Bill Landry
Host/Narrator, The Heartland Series

Bill Landry had been the voice, host, narrator, and co-producer of The Heartland Series since it was conceived on WBIR TV, Channel 10 in 1984, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This year marks the 20th year of The Heartland Series.

Since it began, over 1,400 short features have been produced, including over 150 half-hour specials. The program, which started as a series of five minute features about the wonders of the Great Smoky Mountains, continues to celebrate the people and the land of the entire Appalachian region, and in 1998, the series was expanded to a 30 minute version airing each Saturday, 7:30 p.m., on WBIR, channel 10. The program is the winner of numerous awards, including five Emmy Awards and three Iris Awards, among others.

Bill has written and directed many of the episodes. As a graduate of the Dallas Theater Center with a Master of Fine Arts and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a BA in Literature, English and Arts, he considers himself a theater artist with an educational purpose and has portrayed numerous characters on The Heartland Series. Prior to joining WBIR, Bill performed his one man play, Einstein the Man, before hundreds of theater, businesses, educational, and science groups in 38 states and Canada.

In 2000, the work was published and Einstein the Man was made available through a grant to all middle and high school students throughout the state of Tennessee. Bill continues to perform Einstein the Man.

In 2003, his production of "The George Washington Carver Project" was distributed by the Tennessee Department of Education free to every school in the state of Tennessee. DVD's of the production are available through Carver Project.com

In 1999, Bill received an Emmy Award for directing and honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from Lincoln Memorial University. In 2000, he received a second Emmy for directing.

Bill's love of acting is shared by his son Jack, a graduate of the College of Charleston. Currently, Jack is a second year grad student in Theater at Penn State University and has appeared in two movies and the television series, Christy.