American journalist, author, game show host, talk show host, and television personality, Anderson Cooper was born on June 3rd, 1967 in New York City.  He is the he younger son of writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and artist, designer, writer, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt.

The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin that was prominent during the late 19th century. They found success the shipping and railroad industries, an empire Cornelius Vanderbilt, and their family built. Cornelius Vanderbilt’s is Anderson’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather. The Vanderbilt’s descendants went on to build large mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and luxurious “summer cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island.

Anderson Cooper went to the Dalton School, an independent school in New York City, and graduated early at the age of 17. He decided to travel around Africa for a few months where he would later contract malaria and was hospitalized in Kenya.

He later studied at Yale University majoring in political science and graduating in 1989. During his time at Yale he spent two summers interning at the Central Intelligence Agency. After graduation he became a news correspondent of ABC News. In 2000 he switched career paths, taking a job as the host of ABC’s reality show The Mole. He also worked on the TV show Live with Regis and Kelly in 2007 when Philbin underwent triple-bypass heart surgery.

In 2002 he became CNN’s weekend prime-time anchor and has hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve special from Times Square. September 2010 Anderson Cooper signed with Warner Bros. and Telepictures to host a nationally syndicated talk show, titled Anderson Live.