Not Burt, but that's an interesting guess.

6. I earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology at Columbia University.

Regis Philbin?

Not Regis.

We're getting some interesting guesses here. Seriously.

7. To the joy of some and the severe annoyance of others, I'm the one who gave Howard Cosell his first job in television.

<still more crickets>

8. At one point I was executive director, then senior director, of news special events at ABC.

Out of my depth here ... will have to wait until other folks chime in.

Nothing jumps out at me, either. It'll get there...

Jim McKay? (Wide World of Sports guy)

Not Jim McKay. And what a shame that you should have to add the Wide World of Sports guy part.

(By the way, I used to work with a gentleman who was featured in the opening titles for Wide World of Sports; he was the (first) skier shown as the announcer said, ". . . and the agony of defeat." He was later replaced by another skier; the one who fell off the side of the ski jump.)

9. My acting career began serendipitously. I had recommended a friend for a rôle that required him to do a European accent, then ended up filling in for him when he was unable to go.

Roone Arledge?

Nor Roone Arledge.

10. I was a regular on a short-lived TV series opposite James Coburn.

<Sounds of Silence>

11. My film debut (in the same movie in which Gene Hackman debuted) saw me portraying the sort of character that would ultimately make me famous. It impressed Burt Lancaster (see Arthur's guess at the bottom of p. 180), who arranged for me to be cast in a similar rôle in a movie in which he was the star.

Looks like you've got us all stumped so far, S2000 ... Got any more clues?

Let's see . . .

12. For a pivotal rôle in an historical epic with an all-star cast (including Charleton Heston), I decided to make a change to my physical appearance, one that I maintained for the rest of my life.

Ah, the one...the only...Maggott, A.J!

The lollipop lovin,"Who loves ya, baby?" police detective!

Telly Savalas!

Good job, Chessmann!

I had expected the next guess to be Yul Brynner.

Good one, S2000! I had no idea who it could have been.

And still wouldn't have known, based on your clues so far, if Chessman hadn't solved it.

Thanks.

I, for one, would never have suspected that Telly Savalas gave Howard Cosell his first television job.

Yul had some definite similarities in his early career, especially pre-Hollywood, but I knew it wasn't Yul because he was born in Russia. Plus, I thought Yul made his physical change initially for the King and I. King was released a few months before The Ten Commandments...but that doesn't mean they were made in that order.

I'd heard the Telly Savalas/"Greatest Story..." story many years ago.

Its late, so I'll commence my turn in the morning!

I was born in Chicago in 1909. I was an actor. My first and last name begin with the same letter. While a famous and well-known actor, I am not nearly as well-remembered today as some thing I would/should be.

I graduated from Dartmouth College in 1932, where I held the school's heavyweight boxing title for all four years of my attendance, along with lettering in football and track.

Ronald Reagan

After a brief stint modeling clothes for a department store in the late 30's, I decided to become an actor.

During World War II I enlisted in the Marines and eventually became a drill instructor.

In my acting career, I was noted for playing tough guys, boxers and soldiers.

In one of my favorite movies (made in 1949), I play an over-the-hill boxer who is brutally punished for refusing to take a dive.