Would you tell me something about Bill Kurtis on American Justice? Did he ever work on another show or movie?
—Joan L., Indiana
Bill Kurtis, 63, has been on many shows during his successful 35-year career, including a stint as anchor of CBS Morning News and a contributor to CBS Reports. He began his television career in Kansas and worked in Chicago before joining CBS. He left CBS in 1985, returning to WBBM-TV in Chicago as an anchor. That same year, he traveled to the far ends of the earth for the Peabody Award-winning documentary series The New Explorers. In 1990, he founded Kurtis Productions and began producing programs such as Investigative Reports and Cold Case Files for A&E, as well as anchoring American Justice. Kurtis, who grew up in Independence, Kan. (pop. 9,846), graduated from the University of Kansas and earned a law degree at Washburn University. He has two adult children and divides his time between Chicago, where he lives with his longtime partner Donna LaPietra, and his 10,000-acre ranch outside of Sedan, Kan. (pop. 1,342). Kurtis has worked closely with residents of Sedan to restore their historic downtown.
