Larry King
Larry King during a videotaping of his Larry King Live program at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA
Born	Lawrence Harvey Zeiger November 19, 1933 (1933-11-19) (age 74) Brooklyn, New York, USA
Occupation	Anchor of Larry King Live, television personality
Years active	1957–present
Spouse(s)	Shawn Southwick

Larry King (born November 19, 1933) is an American television/radio host. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Since 1985, King has hosted a nightly interview program on CNN called Larry King Live. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN.

Biography

Early life

King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jennie (née Gitlitz), a garment worker, and Edward Zeiger, a restaurant owner and defense plant worker. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather ^[1] He was raised in a "very culturally Jewish" family. ^[2] His father died at 44 of colon cancer when King was nine, ^[3] and his mother had to go on welfare to support Larry and his younger brother. Welfare is financial assistance paid to people by governments His father's death affected King greatly, and King lost interest in school, ruining his chances to go to college. After graduating from high school, he worked to help support his mother. From an early age he wanted to go into radio. ^[4]

Miami radio

A CBS staff announcer, whom King met by chance, told him to go to Florida, a growing media market where openings still existed for inexperienced broadcasters. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the King rode a bus to Miami. After initial setbacks, King got his first job in radio through persistence. The manager of a small station, WIOD in Miami Beach, hired him to clean up and perform miscellaneous tasks. WIOD (610 AM, "News Radio 610 WIOD" is a news / talk formatted Radio station in Miami Florida. When one of their announcers quit, they put King on the air. His first broadcast was on May 1, 1957, when he worked as the disc jockey from 9 a. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience m. to noon. He also did two afternoon newscasts and a sportscast. News broadcasting (also known as newscast or newsbreak) is the Broadcasting of various news events and other Information via He was paid $55 a week. He acquired the name Larry King when the general manager said that Zeiger was too ethnic and difficult to remember, and instead suggested the surname King, which he got from an ad in The Miami Herald for King's Wholesale Liquor. The Miami Herald is a daily Newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered in Downtown Miami Florida. He started interviewing on a midmorning show for WIOD, at Pumpernik's Restaurant in Miami Beach. He would interview anyone who walked in. His first interview was with a waiter at the restaurant. Two days later, singer Bobby Darin, in Miami for a concert later that day, walked into Pumpernick's as a result of coming across King's show on his radio; Darin became King's first celebrity interview guest. Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert "Bobby" Cassotto, May 14 1936 &ndash December 20, 1973) was one of the most popular

His Miami radio show launched him to local stardom. A few years later, in May 1960, he hosted Miami Undercover, airing Sunday nights at 11:30 p. m. on WPST-TV channel 10 (now WPLG). WPLG is an ABC network affiliate serving the entire Miami Florida area On the show he moderated debates on important issues of the time. King credits his success on local TV to the assistance of another showbiz legend: comedian Jackie Gleason, whose national TV variety show was being filmed in Miami Beach during this period. Herbert Walton Gleason Jr, baptized John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason ( February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an "That show really took off because Gleason came to Miami," King said in a 1996 interview he gave when inducted into the Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. "He did that show and stayed all night with me. We stayed till five in the morning. He didn't like the set, so we broke into the general manager's office and changed the set. Gleason changed the set, he changed the lighting, and he became like a mentor of mine. " ^[5]

WIOD gave King further exposure as the color commentator for the Miami Dolphins broadcasts during the Miami Dolphins' perfect season of 1972. A color commentator, sometimes known as a color analyst, is a member of the Broadcasting team for a sporting event who assists the Play-by-play The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami Florida Metropolitan Area. Larry also did color for the old Shreveport Steamer of the World Football League in 1974-75.

Legal and financial troubles

In the early 1970s, Larry was entangled in legal and financial troubles. He was arrested on December 20, 1971 and charged with grand larceny. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. In the United States, larceny is a Common law Crime involving Theft. The charges stemmed from a deal he had made with Louis Wolfson, who had been convicted of selling unregistered stock in 1968. Louis Elwood Wolfson ( January 28 1912 - December 30, 2007) was a Wall Street Financier and a major Thoroughbred horse

Mugshot of Larry King during his larceny investigation

The circumstances of what occurred between the two are unclear. According to King, he told Wolfson that he could arrange a special investigation by John Mitchell, the incoming US Attorney General, to overturn the conviction. John Newton Mitchell (September 1913 &ndash November 9, 1988) was the first United States Attorney General ever to be convicted of illegal activities and Wolfson agreed, and paid King $48,000. King never delivered, and could not pay back the money. When Wolfson was released from prison, he went after King. According to Wolfson, King served as an intermediary between Wolfson and New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison. Earling Carothers "Jim" Garrison ( November 20, 1921 - October 21, 1992) &mdash who changed his first name to Jim in the Garrison was investigating the assassination of President Kennedy, but needed to raise funds for the investigation. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Wolfson offered to pay $25,000 to help fund the investigation. The arrangement was that Wolfson gave Larry King cash (about $5,000 per visit). King was supposed to give this to Richard Gerstein, the State Attorney for Dade County, Florida. Gerstein was to transfer the money to Garrison. This took place over a year or two. Wolfson eventually found that not all the money he gave to King made it to Garrison. The larceny charge was dropped because the statute of limitations had run out. A statute of limitations is a Statute in a Common law Legal system that sets forth the maximum period of time after certain events that legal proceedings But King pled no contest to one of 14 charges of passing bad checks. As a result of these troubles, he was off the air for three years. During those three years he worked several jobs. He was the PR director at Louisiana Downs, a race track in Louisiana, and he wrote some articles for Esquire magazine, including a major piece on New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Esquire is a Men's magazine by the Hearst Corporation with a strong literary tradition The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. Joseph William Namath (born May 31 1943, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania) also known as Broadway Joe or Joe Willie, is a former

Comeback to radio and TV

King managed to get back into radio by becoming the color commentator for broadcasts of the Shreveport Steamer of the World Football League on KWKH. A color commentator, sometimes known as a color analyst, is a member of the Broadcasting team for a sporting event who assists the Play-by-play Eventually, King was rehired by WIOD in Miami. In 1978 he went national, inheriting the nightly talk show slot on the Mutual Radio Network, broadcast coast-to-coast, that had been "Long John" Nebel's until his death, and had been pioneered by Herb Jepko. The Mutual Broadcasting System ( MBS) was an American Radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999 Long John Nebel (born John Zimmerman) ( June 11, 1911 – April 10, 1978) was an influential New York City Talk radio Herb Jepko ( March 20, 1931 - March 31, 1995) was an influential Radio Talk show host in Salt Lake City from One reason King got the Mutual job is because he had once been an announcer at WGMA-AM in Hollywood, Florida, which was then owned by C. Edward Little. Little went on to become president of Mutual and was the one who hired King when Nebel died. King's Mutual show developed a devoted audience.

It was broadcast live Monday through Friday from midnight to 5:30 a. m. Eastern Time. Larry would interview a guest for the first 90 minutes, allowing callers to continue the interview for another 90. At 3 a. m. , Larry would allow the callers to discuss any topic they pleased with him, until the end of the program, where he expressed his own political opinions. They called that segment "Open Phone America". Some of the regular callers included "The Portland Laugher", "The Miami Derelict", "The Todd Cruz Caller", "The Scandal Scooper", and "The Water Is Warm Caller". The number one caller had to be "Mr. Radio". Over 200 calls to Larry during Open Phone America. The show was wildly successful as a loss leader, starting with relatively few affiliates and eventually growing to more than 500. It ran until 1994.

For its final year, the show was moved to afternoons, but, because most talk radio stations at the time had an established policy of local origination at the time (3 to 6 p. m. Eastern Time) that Mutual offered the show, a very low percentage of King's overnight affiliates agreed to carry his daytime show and it was unable to generate the same audience size. The afternoon show was eventually given to David Brenner and radio affiliates were given the option of carrying the audio of King's CNN evening program. David Brenner (born February 4, 1945) is an American Standup comedian, Actor, Author, and Filmmaker. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner He started his CNN show in June 1987, and the Westwood One radio simulcast of the CNN show continues at the time of this writing. Westwood One ( is an American Radio network. It is based in New York City, and it was previously managed by CBS Radio, the Radio

On the Larry King Live show, King hosts guests from a broad range of topics. Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. This includes controversial figures of UFO conspiracy theories and alleged psychics. A UFO conspiracy theory is any one of many often overlapping conspiracy theories which argue that Evidence of the reality of Unidentified flying objects The word psychic (ˈsaɪkɨk from the Greek psychikos—"of the soul mental" refers to the claimed ability to perceive things hidden from the normal senses One notable guest is Sylvia Browne, who in 2005 told the Newsweek magazine that Larry King, a believer in the paranormal, asks her to do private psychic readings. Sylvia Browne (born Sylvia Celeste Shoemaker October 19, 1936) is a best-selling American Author on the subject of Spirituality Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. ^[6]

Unlike many interviewers, Larry King has a direct, non-confrontational approach. His interview style is characteristically frank and no-nonsense, but with occasional bursts of irreverence and humor. His approach attracts some guests who would not otherwise appear. King, who is known for his lack of pre-interview preparation, once bragged that he never pre-reads the books of authors who appear on his show. In a show dedicated to the surviving Beatles, for example, Larry asked George Harrison's widow about the song "Something", which was written about George Harrison's first wife. George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author He seemed surprised when she did not know very much about the song.

Throughout his career he has interviewed many of the leading figures of his time. In all, CNN claims that he conducted more than 40,000 interviews over the course of his career. ^[7]

1987 heart attack

On February 24, 1987, King suffered a major heart attack and then had quintuple-bypass surgery. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure Coincidentally, this occurred the day after Larry King took over the Don and Mike Show. The Don and Mike Show was a nationally syndicated radio talk show hosted by Don Geronimo and Mike O'Meara, which aired from 1985 through April It was a life-altering event. Previously, smoking was one of his trademarks and he was not apologetic about this habit. King was a three-pack-a-day smoker and kept a lit cigarette during his interview so he would not have to take time to light up during breaks. He now encourages curbing smoking to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Smoking cessation is the effort to stop smoking Tobacco products Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases refers to the class of diseases that involve the Heart or Blood vessels ( arteries and

King has written two books about living with heart disease. Mr. King, You're Having a Heart Attack: How a Heart Attack and Bypass Surgery Changed My Life (1989, ISBN 0-440-50039-7) was written with New York's Newsday science editor, B. Newsday is a daily Tabloid -size Pulitzer Prize winning Newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City D. Colen. Taking on Heart Disease: Famous Personalities Recall How They Triumphed Over the Nation's #1 Killer and How You Can, Too (2004, ISBN 1-57954-820-2) features the experience of various celebrities with cardiovascular disease including Peggy Fleming and Regis Philbin. Peggy Gale Fleming (born July 27, 1948 in San Jose California) is an American Figure skater who won an Olympic Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (born August 25, 1931) is an Emmy Award -winning American Television personality and occasional Actor

Court TV life

Larry started his career at Court TV in 1991. truTV is an American Cable Television network owned by Time Warner through its subsidiary Turner Broadcasting. He co-hosted King & Chung Nightly and worked as a senior correspondent for the network until 1992. Since leaving, he has retained the title "Court TV contributor". He currently provides commentary on trials on the Court TV program Banfield & Ford: Courtside.

Community

As result of heart attacks, he established the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, an organization to which David Letterman, through his American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming, has also contributed. David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American late-night Talk show host and Comedian and the host since 1993 The American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming (AFCG is a private foundation whose president and primary contributor is David Letterman. King gave $1 million to George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs for scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The George Washington University ( GW or GWU) is a private coeducational university located in Washington D The website Charity Navigator indicates that for the fiscal year ending December 2006, the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, based in Rockville, Maryland, recorded revenues of $2,481,827; it also indicates Larry King, President, received $200,000 in compensation from the foundation, and this amount was 8. Charity Navigator is an independent non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. 80% of the organization's total expense.

On September 3, 2005, King aired "How You Can Help", a three-hour special designed to provide a forum and information clearinghouse for viewers to understand and join nationwide and global relief efforts. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This was following the devastation to the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States Guest Richard Simmons, a native of New Orleans, told him, "Larry, you don't even know how much money you raised tonight. Milton Teagle Simmons (born July 12, 1948) Simmons was raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans Louisiana, and attended Cor Jesu High New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana When we rebuild the city of New Orleans, we're going to name something big after you. "

Controversy

On September 10, 1990, while on The Joan Rivers Show, Rivers asked King which contestant in the pageant was "the ugliest". Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) King responded, "Miss Pennsylvania. She was one of the 10 finalists and she did a great ventriloquist bit [. . . ] The dummy was prettier. "^[8] King was a judge for the September 8, 1990 pageant. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) King later sent Miss Pennsylvania, Marla Wynne, a dozen long-stemmed roses and a telegram apologizing for saying she was the ugliest contestant in the Miss America Pageant that year. The Miss Pennsylvania competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss America pageant The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands ^[9]

On September 23, 2004, John Clark sued King and CNN after an interview with his ex-wife, Lynn Redgrave, aired. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " John Clark is an actor director producer and writer with dual U Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE (born 8 March, 1943) is two-time Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe -winning English Clark argued that he was defamed by the banner statements scrolling at the bottom of the screen, and that the pre-taped show did not allow him to appear to defend himself. The court would not allow the suit to proceed ruling that he was not defamed. Two years later, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, dismissed his appeal. ^[10]

King has also been criticized for his affair with a married woman, Beverley Heavener. King claimed, "In my defense I did not know she was married. "

Awards

King has received many broadcasting awards. He won the Peabody Award for Excellence in broadcasting for both his radio (1982) and television (1992) shows. The George Foster Peabody Awards, better known as simply the Peabody Awards, are annual international awards for excellence in Radio and Television broadcasting He has also won 10 CableACE awards for Best Interviewer and for Best Talk Show Series. The fact that he won these awards seems odd to many considering that he is generally unprepared for his interviews and mostly throws out softball questions to his guests.

In 1989, King was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, in 1996 to the Broadcasters' Hall of Fame. History The National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago Illinois, is a Museum dedicated ^[4] In 2002, the industry magazine Talkers named King both the fourth-greatest radio talk show host of all time and the top television talk show host of all time. Talkers Magazine is a trade industry publication related to Talk radio in the United States. ^[11] King was the only person to place in the top ten on both lists.

King is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills. He is also a recipient of the President's Award honoring his impact on media from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2006.

King is the first recipient of the Arizona State University Hugh Downs Award for Communication Excellence,^[12] presented April 11, 2007, via satellite by Downs himself. Hugh Malcolm Downs (born February 14, 1921) is a retired American broadcaster Television host Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[13] Downs, the highly respected broadcaster and TV host, sported red suspenders for the event and turned the tables on King by asking "very tough questions" about King's best, worst, most emotional and most influential interviews during King's 50 years in broadcasting.

Personal life

King has been married seven times, to six different women:

• Shawn Southwick, present wife
  • Married September 5, 1997 in Jewish–Mormon inter-faith ceremony. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon
    • Son, Chance Armstrong King (b. March 9, 1999)
    • Son, Cannon Edward King (b. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) May 22, 2000)
    • Stepson, Danny Southwick (b. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 1981)
• Julie Alexander
  • Marriage dates: 7 October 1989 – 1992 (divorced)
  • Sued for slander, case settled in 1994
• Sharon Lepore
  • Marriage dates: 1976–1984 (divorced)
• Alene Akins, former Playboy bunny
  • Second marriage dates: 1967–1972 (divorced)
    • Daughter, Chaia (b. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy 1967)
  • First marriage dates: 1961–1963 (divorced)
    • Adopted son, Andy King (from Akins' first marriage)
• Mickey Sutphin
  • Marriage dates: 1963–1967 (divorced)
    • Daughter, Kelly (Adopted by Sutphin's next husband)
      • Currently estranged from King
• Frada Miller (married right after high school graduation)
  • Marriage dates: 1952 – ? (annulled)

He has also had relationships with Angie Dickinson (c. Annulment in the Catholic Church See also Annulment (Catholic Church In the Roman Catholic Church, a marriage is considered to be a valid contract Angie Dickinson (born September 30, 1931) is a Golden Globe -winning American television and Film actress, perhaps 1983 to c. 1988); Deanna Lund (1996 – ?) and Rama Fox (1992–1995). He has another son, Larry King, Jr. (b. 1962), whose mother was not married to King.

Filmography

• Bee Movie (28-Oct-2007)
• Shrek the Third (17-May-2007)
• Mr. 3000 (08-Sep-2004)
• The Stepford Wives (6-Jun-2004)
• Shrek 2 (15-May-2004)
• John Q (15-Feb-2002)
• America's Sweethearts (17-Jul-2001)
• The Contender (10-Sep-2000)
• The Kid (25-Jun-2000)
• Enemy of the State (16-Nov-1998)
• Bulworth (15-May-1998)
• Primary Colors (20-Mar-1998)
• The Jackal (14-Nov-1997)
• An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (29-Sep-1997)
• Contact (11-Jul-1997)
• The Long Kiss Goodnight (11-Oct-1996)
• Open Season (3-May-1996)
• We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (24-Nov-1993)
• Dave (7-May-1993)
• The Exorcist III (17-Aug-1990)
• Crazy People (13-Apr-1990)
• Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (18-Aug-1989)
• Ghostbusters (8-Jun-1984)

References

External links

• CNN profile
• Larry King Cardiac Foundation
• Save a Heart a Day
• Clark lawsuit
• Larry King at the Internet Movie Database
• Larry King Live - Transcripts of all interviews since 2000
• [1] Larry interviewed by Gianluca D'Agostino