Biography
Tom Brokaw is an American television journalist and author. He was the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News for 22 years (1982–2004). He is the only person to have hosted all three major NBC News programs: The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and, briefly, Meet the Press. He now serves as a special correspondent for NBC News and works on documentaries for other outlets
Known For
Complete Filmography

The Gettysburg Address
2025
as Self
In the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln went to Gettysburg. "The Gettysburg Address" investigates the five extant copies of Lincoln's famous ...

Trump's Big FUSS: Fight for US Sovereignty
2024
as Self (archive footage)
Trump's Big FUSS is a powerful acronym capturing Trump's vision for America and his fight for US sovereignty, standing firm against globalist elitists...

Biden's Decision
2024
as Self (archive footage)
The inside story of Biden’s rise to the presidency, and the personal and political forces that shaped him and led to his dramatic decision to step asi...

And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine
2023
as Self (archive footage)
From the first camera to 45 billion cameras worldwide today, the visual sociologist filmmakers widen their lens to expose both humanity's unique obses...

Endangered
2022
A sobering look at the erosion of democracy & freedom of the press in the United States and abroad.

They Volunteered for This: Merrill's Marauders
2022
as Narrator
A film focusing on one of World War II’s most heroic and least talked about units, Merrill's Marauders. Legendary news anchor Tom Brokaw narrates the ...

Untold: Caitlyn Jenner
2021
as Self - NBC News Anchor (archive footage)
Caitlyn Jenner's unlikely path to Olympic glory was inspirational. But her more challenging road to embracing her true self proved even more meaningfu...

Black Art: In the Absence of Light
2021
as Self (archive footage)
An introduction to the work of some of the foremost Black visual artists working today, inspired by the late David Driskell's landmark 1976 exhibition...

Katarina Witt - Weltstar aus der DDR
2020
as Self
With two Olympic victories, four world championship titles and six European championship titles, Katarina Witt is the most successful female athlete i...

Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
2019
as Self
"Alan Pakula: Going for Truth" encompasses the personal and professional life of Alan J. Pakula, a lauded filmmaker and extremely private man, who was...

Cola Wars
2019
as Self [Archival Footage]
Traces the long and ferocious rivalry between Coke and Pepsi, centered on the “New Coke” debacle of 1985. For almost a hundred years, Coke had been th...

Mike Wallace Is Here
2019
as (archive footage)
For over half a century, 60 Minutes' fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world's most influential figures. Relying exclusively on...

We Are Columbine
2019
as Himself
The Columbine shootings were a tragic event in American history and have proved a lasting influence in continued acts of violence ever since. In this ...

America's Library
2018
as Self
With special access to the Library of Congress, rediscover the history and culture of America through rarely seen treasures unearthed from its extensi...

Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists
2018
as Self
Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrat...

The Front Runner
2018
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gary Hart, former Senator of Colorado, becomes the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1987. Hart's intelligence, charisma and ...

The Mayo Clinic
2018
as Self
The Mayo Clinic tells the story of a unique medical institution that has been called a "Medical Mecca," the "Supreme Court of Medicine," and the "plac...

RBG
2018
as Self (archive footage)
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg now 84, and still inspired by the lawyers who defended free speech during the Red Scare, Ginsburg refuses to relinquish he...
Hope & Fury: MLK, the Movement and the Media
2018
as Self
A documentary following the civil rights movement and how the media, in particular the burgeoning TV, was used to fight for equality in the 1960s. Fro...

1968
2018
as Self
At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the silent protest of Tommie Smith and John Carlos changed The Games forever, becoming one of the defining images of...

The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee
2017
as Self
An intimate portrait of Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, tracing his remarkable ascent from a young Boston boy stricken with polio to the...

Reflections on the Vietnam War
2017
as Host
Go behind-the-scenes of the epic series with Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and the filmmaking team. Hosted by Tom Brokaw, the program includes interviews wit...

Hamilton: Building America
2017
This documentary captures the amazing life and times of our nation's forgotten founding father: Alexander Hamilton. Exploring the iconic American poli...

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold
2017
as Self
Griffin Dunne’s years-in-the-making documentary portrait of his aunt Joan Didion moves with the spirit of her uncannily lucid writing: the film simult...

Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired
2017
as Self
This is the story of a tiny country that made a decision to do something that no other country had ever done -- it decided to abolish its army and dec...

LA 92
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses vie...

Crashing the Party
2016
as Self
With the survival of the Democratic Party at stake after the country's worst three presidential losses a little-known Bill Clinton and a band of insur...

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
2016
as Self (archive footage)
Utilizing potent TV interviews and many forgotten performances from his 30-year career, we are immersed into Frank Zappa’s world while experiencing tw...

The Making of Trump
2015
as Self (archive footage)
As every day of Donald Trump's presidential campaign seemingly generates new headlines, this two-hour special examines the increasingly polarizing can...

41 on 41
2015
as Self
Interviewees discuss the life of former president George H. W. Bush

All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State
2014
as Self
All About Ann celebrates the achievements of larger-than-life Ann Richards, who became the first elected female governor of Texas. Her cool demeanor, ...

Iverson
2014
Iverson is the ultimate legacy of NBA legend Allen Iverson, who rose from a childhood of crushing poverty in Hampton, Virginia, to become an 11-time N...

D-Day: Normandy 1944
2014
as Narrator (voice)
June 6, 1944: The largest Allied operation of World War II began in Normandy, France. Yet, few know in detail exactly why and how, from the end of 194...

Home for the Holidays: Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square
2013
as Self
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square join with one of today’s brightest international singing stars, En...

All the President's Men Revisited
2013
as Self (uncredited)
The Watergate case was the original game changer of America politics. How has Watergate changed the Presidency? What effect has the scandal had on our...

iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World
2011
as Self
Steve Jobs was a creative and technological visionary who quite simply changed society as we know it. As co-founder and CEO of Apple Computer, Jobs us...

Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird
2011
as Self
In this full-length documentary, Mary Murphy explores the enduring power, popularity & mystery that is Harper Lee. She interviews Oprah Winfrey, Wall...

America: The Story of Us
2010
as Himself
A six-night miniseries presenting the history of how the United States was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to ad...

Schabowskis Zettel - Die Nacht, als die Mauer fiel
2009
as Tom Brokaw

Our Time
2009
America has questions about today's youth, what we care about, and where we're headed. We had those questions too. So, after graduating college, four ...

Run for Your Life
2008
as Himself
Without one eccentric first-generation Jewish immigrant from Transylvania, the New York City Marathon simply wouldn't exist. Ehrlich's fun, loving, an...

King
2008
as Host
Forty years after Martin Luther King s assassination, HISTORY, with newsman Tom Brokaw, takes viewers through the extraordinary life and times of Amer...

1968 with Tom Brokaw
2007
as Himself
In 1968, the fury and violence of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago propelled us toward a tipping point in politics. Martin Luther King Jr...

1968 with Tom Brokaw
2007
Writer
In 1968, the fury and violence of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago propelled us toward a tipping point in politics. Martin Luther King Jr...

Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
2007
as Self
The special focuses on how Star Wars is relevant today and the history that inspired it, and also makes various connections to Greek mythology. It con...

Everything's Cool
2007
as Self (archive footage)
In this documentary, filmmakers Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand (Blue Vinyl) follow a troupe of self-proclaimed global warming "warriors" on a missi...

Paul Conrad: Drawing Fire
2006
as Narrator
Narrated by Tom Brokaw, Paul Conrad: Drawing Fire pays tribute to a legendary journalist and artist who epitomizes the fiercely independent voice that...

Deep Throat: The Full Story of Watergate
2006
as Self
This remarkable look into one of America’s most intriguing mysteries is an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Tom Brokaw and NBC News brings you the compelli...

This Film Is Not Yet Rated
2006
as Self - 1978 TV Newscaster (archive footage) (uncredited)
Kirby Dick's provocative documentary investigates the secretive and inconsistent process by which the Motion Picture Association of America rates film...

NBC News Presents: Survivor: The Aron Ralston Story
2006
as Himself
When hiker Aron Ralston found himself trapped in a Utah canyon with an 800-pound boulder crushing his arm, he was forced to make an agonizing choice: ...

Last Best Chance
2005
as Self
Thriller about governments around the world racing to attempt to stop a terrorist organization from gaining loose nuclear weapons and supplies before ...

Celsius 41.11
2004
as Self (archive footage)
This film attempts to correct the record when it comes to the left's attacks on President Bush, 9/11 and the war in Iraq and Kerry's 20-year tenure in...

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
2004
as Self (archive footage)
This film examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news, and provides an i...

Journalists: Killed in the Line of Duty
2003
as Narrator (voice)
Around the world, journalists are increasingly being killed. They die in the crossfire. They die at the hand of criminals and corrupt governments. The...

Vertical Frontier
2002
as Narrator
History of rock climbing in Yosemite.

NBC 75th Anniversary Special
2002
as Self
A celebration of NBC's 75 year history, featuring clips of special moments.

Journeys with George
2002
as Self (archive footage)
Documentary account of George W. Bush's presidential campaign during the 2000 election.

The Bush White House: Inside the Real West Wing
2002
as Self
News documentary that focuses on what takes place at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, with anchor Tom Brokaw at the side of President George W. Bush, chronic...

Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack
2001
as himself
Documentary narrated by Tom Brokaw. National Geographic delves into the untold storylines and unresolved mysteries surrounding the Japanese attack on ...
On Common Ground
2001
as Self - Commentator
Documentary / Historical / War/Western - The battle of the Huertgen Forest was one of the bloodiest of World War II. This is the true story of a battl...
When the Wall Came Tumbling Down: 50 Hours That Changed the World
1999
as Self
A detailed reconstruction of the events from Nov. 9th to 11th, 1989, which led to the Berlin wall tumbling down, on a local, national and internationa...

Frank Capra's American Dream
1997
as Self (voice)
A documentary looking at the life and career of film director Frank Capra. Hosted by Ron Howard.

Nichols and May: Take Two
1996
as Self
A documentary made for the PBS program American Masters about the comedy team Nichols and May.

Spin
1995
as Self (archive footage)
Pirated satellite feeds revealing U.S. media personalities’ contempt for their viewers come full circle in Spin. TV out-takes appropriated from networ...

Barbarians at the Gate
1993
as Self
F. Ross Johnson decides to buyout his own tobacco firm RJR Nabisco after the plans of the launch of his new product, a smokeless cigarette Premier, fa...

Commercial Entertainment Product
1992
as Self (archive footage)
The video debut of experimental musicians and culture jamming artists Emergency Broadcast Network.

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
1989
as Self - News Reporter (archive footage)
On the eve of 1987's Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, surviving families and friends of people who have died of AIDS pr...

Mount Rushmore: The Shrine
1986
as Narrator (voice)
The story behind the creation of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Rag Dolly in the U.S.S.R.
1986
as Narrator
A short documentary about the successful Moscow production of the musical "Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure", also known as "Rag Dolly".

Off Your Duff
N/A
as Self
Spend a half-hour with fitness enthusiasts Tom Brokaw, Senator Ted Kennedy and others who will encourage, cajole, and even challenge you to get up and...