Updated Nov 30, 2023 - World

In photos: Major moments in Kissinger's career

Rebecca Falconer

North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho and U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger at the Paris Peace Accords in France during the Vietnam War in January 1973. Later that year, they were jointly awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize — which Tho rejected. Photo: Reg Lancaster/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died on Wednesday at age 100, left a major mark on the world stage while serving as the top U.S. diplomat under two presidents, and beyond.

The big picture: He was lauded as a distinguished author, academic and statesman, but also criticized for some Cold War policies — notably the bombing of Cambodia in the 1970s. His being jointly awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for helping negotiate a cease-fire in Vietnam prompted two members of the Nobel committee to resign.

Pres. Nixon congratulates Henry Kissinger after he was sworn in as secretary of state in 1973. — President Nixon congratulates Henry Kissinger after he's sworn in as secretary of state at the White House, making the German-born Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany in 1938 the first foreign-born American citizen to hold the diplomatic U.S. role. Photo: Via Getty Images

President Nixon toasting with Leonid Brezhnev, and Grmyko during Kremlin seven-day summit conference with the USSR Communist Party. — Kissinger and President Nixon toasting with Leonid Brezhnev during a seven-day summit with the USSR Communist Party in Moscow in the 1970s. Photo: Via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger accepts food from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during a state banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. — Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai shares a meal with Secretary of State Kissinger during a state banquet in Beijing. Kissinger was central to the U.S. establishing ties with communist China in the 1970s. Photo: Via Getty Images

Former Secretary Of State Henry Kissinger Speaks With Israeli Leader Yitzhak Rabin In Washington, Dc. Kissinger Helped Negotiate Peace Agreements Between Israel And Egypt And Syria In The 1970's While Working Under President Nixon. — Secretary of State Kissinger with Israeli Leader Yitzhak Rabin in Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, as Kissinger helped negotiate peace agreements between Israel and Egypt and Syria while in the Nixon administration. Photo: Owen Franken/Getty Images

) In the dining car on the train from Vladivostok to the airport on November 23, 1974, President Gerald Ford discusses progress on the S.A.L.T. agreement with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. — In the dining car on the train from Vladivostok, Russia, to the airport on Nov. 23, 1974, President Gerald Ford discusses progress on the SALT agreement (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger after the pair spent two days in talks with Soviet leaders. Photo: Via Getty Images

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger talks with George Bush, then Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, at the White House on August 28, 1974, shortly after Gerald Ford became President. — Secretary of State Kissinger talks with former President George H.W. Bush, then Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, at the White House in 1974. Photo:David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger (L) whisper during a meeting in 1983 in Washington, DC. — Kissinger and President Ronald Reagan during a 1983 meeting in Washington, D.C. Reagan appointed Kissinger as chair of the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America one year earlier and the diplomat later served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board under Reagan. Photo: David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

President George Bush is accompanied by former secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, at a White House press conference. Bush appointed Kissinger the head of the commission designated to investigate the September 11 terrorist attacks. — Kissinger and President George W. Bush after he appointed Kissinger the head of the commission designated to investigate the September 11 terrorist attacks. Kissinger resigned after rejecting demands to reveal his business client list. Photo: Brooks Kraft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (L) at the Great Hall of the People on March 17, 2015 in Beijing, China. — Kissinger with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, in 2015. Photo: Feng Li - Pool/Getty Images

China's President Xi Jinping (R) speaks with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger during a meeting in Beijing on July 20, 2023. — Kissinger and Xi during a meeting in Beijing on July 20, 2023, when the Chinese leader said: "The Chinese people never forget their old friends, and Sino-U.S. relations will always be linked with the name of Henry Kissinger." Photo: CNS/AFP via Getty Images

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional photos.

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In photos: Major moments in Kissinger's career

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