Mike Willesee has been Australia’s most revered television journalist for over fifty years. And behind the lens, a businessman, powerbroker, trailblazer and enduring enigma.
Son of a minister in the Whitlam cabinet, Willesee was a football star before finding fame as a crusading journalist, and Vietnam War correspondent, for This Day Tonight and Four Corners.Later, as creator of A Current Affair, his interviews became news in themselves, attracting blockbuster ratings, wielding huge political power and transforming him into an icon.
In life, Willesee was a husband and father of six. He made a fortune in radio and television then lost it saving the Sydney Swans and battling his demons.
After a live on-air interview with gunmen secured the release of two children being held hostage, Willesee left ACA. He made acclaimed documentaries on subjects as diverse as stigmata and ancient tribes. He survived a plane crash, found God and fought cancer. But he never stopped seeking truth.
