Who

America's preeminent cranky old man, Rooney has been letting us all know what's on his mind since 1978.

Backstory

Raised in upstate New York, Rooney was a frat boy (Sigma Chi) at Colgate until he was drafted in 1941. He wrote for the Army's Stars and Stripes newspaper during WWII, and visited German concentration camps toward the end of the war, one of the first American journalists to do so. (He covered his experience in Europe in his 1997 memoir My War.) In 1949, Rooney joined CBS as a writer for the variety show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. He worked on a handful of shows at CBS during the 1950s and began collaborating with newsman Harry Reasoner in 1962, writing the TV essays for which he'd eventually be famous. Rooney joined the cast of 60 Minutes in 1978, a decade after it was introduced by veteran producer Don Hewitt. Rooney's been giving us "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" ever since, and earned a lifetime achievement Emmy in 2003.

Of note

Rooney has delivered more than 1,000 rants on 60 Minutes over the years and while he occasionally tackles an issue of real political import—like the war in Iraq—for the most part he directs his prickly intellect toward such weighty topics as salad dressing, the staples vs. paperclips debate, and postage stamps. Not surprisingly for a man approaching his 162nd birthday, he abhors all things high-tech—especially newfangled thingamabobs like computers, blogs, and cell phones—which often makes his broadcasts sound like the half-coherent sputterings of a sad old man just trying to get by in the 21st century, hoping to find some sympathy from the rest of the ever-dwindling population of old-timers who remember when William Taft was president. And CBS, like a nursing home aide humoring grandpa as he retells the same story for the 93rd time, keeps him on the air.

Drama

The old-timer has been fingered for every permutation of bigotry in the book. He's used the word "Negro" on-air a number of times—and in the past five years rather than, say, the 1940s. In 2002, he said women had "no business" holding jobs in the male-dominated world of sports commentating, which elicited an outcry. Other groups who have been insulted by Rooney over the years include gays, Native Americans, and Latin Americans ("Today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me," he said in 2007.).

In print

Although he's best known for his end-of-show segment on 60 Minutes (and for his frightening eyebrows), Rooney also pens a widely syndicated column for Tribune Media Services. He's also filled 14 books with his crusty wisdom, including Common Nonsense, Sweet and Sour, Not That You Asked… and Pieces of My Mind.

Personal

Rooney has lived in Rowayton, Connecticut, on the Long Island Sound, for 50 years. His wife of 62 years, Marguerite, died in 2004. He has four children—Brian, Emily, Ellen and Martha—three of whom work in the media.

No joke

In 2004, Rooney was interviewed on Da Ali G. Show, but took issue with the fake rapper's shoddy grammar. Rooney finally stormed out when Ali G. (Sacha Baron Cohen) accused him of being a "racialist."