Joan Lunden, one of television's most versatile reporters, was the longest running co-host on early morning television. She co-hosted "Good Morning America" since August, 1980.

Ms. Lunden has become one of the most visible women in the country since she joined "GMA" in the fall of 1976 as a consumer reporter. In a tribute to her longstanding popularity, an Entertainment Weekly magazine national viewer poll named her "television's favorite morning anchor."

Ms. Lunden continues to expand her horizons at ABC, having hosted three prime-time specials in a series produced under her New Life Entertainment production banner. "Behind Closed Doors With Joan Lunden," broadcast in April, 1994, February and October, 1995, took viewers on an exclusive journey to places never before seen on television, including the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Betty Ford Clinic and the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST).

The multi-talented Ms. Lunden has endeared herself to viewers across the country as the consummate working mother and has continually surprised her audience with her daredevil antics. Ms. Lunden climbed and rappelled Alaska's famed Mendenhall Glacier; as well as bungee-jumped off a 143- foot bridge and parapented off a 2,000-foot mountain during the program's highly rated trip to New Zealand. Most recently, Ms. Lunden navigated the whitewater rapids of a Georgia river when "GMA" traveled to Atlanta for two days of special broadcasts in November, 1994. She has also been at the controls of an F-18 jet and soared with the elite Air Force Thunderbirds, as well as flown in a T-34 Naval flight training plane. The most recent adventure was climbing The Tetons. She is also an avid equestrian, jumping thoroughbred horses, and also has gone to bat with the Chicago Cubs at spring training.

As the co-host of "GMA," Ms. Lunden has traveled the world, covering a myriad of historic events, including the 50th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day during the program's May, 1995 visit to the European continent; the 50th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France; the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and Calgary, respectively; and the Royal Wedding in London. She has reported from France, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Hawaii, Holland, Sweden, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Back home, she has covered the administrations and inaugurations of three Presidents: Bill Clinton, George Bush and Ronald Reagan. She was one of only three American journalists to interview Prince Charles during his 1983 visit to the United States.

She also is a nationally known speaker and author. Her professional career is recounted in "Good Morning, I'm Joan Lunden," published by Berkley Books and Putnam Books. Her most recent project, "Healthy Cooking With Joan Lunden," which was published by Little Brown in April, 1996, hit The New York Times best-seller list in less than three weeks.

Ms. Lunden has hosted the annual Disney World Christmas Parade for 13 years and the Disney Easter Parade for 11 years. She also hosted ABC's telecast of the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year's Day from 1989 to 1991.

Ms. Lunden has hosted several programs on parenting and has done a parenting video entitled "Your Newborn Baby: Everything You Need to Know," which was named Best Parenting Video of the Year by TV Guide magazine. Her parenting books include "Your Newborn Baby" and "Mothers Minutes." She also has done many public service announcements and appeared with Walter Cronkite in an asthma documentary, "Every Breath You Take," for the American Lung Association. Ms. Lunden's extraordinary commitment to fitness and personal health issues resulted in a successful exercise video, "Joan Lunden Workout America," released in early 1995.

Ms. Lunden's dedication to her family, her work, and her civic responsibility has brought her numerous honors and awards, some of which include the Spirit of Achievement Award from Albert Einstein College of Yeshiva University, YWCA Outstanding Woman's Award Speaker, National Women's Political Caucus Award, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights Award and Baylor University Outstanding Woman of the Year. The National Mother's Day Committee selected her as the Outstanding Mother of the Year in 1982-83 for her dedication to motherhood.

Ms. Lunden is the national spokesperson for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

In April, 1991, Ms. Lunden was honored by New York Women in Communications with a Matrix Award for her "outstanding contributions to the broadcasting field."

Ms. Lunden began her broadcasting career in Sacramento, California, where she worked for KCRA-TV and Radio as co-anchor of the daily noon television news program. She also produced the noon news broadcast and hosted KCRA's television specials.

In 1975, she joined New York's WABC-TV Eyewitness News and a year later became co-anchor on the weekend newscasts.

Ms. Lunden has a liberal arts degree from American River College in Sacramento. She has also studied Spanish and anthropology at Mexico City's Universidad de Las Americas. She was a visiting instructor at Montclair State College in New Jersey, where she taught a course in broadcast journalism.

Ms. Lunden has three daughters, Jamie, Lindsay and Sarah.

Need to write? Here's where to send mail to Joan Lunden.