Working in the television news industry can often find a person in a revolving door format, as on-air celebrities are often switching shows and/or networks. In contrast, Matt Lauer’s revolving door always seems to be propelling him further in the business as he continues his steady progression to bigger and better things.

Born on December 30th, 1957, Lauer was raised in Connecticut by parents that had divorced, with his father, Robert Lauer, being a bicycle company executive, and his mother, Marilyn Kolmer, being a retired model.

He entered Ohio University with the intent of earning a degree in communications. His plan changed when he was offered an internship, and Lauer left college four credits shy of his degree. With as much success as Lauer has had, it doesn’t seem the degree was necessary. Nevertheless, the university allowed him to write an essay on his journalism experience to finish up his credits, allowing him to finish up his degree in 1997.

Lauer started his television news career in 1979 as the producer of a local afternoon news program in West Virginia. One year later he moved up to being an on-air reporter for the evening news. Lauer went on to host different informational and talk programs in cities such as Richmond, Philadelphia, Boston, and Providence.

During this time Lauer also did work for ESPN, as well as hosting a syndicated news show called PM Magazine. He hosted this from 1980 to 1986 along with other anchors that went on to bigger things as well, such as Tom Bergeron and Leeza Gibbons. Initially PM Magazine did well, but it was soon outrun by many other light news magazine shows such as A Current Affair, Hard Copy, and Entertainment Tonight.

In 1992 Lauer entered the NBC arena for the first time as he became the host of a local weekday news show called Today in New York, working with Jane Hanson. Occasionally he also filled in as anchor alongside Sue Simmons on Live at Five, a lifestyle and celebrity news show, still on the local NBC affiliate in New York.

Moving up, Lauer began to fill in for Margaret Larson on the national NBC morning show, The Today Show. This was the beginning of something great for him, and soon Lauer became the fulltime news anchor of the show, while still holding down his responsibilities on Today in New York and Live at Five. Still branching out, this led to Lauer filling in as co-host when needed for Mark Schnieder, Jack Ford, and Scott Simon on the weekend editions of The Today Show.

These have him traveling the world, appearing in secret locations such as The Panama Canal and The Great Wall of China.

Lauer’s personal life has moved along in much the same way as his career. He married his first wife, Nancy Alspaugh, a television producer, in 1982, only to divorce her in 1989. After a relationship with another newscaster, Kristen Gesswein, Lauer fell in love with and married model Annette Roque, who uses the professional name Jade Roque.

With the up and coming ten year annivesary of the death of Princess Diana, and her forty sixth birthday, the young British Princes, Prince William and Prince Harry organised a musical tribute to their late mother to raise money for her favourite charities and gave an in depth interview with Matt Lauer to raise awarness of the charities that Diana had supported and to speak openly about their lives with and without thier mother.

Matt and his wife have had two children together, and while they separated for a short time in 2005, they appear to have repaired their relationship.