5 Things We Already! Know

5 Things You Don't Know About Anderson Cooper

December 30, 2011

He's been dispatched to hotspots all over the world during the year covering stories for CNN and once again this year, he'll join funny lady Kathy Griffin on New Year's Eve for the network's coverage of the nation's biggest celebration in Times Square. Here are five things you don't know about this respected news anchor, whose on-air giggle fit earlier this year made headlines on its own.

1. Born in New York into one of the city's wealthiest and most respected families, the Vanderbilts. His great-great-great-grandfather was Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, a 19th-century business tycoon. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, is a prominent socialite and famous jeans designer.

2. Spent six months living in Vietnam and studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.

3. Modeled for Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Macy's from age 10 to 13.

4. While studying at Yale, did an internship over two summers at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA.

5. Although a self-described news junkie, his guilty pleasure is reality TV shows, especially The Real Housewives series.