Anderson Cooper arrives at the 2011 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute held at The Shrine Auditorium on December 11, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
- Anderson Cooper is one of television's most recognizable
news anchors. - After he was born into a privileged family in New York society life, the journalism icon experienced adventure and tragedy.
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Though now known as the lead anchor and face of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°," Anderson Cooper has led a life of adventure, tragedy, and celebrity as he appears right at home in high society and war-torn countries alike across the world.
Cooper has been a household name since he was born to model, socialite, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, long before he led political coverage on one of the most prominent American news networks.
In perhaps his most memorable report to date, Cooper remembered his time alongside his famous mother as a "great blessing," and said he felt "very lonely" as the last living member of his immediate family.
See how Cooper made his own name.