Fulton J. Sheen

Archbishop Fulton John Sheen (May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was television's first preacher of note, in the early 1950s on the DuMont Television Network. DuMont was searching for programming ideas and put on a series of rotating religious programs with a Protestant minister, a Jewish rabbi and a Catholic bishop. While the other shows did not catch on, the bishop (Sheen) became an overnight hit, found a sponsor in Admiral television sets, and was DuMont's only Emmy Award winner in its brief period of broadcasting. It also held the distinction of being aired on more stations than any other regularly-scheduled DuMont program.

Trivia

• Actor Martin Sheen has said on several occasions that he took his stage name from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.
• Sheen often referred to his "angel" who would erase the blackboard when Sheen stepped away from it. This duty was performed by a never-seen stagehand.
• The official repository of Sheen's papers, television programs, and other materials is St. Bernard's Institute in Rochester, New York.