Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM, was born on the 29th July 1938, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was one of the most prominent TV news anchors, probably best known for hosting “World News Tonight” from 1983 until his death. His career began in the late ’50s and ended in 2005.
Have you ever wondered how rich Peter Jennings was at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Jennings’ net worth was as high as $50 million, earned through his successful career as a journalist and news anchor, during which he won 16 Emmy Awards and two George Foster Peabody Awards. Peter passed away in 2005.
Peter Jennings Net Worth $50 Million
Peter was the son of Charles Jennings, who was also a journalist and radio broadcaster working for the CBS, and his wife Elizabeth; he has a younger sister named Sarah. Since his father was one of the major contributors on CBC, Peter easily got his five minutes on television, hosting the CBC Radio show for kids, Peter’s People. However, his father was against nepotism and was angry with the station. However, Peter was never quite in love with school, and dropped out in 10th grade, although he eventually enrolled at the University of Ottawa, but didn’t graduate.
Instead of pursuing a career in journalism like his father, he took the position of a bank teller for the Royal Bank of Canada, however, dissatisfied with his place in the industry, Peter started pursuing a career in broadcasting. He was hired as a member of the news department for CF JR, a local radio station, then two years later he joined CJOH-TV as an interviewer and co-producer of “Vue”, a late-night news program. Little by little his name was becoming better known in Canada, and he was hired by CTV as co-anchor of its late-night national newscast. While working for the CTV, he became the first Canadian reporter on the scene to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The next year he covered the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he met Elmer Lower, who at the time was president of ABC News. Elmer proposed that Peter join the ABC News, however, he rejected his offer, but changed his mind just three months later, and moved to the USA.
He joined ABC News’ New York bureau, and in 1965 he was appointed as host of the “Peter Jennings With the News”, nightly newscast, lasting 15 minutes. For the next three years he fought against the other two news stations CBS and NBC, but then quit his position and became a foreign correspondent.
During his work as foreign correspondent he covered such events as the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972, then the Yom Kippur War in 1973, among other Arab-Israeli conflicts, only to return to USA in 1974 and become Washington correspondent and news anchor for ABC’s new morning show “AM America”. Unfortunately the show was cancelled after ten months, after which he again took the role of foreign correspondent, this time as chief foreign correspondent and became the first reporter from America to interview Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, who at the time was in exile and had residency in Paris.
As early as 1978 he became one of the anchors of the program “World News Tonight” reporting from London, alongside Frank Reynolds from Washington and Max Robinson from Chicago. In 1983 his luck turned back on him, as he fell ill with myeloma, but managed to recover the same year. During his battle against cancer, ratings of the show declined, and so after his return, he became the sole anchor of the show, serving in the position until his death and during which time he reported on such events as the Gulf-War, War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, September 11 attacks, among many other major events. His net worth benefited too.
Apart from 16 Emmy Awards, Peter also received the Paul White Award in 1995, in recognition of his lifetime contributions to journalism, and in 2004 was the recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting from Washington State University, among many other awards and honors.
Regarding his personal life, Peter married four times; his first wife was Valerie Godsoe(1963-70). Three years later he married Anouchka Malouf, but they divorced in 1979. The same year he married Kati Marton, with whom he was married until 1995 and had two children with her.
In 1997 he married Kayce Freed; the couple stayed married until his death from lung cancer on the 7th August 2005.
News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story - Programs, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Sched...
Nominations
News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism – Long Form, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming – Long Form, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Arts and Culture Programming, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Continui...
Movies
Ecstasy Rising, Peter Jennings Reports: The Search for Jesus, The Tragedy of the Munich Games, A Line in the Sand: What Did America Win?
TV Shows
ABC World News, Peter Jennings Reporting, ABC 2000 Today, CTV National News, Turning Point, To Save Our Schools, To Save Our Children, Sadat: Action Biography, Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD, 45/85, September 11, 2001 - ABC News Coverage, Capital To Capital, Vietnam: Ten Years Later
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Quote
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Always have a sense of humor about life - you'll need it - but always be courteous to boot.
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Fact
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Release of the book, "Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life" by Kayce Freed Jennings. [November 2007]
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Release of his book, "In Search of America" by Peter with Todd Brewster. [2002]
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Release of his book, "The Century" by Peter with Todd Brewster. [1998]
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Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 276-278. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.
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The only national news anchor to host specials for and with children on a regular basis. They were usually titled "Peter Jennings Answering Children's Questions." Topics included drugs, crime, prejudice, war, and 9/11.
He was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on June 29, 2005 for his services to journalism.
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Accepted an honorary doctor of law degree from Rider University, then Rider College on January 21, 1968
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Son of pioneer Canadian broadcaster Charles Jennings.
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After failing as a 27-year-old anchorman for ABC News, he left the country and lived abroad as a foreign correspondent in Europe and the Middle East for ten years where he made a name for himself as an investigative journalist. He then returned to the anchor desk as a mature newsman.
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He had a sister named Sarah.
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Owned a chinchilla farm.
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(April 5, 2005) Diagnosed with lung cancer. He had given up smoking for at least 10 years before September 11, 2001 attacks happened, after which he admittedly started smoking again.
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(May 30, 2003) Became a U.S. citizen.
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Attended Carleton University, Rider College and the University of Ottawa.
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Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world [1990]
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News anchorman
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Dropped out of high school in Grade 10 in Canada, and failed to attain the equivalent of a GED. His father owned/managed a TV station, however, and he got his foot in the door that way.
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Children: Elizabeth and Christopher
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Peter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis
2005
TV Movie
Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD
2004
TV Movie documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: How to Get Fat Without Really Trying
2003
TV Movie documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: I Have a Dream
2003
TV Movie documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: In Search of America
2002
TV Mini-Series documentary
Peter Jennings Reporting: Bitter Medicine: Pills, Profit and the Public Health
2002
TV Movie writer
Minefield: The United States and the Muslim World
2001
TV Movie
Peter Jennings Reporting: Dark Horizon - India, Pakistan, and the Bomb
2000
TV Movie documentary
ABC New Years Eve Special with Peter Jennings
1999
TV Movie writer/creator
Rage and Betrayal: The Lives of Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols
1996
TV Movie
Cover-Up at Ground Zero
1994
TV Movie documentary
ABC Turning Point: Kansas City Murder Squad
1994
TV Movie documentary
Common Miracles: The New American Revolution in Learning
1993
TV Movie documentary
A Line in the Sand: What Did America Win?
1991
TV Movie documentary
Worlds in Turmoil
1989
TV Movie
45/85
1985
TV Movie documentary
Editorial Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Peter Jennings Reporting: UFOs - Seeing Is Believing
2005
TV Movie documentary senior editor
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
2005
TV Series senior editor - 2 episodes
No Place to Hide
2005
TV Movie documentary senior editor
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy
2003
TV Movie documentary associate editor
Editor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Growing Up in the Age of AIDS: An ABC News Town Meeting for the Family - With Peter Jennings
1992
TV Movie
Worlds in Turmoil
1989
TV Movie
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
ABC New Years Eve Special with Peter Jennings
1999
TV Movie producer
Worlds in Turmoil
1989
TV Movie producer
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
America.01
2001
TV Series segment writer
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus
2000
TV Movie documentary presenter
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
1992
Documentary acknowledgment
The World Is Watching
1988
Documentary thanks
One Day in September
1999
Documentary thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Phonograph Conversations
2013
Himself
30 for 30
2010
TV Series documentary
Himself
Ted Williams
2009
TV Movie documentary
Himself (voice)
An Unlikely Weapon
2008
Documentary
Himself
Budapest to Gettysburg
2007
Documentary
Loose Change: Final Cut
2007
Video documentary
Himself
911 Flatline
2007
Video documentary short
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis
2005
TV Movie
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: UFOs - Seeing Is Believing
2005
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The Daily Show
2000-2005
TV Series
Himself
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
1986-2005
TV Series
Himself - Anchor / Himself / Himself - Lead Anchor
No Place to Hide
2005
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host
The Tony Danza Show
2005
TV Series
Himself
How's Your News?: On the Campaign Trail
2004
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Great Performances
2002-2004
TV Series
Himself - Host
25th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards
2004
TV Special
Himself - Presenter
Tavis Smiley
2004
TV Series
Himself
The O'Reilly Factor
2004
TV Series
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD
2004
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host-Senior Editor
Larry King Live
2002-2004
TV Series
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: Ecstasy Rising
2004
TV Movie documentary
The Museum of Television & Radio Annual Honors a Salute to Tom Brokaw
2004
TV Movie
Himself
Journalists: Killed in the Line of Duty
2003
TV Movie documentary
Himself (voice)
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy
2003
TV Movie documentary
Himself
ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration
2003
TV Special documentary
Himself
Jim McKay: My World in My Words
2003
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: In Search of America
2002
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
20/20
2002
TV Series documentary
Himself - Reporter
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1996-2002
TV Series
Himself
Late Show with David Letterman
2001-2002
TV Series
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: Homeland
2002
TV Movie documentary
July 4th: a Musical Celebration
2002
TV Special
Himself
ABC 2002
2001
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host
America.01
2001
TV Series
Himself - Anchor
Breaking the News
2001
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996-2001
TV Series
Himself
ABC News 2001
2000
TV Movie
Himself
ESPN SportsCentury
2000
TV Series documentary
Himself
Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus
2000
TV Movie documentary
Himself (reporter)
ABC 2000: The Millennium
1999
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Anchor
ABC New Years Eve Special with Peter Jennings
1999
TV Movie
Himself - Host
Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is
1999
TV Movie documentary
Himself (1972 Olympic Correspondent, ABC News)
The Century: America's Time
1999
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - Host-Narrator
The Century
1999
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - Host-Narrator
Cancer: Race for a Cure
1998
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Anchor
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1998
TV Series
Himself
Divas Live: An Honors Concert for VH1 Save the Music
1998
TV Special documentary
Himself - Audience Member (uncredited)
Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years
1997
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Presenter
Frank Capra's American Dream
1997
TV Movie documentary
Himself (voice)
The Daily Show Year-End Spectacular '97
1997
TV Special
Himself
The GQ Men of the Year Awards
1997
TV Special
Himself
Rage and Betrayal: The Lives of Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols
1996
TV Movie
Himself - Host
Turning Point
1996
TV Series documentary
Himself - Host
Hiroshima: Why the Bomb Was Dropped
1995
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Presenter
Howard Stern
1994-1995
TV Series
Himself
Cover-Up at Ground Zero
1994
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host
ABC Turning Point: Kansas City Murder Squad
1994
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The Last Party
1993
Documentary
Himself
A National Town Meeting: Who Is Ross Perot?
1992
TV Movie
Himself - Host
Growing Up in the Age of AIDS: An ABC News Town Meeting for the Family - With Peter Jennings
1992
TV Movie
Himself - Host
A Line in the Sand: War or Peace?
1991
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Anchor
Schwarzkopf: How the War Was Won
1991
Video documentary
Himself - Anchor
A Line in the Sand: What Did America Win?
1991
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Carnegie Hall: Live at 100
1990
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host
This Reporter
1990
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
American Masters
1990
TV Series documentary
Himself
Only the News That Fits
1989
Documentary
Himself - ABC News anchor
Worlds in Turmoil
1989
TV Movie
Himself - Anchor
The AIDS Quarterly
1989
TV Series
Himself - Host
5th Annual TV Academy Hall of Fame
1989
TV Special
Himself
Beyond the Cold War: The Risk and the Opportunity
1989
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Anchor
JFK Remembered
1988
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host
1988 Presidential Debates
1988
TV Series
Himself - Panelist
The World Is Watching
1988
Documentary
Himself (ABC News, meets with Miguel D'Escoto)
We the People
1987
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
Liberty Weekend
1986
TV Special documentary
Himself - Host
45/85
1985
TV Movie documentary
Himself
To Save Our Schools, to Save Our Children
1984
TV Movie documentary
Anchor
XVlll Summer Olympic Games Los Angeles
1984
TV Movie
Himself
Good Morning America
1975
TV Series
Himself - News Anchor
ABC's Wide World of Sports
1971
TV Series
Himself
The Joey Bishop Show
1967
TV Series
Himself
Bright and Early
1966
TV Series
Himself - Newsreader
Telescope
1965
TV Series documentary
Himself - Guest
Issues and Answers
1965
TV Series
Himself
CTV National News
1961
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
13th
2016
Documentary
Himself (uncredited)
The Eighties
2016
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - ABC News
20/20
2015
TV Series documentary
Himself - News Anchor
The Seventies
2015
TV Series documentary
Himself - ABC News
Stossel
2014
TV Series
Himself
Retro Report
2013
TV Mini-Series
Himself - Reporter
Big Miracle
2012
Himself (uncredited)
Breakthrough Energy Movement Conference 2012
2012
TV Series
Himself
Reagan
2011
Documentary
Himself - ABC News
Miss Representation
2011
Documentary
Himself
Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup
2009
Video documentary
Himself - ABC Evening News Anchor
Memòries de la tele
2009
TV Series
Himself
911 Taboo: The WTC Plane Fraud
2008
Video documentary short
Himself (uncredited)
911 Amateur
2007
Video documentary short
Himself
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
2007
Documentary
Himself
ESPN Outside the Lines Sunday
2006
TV Series
Himself - ABC News Anchor
911 Mysteries Part 1: Demolitions
2006
Video documentary
Himself (uncredited)
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
2006
Documentary
Himself - Newscaster
The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...
2005
TV Series
Himself
Larry King Live
2005
TV Series
Himself
60 Minutes
2005
TV Series documentary
Himself - News Anchor (segment "Andy Rooney")
The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
2005
TV Special
Himself - Special Memorial Tribute
JFK: Breaking the News
2004
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Celsius 41.11: The Temperature at Which the Brain... Begins to Die
2004
Documentary
Himself
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
2004
Documentary
Himself
Fahrenheit 9/11
2004
Documentary
Himself (uncredited)
Live from Baghdad
2002
TV Movie
Himself (uncredited)
The Beatles Revolution
2000
TV Movie documentary
Himself
ESPN SportsCentury
2000
TV Series documentary
Himself
One Day in September
1999
Documentary
Himself
Fear & Favor in the Newsroom
1996
Documentary
Himself
Inside the White House
1995
TV Movie documentary
Himself (uncredited)
Spin
1995
Documentary
Himself
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
1992
Documentary
Himself (uncredited)
The Panama Deception
1992
Documentary
Himself (uncredited)
ABC's Wide World of Sports 30th Anniversary Special
1991
TV Movie
Himself
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2006
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast
ABC Evening News (1953)
2006
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast
ABC Evening News (1953)
2000
TV Guide Award
TV Guide Awards
Favorite News Personality
2000
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding News and Documentary Program Achievement - Programs & Segments
ABC 2000: The Millennium (1999)
1993
Award of Excellence
Banff Television Festival
1991
TCA Award
Television Critics Association Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming
For "War in the Gulf: Answering Children's Questions".
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2006
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast
ABC Evening News (1953)
2006
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding Investigative Journalism - Long Form
No Place to Hide (2005)
2006
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Best Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast
ABC Evening News (1953)
2006
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story - Long Form
Peter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis (2005)
2005
Emmy
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Outstanding Investigative Journalism - Long Form
Peter Jennings Reporting: From the Tobacco File: Untold Stories of Betrayal and Neglect (2004)
2003
Emmy
Business and Financial Reporting Emmy Awards
Outstanding Coverage of a Current Business News Story
ABC Evening News (1953)
2001
TV Guide Award
TV Guide Awards
News Person of the Year
1969
Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Achievement within Regularly Scheduled News
ABC Evening News (1953)
Known for movies
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1986-2005) as Editorial Department
Peter Jennings Reporting: Breakdown - America's Health Insurance Crisis (2005) as Writer
To Save Our Schools, to Save Our Children (1984) as Anchor
Hiroshima: Why the Bomb Was Dropped (1995) as Himself - Presenter