Since the Academy Award nominated BROOKLYN BRIDGE in 1981, he has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including THE CIVIL WAR (1990) and BASEBALL (1994). Stephen Ambrose, the historian, has said of Ken's films, "More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source."

Ken's epics have received numerous accolades. THE CIVIL WAR was the highest rated series in the history of American public television and attracted an audience of 40 million during its premiere in September 1990. The columnist George Will said, "If better use has ever been made of television, I have not seen it and do not expect to see better until Ken Burns turns his prodigious talents to his next project." The series was honored with more than 40 major film and television awards.

The eighteen and a half hour long BASEBALL, for which Ken was also the director, producer, co-writer, chief cinematographer, music director, and executive producer, attracted more than 45 million viewers. David Bianculli of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS said that the film "resonates like a Mozart symphony." TIME MAGAZINE wrote that "BASEBALL is rich in drama, irresistible as nostalgia, and ... an instructive window into our national psychology." The film won numerous awards, including an Emmy, the CINE Golden Eagle Award, the Clarion Award, and the Television Critics Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports and Special Programming.

In addition to these multi-episodic films, Ken has produced and directed the highly recognized AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY series, two-part films on some of the most important men and women in American history. NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE: THE STORY OF ELIZABETH CADY STANTON & SUSAN B. ANTHONY won a Peabody last year. The earlier films in the series have also been hailed as masterpieces in documentary filmmaking. Kenneth Turan of the LOS ANGELES TIMES wrote that FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT (1998) "has the unbeatable combination of exceptional interview material and beautiful architectural photography put at the service of an astonishing life." OF LEWIS AND CLARK: THE JOURNEY OF THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY (1997), Tony Scott of WEEKLY VARIETY wrote, "a visually stunning account ... Striking photography, superb editing, informative reportage and little-known anecdotes characterize the latest documentary work from Burns." And Walter Goodman of THE NEW YORK TIMES praised THOMAS JEFFERSON (1997), as "a considerable accomplishment, a thoughtful and affecting portrait of the intellectual who captured the essence of a new nation's hopes in phrases that continue to resound around the world."

In addition to the above, Ken has made several other award-winning films, including THE SHAKERS: HANDS TO WORK; THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, also nominated for an Oscar; HUEY LONG, the story of the turbulent Southern dictator; THE CONGRESS: THE HISTORY AND PROMISE OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT; THOMAS HART BENTON, a portrait of the regionalist artist; and EMPIRE OF THE AIR: THE MEN WHO MADE RADIO. He also produced and directed two films, WILLIAM SEGAL and VEZELAY, which explore the question of search and individual identity through the work and teachings of philosopher and painter William Segal.

Ken was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. He graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1975. He was one of the co-founders of Florentine Films. He resides in Walpole, New Hampshire. He's the father of two daughters, Sarah and Lilly.