Kroft had previously distinguished himself when he joined the slightly glitzy "street beat" New York-based newsmagazine "West 57th Street" (1986-89), acting as its principal correspondent. When the show was canceled, he was shifted to "60 Minutes." The square-faced, blue-eyed correspondent has investigated Retin-A, Saddam Hussein, and was the first American reporter allowed to tour Chernobyl after the nuclear accident (1990). He won an Emmy for his Chernobyl reportage as well as for investigating the Yates Oil Company in New Mexico. Kroft also earned a Peabody Award (1992) for a segment on a friendly fire incident during the Persian Gulf War, including tape not seen previously. Kroft interviewed Woody Allen after the scandalous demise of his relationship with Mia Farrow and did a well-received profile of savings and loan debacle figure Charles Keating Jr. In 1993, Kroft played himself in an episode of the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown."