Harold Greene, last seen on KCBS and KCAL until exiting in 2008 (in the wake of CBS budget cuts), has long been cited as the inspiration -- appearance-wise, at least -- for Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy character.
Greene's probably still best known for his lengthy stint as an anchor here in Los Angeles at KABC-TV and its "Eyewitness News." But Greene was also an anchor in San Diego in the 1970s. A fellow former San Diego anchor, Jack White, consulted for the first "Anchorman" movie. More from San Diego's KGTV:
The filmmakers found some old pictures in White’s scrapbooks and the look of Ron Burgundy was born.
“The first time I saw Will Ferrell in make-up and I thought it was Harold Greene. I looked up and said ‘What’s Harold doing here?’”
In the movie, Ron Burgundy is shall we say, not the sharpest knife in the drawer. That part is not Harold Greene.
“The Ron Burgundy character is a composite of a lot of people. It is not Harold Greene, it is not anyone hopefully we ever knew,” White said.
ADD: Ferrell, however, has credited Detroit anchor Mort Crim for his inspiration.
Here's a 1978 news update anchored by Greene at KABC:
Of course, Harold Greene didn't have the only great mustache on L.A. TV news in the late 1970s. Check out Chris Harris on KHJ-TV:
And of course, John Beard kept his famed 'stache for years; here he is in 1984:
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