Billy (William Franklin) Graham (1918- ) is one of the best-known Christian evangelist of the 20th century. He  gained world attention in 1949 with a tent revival in downtown Los Angeles that was scheduled for three weeks and lasted six. In the ensuing 55 years and more, "Billy Graham Crusades" consistently drew audiences of thousands to arenas and stadiums throughout the world. He founded an association that continues those and other ministries, including an "Hour of Decision" radio program, televised crusades, a newspaper column, Decision magazine, and films. Graham consulted and prayed with every U.S. president from Dwight Eisenhower to George Bush the younger -- a fact that solidified his popular status as the nation's preacher but also opened him to criticism. At the same time, his ministry remained free of the financial and sexual scandals that marred the careers of prominent contemporaries such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart.

Graham made his "commitment to Christ" at age 16 through the ministry of a traveling evangelist, Mordecai Ham... He was ordained as a Southern Baptist, but the rest of his ministry was deliberately nondenominational... He and Ruth McCue Bell met as students at Weaton College and were married in 1943, the year he graduated. They had five children: Virginia, Anne, Ruth, William Franklin III, and Nelson. Graham was a co-founder of Christianity Today magazine.

Today Billy Graham suffers from Parkinson's Disease. His son, Franklin Graham, took over as executive officer of the ministry Billy Graham has built up over the decades.

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