Chris Wallace is an acclaimed American broadcast journalist renowned for his incisive political interviews and long career in television news. Born on October 12, 1947, in Boston, Massachusetts, to pioneering journalist Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame and Norma Kaphan, Wallace's parents divorced when he was one year old. He was raised primarily by his mother and stepfather, Bill Leonard, a former president of CBS News, in an environment deeply immersed in journalism. This familial influence sparked his early interest in the field; at age 16, while still in high school, Wallace interned for Walter Cronkite at CBS News during the 1964 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, witnessing the transformative power of television news. He also worked as a reporter for the Harvard Crimson during his undergraduate years at Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. in History in 1969. His first professional role was as a reporter for The Boston Globe, marking the beginning of a distinguished career that emphasized rigorous reporting and on-camera presence.

Wallace's network television journey began in 1975 when he joined NBC, where he worked for 14 years, including as a reporter for WNBC-TV in New York City and later as White House correspondent during the Reagan administration. In 1989, he moved to ABC News, contributing to programs like Primetime Live and serving as the moderator for Meet the Press briefly in 1988 before a more extended stint at Fox News starting in 2003. He also served as Chief White House Correspondent at ABC News and anchored weekend news programs until 1996. From 2003 to 2021, he anchored and moderated Fox News Sunday for 18 years, conducting high-profile interviews with political figures and earning a reputation for tough, non-partisan questioning. Wallace has moderated several U.S. presidential debates, including key events in 2012, 2016, and the 2020 matchup between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In 2021, Wallace left Fox to join CNN as an anchor and chief political analyst. In 2022, he launched Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? on HBO Max (now Max), continuing his focus on in-depth conversations with influential personalities.

Throughout his career, Wallace has been married twice: first to Elizabeth Farrell from 1973 until their divorce in 1997, with whom he has four children, and since October 4, 1997, to Lorraine Wallace (née Smothers), a former ballerina. He has three children from two marriages. Wallace graduated from Harvard University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in history, after attending the Hotchkiss School. Wallace's Jewish heritage and Ashkenazi ethnicity reflect his family's background, and he has occasionally discussed the influence of his father's legacy on his professional ethos. Wallace's work has been characterized by a commitment to factual reporting amid polarized media landscapes, though he has faced criticism from conservative audiences for perceived biases during his Fox tenure. As of 2023, he remains an active figure in journalism, producing The Chris Wallace Show and contributing to CNN as an anchor.