I was introduced to Rebecca Eaton while doing a PBS Masterpiece event for Dickens' Bleak House. First

impression: shock of silver-white hair, brassy American gumption and a personality that enters the room

before she does. You instantly know she means business, which in Rebecca's mind is what she enjoys

most in the world.

Rebecca, 63, has been the executive producer of Masterpiece for 25 of its 40 years. She has a passion

for great drama, for great stories, beautifully told, that showcase extraordinary actors. Under her watch,

Masterpiece has brought the American public some of television's most popular and enduring dramas,

including Prime Suspect, Bleak House, Sherlock and the new Upstairs Downstairs.

Things weren't always so rosy. Masterpiece Theatre, as it used to be called, went through a very tough

patch, with public funding barely able to sustain its existence. Then, in 2008, Rebecca had a vision to

revitalize and increase its appeal. The show — now officially known as Masterpiece — was split into

three different sections aimed at a new and younger generation. This year Downton Abbey, which

launched Masterpiece's 40th-anniversary season, was seen by about 13 million viewers over its

four-week run. As Masterpiece, still on a publicly funded network, celebrates this remarkable anniversary,

we Americans are fortunate to have Rebecca at the helm: someone committed to bringing great

television drama to the widest possible audience, week after week.

Anderson recently appeared in Masterpiece's Any Human Heart