American Achievers

Keith Dunnavant
  • 5.0 (14)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

AMERICAN ACHIEVERS explores the power of ambition, commitment to excellence, risk-taking and tenacity in pursuit of the American Dream. Coming in 2026: Season 5! Hosted and produced by author, documentary filmmaker, and media trailblazer Keith Dunnavant, who has been interviewing newsmakers for more than four decades, including many years as an award-winning print journalist in New York and Atlanta, directing coverage of sports, media, business, culture and politics. Widely acclaimed for his history books, including THE MISSING RING, MONTANA and the Cold War biography SPY PILOT, Dunnavant directed the ESPN Films documentary BART STARR, produced WISHBONE for the sports network, and has also produced/directed independent films including the syndicated THREE DAYS AT FOSTER. With each episode of AMERICAN ACHIEVERS, Dunnavant explores the life of an accomplished individual who has relentlessly chased success and fulfillment, often battling through significant adversity and reflecting universal lessons that strike at the heart of the American experience. Featuring entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, astronauts, media figures and civic leaders. KeithDunnavant.com

  1. 12/23/2024

    Season 4, Episode 12: Franc D’Ambrosio

    Part 2 of 2: Franc D’Ambrosio talks about the sacrifices he made to chase his dreams, including routinely choosing between food and shelter, how dyslexia affected his career, how playing the Phantom changed his life, and the critical skill he learned from Barry Manilow.

    55 min

  2. 12/16/2024

    Season 4, Episode 11: Franc D’Ambrosio

    Part 1 of 2: Franc D’Ambrosio talks about walking away from the security of his family’s bakery business to pursue a career as a singer and actor, the intense desire that drove him, landing the part of Anthony Corleone in THE GODFATHER PART III, and how he almost turned down the stage role that will always define him—the masked man in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

    57 min

  3. 12/09/2024

    Season 4, Episode 10: Ulice Payne, Jr.

    Lawyer and former Major League Baseball executive Ulice Payne, Jr. talks about the formative values of his childhood in western Pennsylvania, landing a basketball scholarship to Marquette, where he played on the 1977 NCAA championship team, and the moment of heartbreak that opened the door to his future.

    37 min

  4. 12/02/2024

    Season 4, Episode 9: Jodie Markell

    Actress and director Jodie Markell, who recently starred in the satirical play LENI’S LAST LAMENT, talks about the moment when she first realized that performing stirred something deep in her soul and why she was driven to turn a long-forgotten Tennessee Williams screenplay into the independent film THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND.

    1h 11m

  5. 11/25/2024

    Season 4, Episode 8: Randall Atcheson

    Concert pianist Randall Atcheson talks about the talent that propelled him from small-town Alabama churches to Julliard and performance halls on five continents, how he keeps pushing himself to excel and connect with audiences, and the near-death experience that changed his life.

    1h 25m

  6. 11/18/2024

    Season 4, Episode 7: Bob Lilly

    Part 2 of 2: Bob Lilly talks about the mindset he brought to the field as a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, how it felt to become the first honoree at Texas Stadium’s Ring of Honor, and the gift that launched him on a different sort of adventure.

    43 min

  7. 11/11/2024

    Season 4, Episode 6: Bob Lilly

    Part 1 of 2: Bob Lilly talks about learning from his father’s tenacity, the devastating drought that forced his family to leave Texas, how his life pivoted on landing a football scholarship to TCU, and becoming the first draft choice of the expansion Dallas Cowboys.

    55 min

  8. 11/04/2024

    Season 4, Episode 5: Richard Jadick

    Urologist Richard Jadick talks about the tragedy that rocked his upstate New York family, the television show that inspired his medical career, how he became the most decorated doctor of the Iraq War, and the battlefield memories that still haunt him.

    1h 2m
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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

AMERICAN ACHIEVERS explores the power of ambition, commitment to excellence, risk-taking and tenacity in pursuit of the American Dream. Coming in 2026: Season 5! Hosted and produced by author, documentary filmmaker, and media trailblazer Keith Dunnavant, who has been interviewing newsmakers for more than four decades, including many years as an award-winning print journalist in New York and Atlanta, directing coverage of sports, media, business, culture and politics. Widely acclaimed for his history books, including THE MISSING RING, MONTANA and the Cold War biography SPY PILOT, Dunnavant directed the ESPN Films documentary BART STARR, produced WISHBONE for the sports network, and has also produced/directed independent films including the syndicated THREE DAYS AT FOSTER. With each episode of AMERICAN ACHIEVERS, Dunnavant explores the life of an accomplished individual who has relentlessly chased success and fulfillment, often battling through significant adversity and reflecting universal lessons that strike at the heart of the American experience. Featuring entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, astronauts, media figures and civic leaders. KeithDunnavant.com

Information

  • Creator
    Keith Dunnavant
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    American Achievers