Koppel was born in Lancashire, England after his parents fled Germany with the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. He graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree and from Stanford University with a Master of Arts degree in mass communications research and political science.
He considers his family Torah his most prized possession.
Koppel started working at ABC in 1963, and served as a foreign correspondent for the network. He is most famous for being the leading anchorman for ABC's Nightline.
In 2003, Koppel was embedded with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division as it marched toward Baghdad during the 2003 Iraq War.
Ted's daughter Andrea Koppel is the Department of State correspondent for CNN.