Chris Hansen Biography

Fast Facts

• Earned three Clarion Awards, one each for his coverage of Indian child slave labor, aviation security and the Unabomber case
• Won four Edward R․ Murrow Awards for his investigative reporting on aviation security and his coverage of the Ford/Firestone case
• Has won awards for excellence in journalism from the Associated Press and United Press International
• Graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in communications
• Was an anchor and investigative reporter for WDIV-TV in Detroit, Mich․, before joining NBC News in 1993
• Began his career as a reporter for local Michigan radio stations and newspapers before making his television debut on WILX-TV in Lansing, Mich
• Quote: "[on "To Catch a Predator"] "I think we raised awareness and created a dialogue that didn't exist before․ We created compelling television, and I think we exposed a lot of bad people who were preying on children․""
• Best known as the host of "To Catch a Predator" on "Dateline NBC․"
• Despite his immense popularity after "To Catch a Predator" took off, his sons didn't really consider him a celebrity until he was parodied on an episode of "South Park․"