himself |
Everyday | 1978 | TV Series | Himself |
CBS: On the Air | 1978 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Co-host - part II |
Handle with Care | 1977 | Himself (voice) | |
The Hollywood Squares | 1972-1976 | TV Series | Himself |
Donny and Marie | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
The Merv Griffin Show | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
Don Rickles: Buy This Tape You Hockey Puck | 1975 | Video documentary | Himself |
Rickles | 1975 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Vin Scully Show | 1973 | TV Series | Himself |
Laugh-In | 1973 | TV Series | Himself |
Portable Electric Medicine Show | 1972 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
America: The Everglades | 1971 | TV Movie documentary | |
The David Frost Show | 1969-1971 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest Host |
The Ed Sullivan Show | 1951-1970 | TV Series | Himself / Singer |
The Mike Douglas Show | 1970 | TV Series | Himself |
America: The Ocean Frontier | 1970 | TV Movie documentary | |
Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus - 99th Edition | 1969 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
The Jerry Lewis Show | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
The Dean Martin Show | 1966-1968 | TV Series | Himself |
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
Our Place | 1967 | TV Series | Himself |
The Roger Miller Show | 1966 | TV Series | Himself |
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1963-1966 | TV Series | Himself - Guest Host / Himself - Guest |
I've Got a Secret | 1958-1966 | TV Series | Himself - Panelist / Himself - Celebrity Guest / Himself - Guest / ... |
What's My Line? | 1952-1966 | TV Series | Himself - Mystery Guest / Himself - Guest Panelist |
The Sammy Davis, Jr. Show | 1966 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The Hollywood Palace | 1964-1966 | TV Series | Himself - Host / Singer |
Ice Capades of 1966 | 1965 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
The Lucy Show | 1965 | TV Series | Himself |
Password All-Stars | 1963-1964 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Panelist |
The Jack Paar Program | 1963-1964 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest |
The Arthur Godfrey Thanksgiving Special | 1963 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
The 15th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1963 | TV Special | Himself - Host |
Arthur Godfrey Loves Animals | 1963 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
Arthur Godfrey and the Sounds of New York | 1963 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
Arthur Godfrey in Hollywood | 1962 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
The Arthur Godfrey Show | 1961 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
The Red Skelton Hour | 1959-1961 | TV Series | Himself - Guest Host / Himself |
Candid Camera | 1960-1961 | TV Series | Himself - Host / Himself - Co-Host / Himself |
The 12th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1960 | TV Special | Himself |
The Arthur Godfrey Show | 1960 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
Sunday Showcase | 1959 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
The Arthur Godfrey Show | 1959 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends | 1953-1958 | TV Series | Himself - Host / Himself / Performer |
Talent Scouts | 1949-1956 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
The Al Pearce Show | 1954 | TV Series | Herself - Singer |
The Jackie Gleason Show | 1954 | TV Series | Himself - Guest Host |
Person to Person | 1953 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Flying with Arthur Godfrey | 1953 | Documentary | Himself |
Archive Footage
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
60 Minutes | 2011 | TV Series documentary | Himself (segment "Andy Rooney") |
Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority | 2008 | Documentary | Himself |
Pioneers of Television | 2008 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
Candid Camera: 5 Decades of Smiles | 2005 | Video | Himself |
Muppets Magic from 'The Ed Sullivan Show' | 2003 | Video | Himself |
Biography | 1996-2000 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Television: The First Fifty Years | 1999 | Video documentary | Himself |
Avalon | 1990 | Himself (uncredited) | |
When Television Was Young | 1977 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
The Movie Orgy | 1968 | Documentary | Himself - Brief Clip from Unidentified Program (uncredited) |
Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine | 1963 | TV Series | Himself |
Awards
Won Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | Personal Award | Peabody Awards | ||
1960 | Star on the Walk of Fame | Walk of Fame | Television | On 8 February 1960. At 1559 Vine Street. |
1960 | Star on the Walk of Fame | Walk of Fame | Recording | On 8 February 1960. At 6616 Hollywood Blvd. |
1960 | Star on the Walk of Fame | Walk of Fame | Radio | On 8 February 1960. At 6233 Hollywood Blvd. |
Nominated Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Most Outstanding Personality | |
1953 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Most Outstanding Personality | |
1950 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Most Outstanding Kinescope Personality |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia