EVERY SUNDAY Biography

Meet the trailblazers, trendsetters, and architects of change. It’s the remarkable story of real people who made a real impact, from small towns to around the globe.

TODAY ON STORY

January 11, 2026

All times Eastern
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8:00A

Biography

The Phantom: Comic Strip Crusader

A close-up of the masked crusader from Bengalla whose comic book adventures have been thrilling readers since 1936. Includes interviews with Billy Zane and Kristy Swanson, stars of the most recent Phantom movie.

11:00A

Biography

Dorothy Stratten

Story of the actress and Playboy playmate who was shot and killed at the age of 20 by Paul Snider, her manager and husband, who then turned the shotgun on himself. Stratten's incredible story includes an affair with director Peter Bogdanovich, who accused Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner of fueling Snider's rage, and who later married Stratten's 20-year-old sister Louise. Features interviews with Bogdanovich, Hefner, Louise, Snider's brother Jeff, and Eric Roberts and Mariel Hemingway, who starred in the film Star 80, which was based on Stratten's life.

12:00P

Biography

Steve Rubell: Lord of the Disco

Story of the small, wiry kid from Brooklyn who conquered the New York nightclub scene with his Studio 54, but who ran into legal problems that bankrupted him and health problems that killed him at age 45.

1:00P

Biography

Heidi Fleiss

Her Chanel-clad sex workers were rumored to service some of the most powerful men in the world. Born to a liberal, hippie family, she was only 27 at the time of her arrest, when the sex and drugs came to a screeching halt. Find out what led her on the road to pandering.

2:00P

Biography

Poet of Death: Jack Unterweger

A profile of the Austrian serial killer who, while serving prison time for his first murder, wrote poetry, a novel, and an autobiography. He received quite a bit of success from his writing and was eventually given parole in 1990. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jack still liked killing people, and after being linked to murders in both Austria and America, Unterweger was arrested and extradited back to Austria. He was found guilty of nine murders despite there being little evidence to prove it beyond doubt, and was found hanging from his cell roof less than 24 hours after being sentenced to life for a second time.

3:00P

Biography

Doctor Death: Harold Shipman

This deadly doctor was responsible for the worst murder spree in British history, killing upwards of 200 people over a period of 23 years.             

4:00P

Biography

Marquis de Sade: The Depraved Aristocrat

Portrait of the 18th-century French writer and connoisseur of sex, whose name would enter the language as a synonym for sexual cruelty. The Marquis de Sade was imprisoned numerous times for his scandalous novels and plays that were filled with perversion, torture, and murder. But because de Sade challenged every aspect of civilized society--church, government, and social restraint--some consider him a pioneering thinker. Interviewees include Count Xavier de Sade and Camille Paglia.

5:00P

Biography

Lizzie Borden: A Woman Accused

Did Lizzie Borden really take an axe and give her mother 40 whacks and her father 41? She was acquitted, but controversy still rages over the century-old double murder case. This documentary digs for the facts. Interviews with case historians.

6:00P

Biography

Lucky: The Story of Charles Lindbergh

Explores the triumphs and tragedies of Charles Lindbergh, conqueror of the Atlantic by air and reclusive hero. Includes a look at the kidnapping and murder of his son, as well as his questionable politics prior to America's entry into WWII.

7:00P

Biography

Dorothy Stratten

Story of the actress and Playboy playmate who was shot and killed at the age of 20 by Paul Snider, her manager and husband, who then turned the shotgun on himself. Stratten's incredible story includes an affair with director Peter Bogdanovich, who accused Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner of fueling Snider's rage, and who later married Stratten's 20-year-old sister Louise. Features interviews with Bogdanovich, Hefner, Louise, Snider's brother Jeff, and Eric Roberts and Mariel Hemingway, who starred in the film Star 80, which was based on Stratten's life.

8:00P

Biography

Steve Rubell: Lord of the Disco

Story of the small, wiry kid from Brooklyn who conquered the New York nightclub scene with his Studio 54, but who ran into legal problems that bankrupted him and health problems that killed him at age 45.

9:00P

Biography

Heidi Fleiss

Her Chanel-clad sex workers were rumored to service some of the most powerful men in the world. Born to a liberal, hippie family, she was only 27 at the time of her arrest, when the sex and drugs came to a screeching halt. Find out what led her on the road to pandering.

10:00P

Biography

Poet of Death: Jack Unterweger

A profile of the Austrian serial killer who, while serving prison time for his first murder, wrote poetry, a novel, and an autobiography. He received quite a bit of success from his writing and was eventually given parole in 1990. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jack still liked killing people, and after being linked to murders in both Austria and America, Unterweger was arrested and extradited back to Austria. He was found guilty of nine murders despite there being little evidence to prove it beyond doubt, and was found hanging from his cell roof less than 24 hours after being sentenced to life for a second time.

11:00P

Biography

Doctor Death: Harold Shipman

This deadly doctor was responsible for the worst murder spree in British history, killing upwards of 200 people over a period of 23 years.             

12:00A

Biography

Marquis de Sade: The Depraved Aristocrat

Portrait of the 18th-century French writer and connoisseur of sex, whose name would enter the language as a synonym for sexual cruelty. The Marquis de Sade was imprisoned numerous times for his scandalous novels and plays that were filled with perversion, torture, and murder. But because de Sade challenged every aspect of civilized society--church, government, and social restraint--some consider him a pioneering thinker. Interviewees include Count Xavier de Sade and Camille Paglia.

1:00A

Biography

Lizzie Borden: A Woman Accused

Did Lizzie Borden really take an axe and give her mother 40 whacks and her father 41? She was acquitted, but controversy still rages over the century-old double murder case. This documentary digs for the facts. Interviews with case historians.

2:00A

Biography

Lucky: The Story of Charles Lindbergh

Explores the triumphs and tragedies of Charles Lindbergh, conqueror of the Atlantic by air and reclusive hero. Includes a look at the kidnapping and murder of his son, as well as his questionable politics prior to America's entry into WWII.

3:00A

Biography

Dorothy Stratten

Story of the actress and Playboy playmate who was shot and killed at the age of 20 by Paul Snider, her manager and husband, who then turned the shotgun on himself. Stratten's incredible story includes an affair with director Peter Bogdanovich, who accused Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner of fueling Snider's rage, and who later married Stratten's 20-year-old sister Louise. Features interviews with Bogdanovich, Hefner, Louise, Snider's brother Jeff, and Eric Roberts and Mariel Hemingway, who starred in the film Star 80, which was based on Stratten's life.

4:00A

Biography

Steve Rubell: Lord of the Disco

Story of the small, wiry kid from Brooklyn who conquered the New York nightclub scene with his Studio 54, but who ran into legal problems that bankrupted him and health problems that killed him at age 45.

5:00A

Biography

Heidi Fleiss

Her Chanel-clad sex workers were rumored to service some of the most powerful men in the world. Born to a liberal, hippie family, she was only 27 at the time of her arrest, when the sex and drugs came to a screeching halt. Find out what led her on the road to pandering.

6:00A

Biography

Poet of Death: Jack Unterweger

A profile of the Austrian serial killer who, while serving prison time for his first murder, wrote poetry, a novel, and an autobiography. He received quite a bit of success from his writing and was eventually given parole in 1990. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jack still liked killing people, and after being linked to murders in both Austria and America, Unterweger was arrested and extradited back to Austria. He was found guilty of nine murders despite there being little evidence to prove it beyond doubt, and was found hanging from his cell roof less than 24 hours after being sentenced to life for a second time.

7:00A

Biography

Doctor Death: Harold Shipman

This deadly doctor was responsible for the worst murder spree in British history, killing upwards of 200 people over a period of 23 years.             

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