(MCT) — As the self-described “black hat” of television’s premier newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” Mike Wallace crafted a persona of a probing reporter known for his often caustic questioning of sometimes reluctant guests on the program.

Beginning in 1968, as one of the first hosts of the enduringly popular news show, he circled the globe, displaying his charm and wit and asking sometimes barbed, always penetrating questions of kings and presidents, business magnates and bureaucrats, entertainers and cultural personalities.