With charm and steel, broadcaster from famous family holds powerful to account

Nicknamed the Silver Fox due to his immaculate appearance and grey hair, Anderson Cooper looks born to be one of the heavyweight news anchors in the US.

Being part of the Vanderbilts, once the richest family in the country, seems incidental to his gilded career. Most of the dynasty’s wealth and influence had declined by the time he was born in 1967.

The family was hit by tragedy when, in 1988, his older brother Carter died by suicide. Cooper, who is dyslexic, forged his own path. He presents a nightly show on CNN and has had hard-hitting interviews with the world’s most powerful people including presidents Obama and Trump.

He clashed with Donald Trump over why he had called politician Ted Cruz’s wife ugly. Trump said Cruz had started the feud, to which Cooper said: “But, sir, with all due respect, that’s the argument of a five-year-old.”