Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Greta Van Susteren was awarded a Bachelor's degree with Distinction in Economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1976. In 1979, she was awarded a law degree and, in 1982, a master of laws in trial advocacy from Georgetown Law Center, serving as a civil and criminal attorney in Wisconsin for several years. Van Susteren became a legal analyst at Ted Turner's CNN network in 1991, and was also co-host of the network's legal talk show, "Burden of Proof", around the same time. A critically acclaimed journalist and TV personality (due largely to her expert on-air analysis of high-profile trials like the O.J. Simpson case), Van Susteren also hosted the CNN news program "The Point" during her tenure with that network. Gradually her relationship with CNN began to sour, and she left the network in 2002 to host On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren (2002) on Fox News, CNN's rival. Immediately preceding the debut of her new program, Van Susteren received a well-publicized surgical face-lift to remove "bags" from beneath her eyes, bringing again into question the issue of whether news anchors were professional journalists versus glamorized entertainers. She continues to host "On The Record" on Fox News to mixed critical reception. Her husband, John P. Coale, a well-known litigator, was also a partner in her law practice.
