William James O'Reilly, Jr. -- born 1949 in New York City -- is a journalist, commentator, television personality and syndicated columnist. O'Reilly is best known as the host of the cable news program The O'Reilly Factor, broadcast on the Fox News Channel.
O'Reilly was born in New York City, to Irish Catholic parents William and Angela O'Reilly, from Brooklyn, New York and Bergen County, New Jersey, respectively. His father was an accountant. In 1951, his family moved to a home on Long Island, in Levittown, NY. After graduating from Chaminade High School in 1967, O'Reilly attended Marist College, a small, co-educational private institution in Poughkeepsie, New York. While at Marist, O'Reilly played punter in the National Club Football Association, and was also a columnist and feature writer for the school's newspaper, The Circle.
Now in its tenth year on the air, "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel remains the dominant number one cable news program in the USA. In fact, it has been the highest rated broadcast for more than 200 straight weeks! Blending news analysis with investigative reporting, "The Factor" has gained international prominence as well -- it is now seen in more than 30 countries.
The Radio Factor, a two hour call in program, is heard on more than 400 stations in the United States has become one of the most profitable radio franchises in the nation.
In addition, Bill O'Reilly's three adult non-fiction books (The O'Reilly Factor, The No Spin Zone, and Who's Looking Out for You) have each reached the number one spot on The New York Times best seller list. Also, Mr. O'Reilly's book for children, The O'Reilly Factor for Kids, was the best selling children's non-fiction book of 2005.
Bill O'Reilly has won a bevy of journalism awards including two Emmy's. He began his broadcasting career in Scranton, Pennsylvania and proceeded onto Dallas, Denver, Boston and Portland, Oregon as a local news reporter/anchor.
In 1980, he returned home to New York City for a stint at WCBS-TV before moving to the national news scene reporting for CBS and ABC News. O'Reilly continued his climb as the anchor of the syndicated program "Inside Edition," before settling in at Fox News in 1996.
Born in Manhattan and raised on Long Island, Bill O'Reilly holds a degree in History from Marist College, a Master's in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University and another Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
