Chris Matthews

Political commentator Chris Matthews gained mainstream notice as the host of the political news and opinion series "Hardball With Chris Matthews" (MSNBC 1997- ). An outspoken figure who engaged both conservatives and liberals with a straightforward, shoot-from-the-hip speaking style, Matthews also was praised for his blue-collar populist positions and no-nonsense interviews. The show's format (under the name "America's Talking" for the first three years of its life) was widely copied, both on MSNBC and on other news channels. Matthews even received the ultimate accolade of getting regularly parodied on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC 1975- ) by cast member Darrell Hammond.

Matthews also hosted a more traditional Sunday morning news roundtable, "The Chris Matthews Show" (NBC 2002-2013). Born in Philadephia, Matthews studied economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the Peace Corps and serving in Swaziland for two years in the late 1960s. Upon his return he moved to Washington DC, and served as a police officer before joining the staff of various congressmen, running for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1974, and then becoming a presidential speechwriter for Jimmy Carter. As the 1980s came in, Matthews for six years was Chief of Staff to House speaker Tip O'Neill.

Beginning in 1987, Matthews worked as a print journalist, including stints as Washington bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner and political columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. During this time, he began to build a highly successful career in writing political books, including "Hardball," the New York Times best-seller "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero" and "Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked," his personal account of the bi-partisan relationship between O'Neill and Ronald Reagan. Matthews also appeared as himself in politically-themed Hollywood feature films such as "State of Play" (2009) and "The Ides of March" (2011).