Chris Hansen had an interest in investigative reporting from a young age. As a fourteen year old, Hansen watched the FBI and police investigate the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa and that inspired him to want to become a journalist.
Brother Hansen graduated from Michigan State University College of Communication Arts and Sciences in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications. Chris became a reporter for Lansing NBC affiliate WILX in 1981 during his senior year at Michigan State. He then reported for various radio stations and newspapers in Michigan until he joined NBC News in 1993 as a correspondent for the newsmagazine Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric.
Brother Hansen is most known for his reporting on the NBC news show, Dateline. Some of his most notable work includes coverage of the Columbine massacre, the Oklahoma City terrorist attack, the Unabomber, and the TWA Flight 800 disaster. Hansen was responsible for most of Dateline’s coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as stories on terrorist groups and the operations of Al-Qaeda. He also hosted a series of Dateline NBC reports under the title To Catch a Predator.
Chris has received numerous awards, including seven Emmys, as well as awards for excellence from the Associated Press and United Press International. He was born in Lansing, Michigan but grew up in northern Detroit suburbs. He is married to his wife Mary Joan and they have two sons. The family currently resides in Connecticut.
