Barbara Walters Retiring: ABC News Anchor Quitting 'The View' In 2014

Barbara Walters is retiring. The longtime ABC News anchor will be leaving television in 2014 according to the New York Post. The 83-year-old journalist, who recently underwent heart surgery, will end what Huffington Post is calling an "iconic and storied career."

Barbara Walters retirement will officially be sometime in May of next year. She has co-hosted "The View" since co-creating the ABC morning talker in 1997.

A native of Boston, Barbara Walters was born in 1929 to descendants of Russian immigrants Dena and Lou Walters. She first anchored a major news program in 1961 when she became part of the "Today" show. She later moved to ABC News in 1976, where she has stayed through her hosting of "20/20" and "The View."

Throughout her tenure in the media, she had the opportunity to interview a number of important and sometimes controversial people. Barbara Walters interviewed former Egyptian President Anwar al Sadat in 1977, and later officials like Vladimir Putin of Russia, Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, King Hussein of Jordan and recently-deceased Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez.

Barbara Walters also has shared with viewers discussions with celebrities like Michael Jackson, Laurence Olivier and infamous Clinton White House intern Monica Lewinsky, whose interview drew about 74 million viewers. Lewinsky is noted for responding to Barbara Walters' question of what her children will think of their mother's indiscretions. "Mommy made a big mistake!" Lewinsky quipped during the March 1999 interview.