Julie Moran (née Bryan, born January 10, 1962) is an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, television host, and sportscaster. She was the first female solo host for '' Wide World of Sports'' following in the footsteps of first woman co-anchor Becky Dixon. She was the weekend anchor and co-host for ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'' from 1994 to 2001, and hosted the Academy Awards pre-show in 2001.

Early life and education

Julie Bryan was born on January 10, 1962, to Paul and Barbara Bryan. Her father, Paul Bryan Jr. received two full

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

s to the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

(UGA), playing

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. While at UGA, he earned his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

in 1961. Paul was the owner of Metcalf Lumber Company in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,881 in 2020. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival. The city features plantations open to the public, a histor ...

. Julie's mother, Barbara Dupree (née Dixon) also attended UGA and was named Homecoming Queen in 1960. She graduated summa cum laude with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in 1961. Barbara was a high school English and Spanish teacher. Julie is the granddaughter of Sterling Dupree, the

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

sprinter who held the 100-meter dash record for 21 years. He was also a fullback for Auburn's football, later coaching football at Auburn, University of Georgia, and

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. Julie graduated high school from Brookwood Academy in 1980, where she was named "Miss Brookwood" during her junior year. She was also an All-State Basketball player for the Warriors and still holds the school's rebounding record to this day. In 1980, Julie won the title of America's Junior Miss, which was televised nationally on CBS. Moran became one of the most well known Junior Miss participants of the decade, following

Diane Sawyer Lila Diane Sawyer (; born December 22, 1945) is an American television broadcast journalist known for anchoring major programs on two networks including ''ABC World News Tonight'', ''Good Morning America'', ''20/20 (U.S. TV series), 20/20'', and ...

the decade before her. She later hosted the competition in 1988, the program's last yearly event on a major television network. In 1984, she graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

Career

Early work

In 1980, as America's Junior Miss, Moran earned an internship at CBS affiliate WCTV in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

. As an intern, she conducted office work, filing reports on the

and

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

football games. Moran's first job after graduating college in 1984, was in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, as a reporter for

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's ''Sports Focus'' with Dr. J,

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

. From 1986 to 1987, she co-hosted Movietime with Greg Kinnear. Movietime was a movie trailer and entertainment news service that later evolved into E!. In 1989, Moran moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to co-host

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...

' '' NBA Inside Stuff'' with Ahmad Rashad. In 1990, she eventually transitioned to ABC Sports Network, as a sideline reporter for

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

with

Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN). With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was the original host of their ...

and Dick Vermeil, and

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

with Jim Valvano and Brent Musburger. In 1990, she became the first woman to have an NBA

Trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other t ...

created in her honor. In 1992, Moran began anchoring the Emmy award-winning ABC's '' Wide World of Sports'', following legendary sportscasters, Jim McKay and Frank Gifford. She was the show's fourth anchor ever, and the first woman to host the show solo (when Becky Dixon hosted in 1987–88, she did it alongside Frank Gifford).

''Entertainment Tonight''

On May 5, 1994, Moran began working for ''

'' (ET) as an anchor and correspondent in their New York City office. By 1995, she eventually transitioned to ET's Los Angeles headquarters and later succeeded

Leeza Gibbons Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for ''Entertainment Tonight'' (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, ''Leeza'' (1993– ...

. Shortly after joining ''Entertainment Tonight'' in 1994, Moran was named one of '' People Magazine's'' "50 Most Beautiful People". While at ''Entertainment Tonight'' for 9 years, Moran interviewed several high-profile celebrities, including

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

and Julia Roberts. Moran hosted ''The Weekend Show'' and was the primary substitute anchor for Mary Hart. She also covered exclusive reports on major television and film sets. In 1996, she launched a signature weekly segment called, "ET One to One with Julie Moran". In 1996, Moran was the head anchor from ''ET'' covering the 1996 Olympic Games in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. From 1994 to 2001, Moran was the primary substitute anchor, weekend anchor, and senior correspondent for ''ET''.

Later years

After leaving ''Entertainment Tonight'' in 2001, Moran began spending time raising her daughters and working seasonally as a host for special events. In 2001, she co-hosted the prestigious 73rd Academy Awards pre-show for ABC with Chris Connelly and Jim Moret. She also co-hosted the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

pre-show for CBS in 1999 with

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...

. In 1998, 1999, and 2000, Moran hosted the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

pageant,

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

pageant, and the

Miss Teen USA Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19 years old as of January 1st of the competition year. They must be US citizens, and cannot have been married, pregnant, or ...

pageant. In 2002, she co-hosted the

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

pageant again with

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular cast member on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of the daytim ...

. Moran created, produced, and hosted '' The Insider's List with Julie Moran'' starting in 2004. The weekly series aired on the

Fine Living Network Fine Living (Sometimes called Fine Living Network or FLN) was a European television channel, initially owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive and later by Discovery Inc., from 2018 onwards. It broadcast from to . It featured document ...

. She hosted the pre-show for the

AFI Life Achievement Award The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute on February 26, 1973, to honor a single individual for their lifetime contribution to enriching American culture through motion pictures and ...

s at the

Kodak Theatre The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

in Los Angeles, California in 2002, 2003, and 2004. The shows honorees were

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

, and

Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...

. In 2012, Moran became a special correspondent for ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', briefly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

''. She began hosting Lifetime's morning show, ''The Balancing Act'' in 2013.

Personal life

On April 12, 1987, Julie Bryan married actor Rob Moran. The couple began dating in 1985 after being paired together on a

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

automotive

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

. Rob graduated from

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...

in 1982 and is an

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and producer. He has had roles in ''

Dumb and Dumber ''Dumb and Dumber'' is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise. Starring Jim Carrey and ...

'', ''

There's Something About Mary ''There's Something About Mary'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. The film features Cameron Diaz as the title character, while Ben S ...

'', '' Kingpin'', ''

Hall Pass ''Hall Pass'' is a 2011 American comedy film produced and directed by the Farrelly brothers and co-written by them along with Pete Jones, the writer/director of '' Stolen Summer''. It stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis. Rick and Fred, two hu ...

'', '' Blended'', ''

Heaven is for Real ''Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back'' is a 2010 ''New York Times'' best-selling Christian book written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book documen ...

'', and the thriller ''

You're Next ''You're Next'' is a 2011 American slasher film directed and edited by Adam Wingard, written by Simon Barrett and starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A. J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Sarah Myers, Amy Seimetz, Barbara Crampton a ...

'', which won the Audience Award at The

2013 Toronto Film Festival The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. ''The Fifth Estate (film), The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and ''Life of Crime (film), Life o ...

. In 1999, the couple welcomed their eldest daughter Maiya Dupree. In 2004, their second daughter Makayla-Amet was born. She supports several philanthropic organizations, including

Project ALS Project ALS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify and support leading scientific research toward the first effective treatments and a cure for ALS. Founded in 1998 by Jenifer Estess, Valerie Estess, Meredith Estess, and Julia ...

, Joyful Heart, The Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential, and Agape. In 2000, she became a spokesperson for the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

.Few Women Realize Heart Disease Top Killer
at ABC News; published August 22, 2000; retrieved March 25, 2016

References

External links

*
The Balancing Act Homepage
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Julie 1962 births Living people University of Georgia alumni American television sports announcers American television reporters and correspondents American women sports commentators American horse racing announcers NFL announcers NBA broadcasters Figure skating commentators American infotainers Wide World of Sports (American TV program) American beauty pageant winners Beauty pageant hosts American women television journalists College football announcers College basketball announcers in the United States