Who

Vieira co-anchors NBC's Today show, having taken over from Katie Couric in 2006.

Backstory

A second-generation Portuguese-American, Vieira grew up in Rhode Island, attended Tufts, and started her career in radio before landing her first TV gig in Providence in 1977. She was soon lured to WCBS in New York, but decamped to the Chicago bureau of CBS News two years later, and then moved into the national spotlight in 1985 when she was hired by CBS News in New York. In 1989, Viera joined the staff of 60 Minutes, but when she had her second baby and 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt refused to lessen her workload, she bolted for the ABC newsmagazine Turning Point.

In 1997, Vieira received an offer from Barbara Walters to become the co-moderator of a female-centric chat show. The result, of course, was the The View, where Viera stayed for nine years, working alongside Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, Lisa Ling, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. In 2002, her workload got considerably busier when she took over as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from Regis Philbin. She left The View for Today in 2006 and was replaced by Rosie O'Donnell.

Of note

In the spring of 2006, NBC chief Jeff Zucker offered Vieira a four-year, $30 million contract to fill the co-anchor role left vacant after Katie Couric's departure for CBS News. Vieira wasn't the only one in the running; Ann Curry and Natalie Morales were also rumored contenders. But insiders speculated that Zucker & Co. wanted a lively co-host in the mold of Couric, someone who could appeal to the housewife demo and be at ease making small talk with Matt Lauer and Al Roker. So far, Vieira's fit the bill, maintaining the show's lead over rival Good Morning America. (And it's largely because of her successful run on Today that NBC has permitted her to do double-duty by continuing to host Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.) She re-signed her contract for another three seasons, which means she'll be posing inane questions to hicks from the Midwest through 2010.

Medical file

Vieira admitted in April 2007 that she suffers from periods of depression and panic attacks. She said that at her low points, she has difficulty driving over bridges, paralyzed by fear that she'll drop into the water. She also avoids reading fan mail during black periods, as the letter "that says 'I can't stand you' is the only one I'll remember."

Personal

Vieira married Richard Cohen, a journalism professor at Columbia, in 1986. (Paula Zahn's estranged husband is also named Richard Cohen, but it's not the same man.) The couple has three children: Ben, Gabe, and Lily. Cohen, who wrote the 2004 book Blindsided about his struggles with multiple sclerosis, has also had two bouts with colon cancer. The family lives in the Westchester town of Irvington. The antique-style house features indoor and outdoor kitchens.

No joke

Viera has made a few soap opera appearances, turning in performances as a goofy wedding planner on All My Children in 2001 and a madam on General Hospital in 2003.

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