Information AboutLarry King |
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. ]] Larry King, (born '''Lawrence Harvey Zeiger''' on November 19 , 1933 ) is an award-winning Broadcaster . He currently hosts a nightly interview program called '' Larry King Live ''. EARLY LIFE Larry's parents were Jennie and Eddie Zeiger, Jews who had emigrated from Belarus ( Minsk and Pinsk ) to Brooklyn, New York , where Larry was born. They owned a Bar-and-grill . Their first son Irwin was born in 1932, but died at age six of Appendicitis . After Larry, they had another son, Marty. Larry Zeiger grew up and attended public schools in , Fred Wilpon . He lived for some time in Bensonhurst , Brooklyn , New York . After graduating from high school, Zeiger worked odd jobs, including a stint as a mail clerk with Associated Merchandising Corporation and then with United Parcel Service . He left Brooklyn for Miami at the age of 22 to pursue a job in Radio . MIAMI RADIO Zeiger got his first job in radio through persistence. A small station, WAHR in Miami Beach , hired him to clean up and perform miscellaneous tasks. When one of their announcers quit, they put him on the air. His first broadcast was on May 1 , 1957 , when he worked as the Disc Jockey from 9 am to noon. He also did two afternoon Newscast s and a sportscast. He was paid $55 a week. He acquired the name Larry King when the general manager suggested that Zeiger was too ethnic and hard to remember. 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 waitress at the restaurant. 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 on Channel 10 . On the show he moderated debates on important issues of the day. LEGAL AND FINANCIAL TROUBLES In the early 1970s, he was entangled in legal and financial troubles. He was arrested on December 20 , 1971 and charged with Grand Larceny . The charges stemmed from a deal he had made with Louis Wolfson . In 1968, Wolfson was convicted of selling unregistered stock. The circumstances 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. 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 . Garrison was investigating the assassination of President Kennedy , but needed to raise funds for the investigation. 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. 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 a race track in Louisiana and he wrote some articles for Esquire Magazine , including a major piece on New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath . COMEBACK TO RADIO AND TV Eventually, King was rehired on the radio in show in June 1985. 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 non-confrontational approach attracts some guests who would not otherwise appear. Throughout his career he has interviewed many of the leading figures of his time. Among his most famous interviews were Tony Blair , Marlon Brando , Barbara Bush , Johnny Carson , Johnny Cash , Bette Davis , Sammy Davis Jr. , Jackie Gleason , Mikhail Gorbachev , Billy Graham , Audrey Hepburn , Gordon B. Hinckley , Bob Hope , L. Ron Hubbard , Michael Jordan , Bobby Kennedy , John F. Kennedy, Jr. , Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , Monica Lewinsky , Madonna , Paul McCartney , Al Pacino , H. Ross Perot , Prince , Nancy Reagan , Eleanor Roosevelt , Pete Rose , Frank Sinatra , Barbra Streisand , Shania Twain , Margaret Thatcher , Oprah Winfrey , Vladimir Putin , and Malcolm X . In all, CNN claims that he has interviewed over 40,000 people. 1987 HEART ATTACK On February 27 , 1987 , King suffered a major Heart Attack and then had quintuple- Bypass Surgery . 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 of smoking to reduce the risk of Cardiovascular Disease . 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 0440500397) was written with New York's Newsday science editor, B. 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 1579548202) features the experience of various celebrities with cardiovascular disease including Peggy Fleming and Regis Philbin . COMMUNITY King has been generous in giving back to the community. After suffering several 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. King gave $1 million to George Washington University 's School of Media and Public Affairs for scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 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. This was following the devastation to the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina . Guest Richard Simmons , a native of New Orleans , told him, "Larry, you don't even know how much money you raised tonight. When we rebuild the city of New Orleans, we're going to name something big after you." TRIVIA
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. He has also won 10 CableACE Awards for Best Interviewer and for best Talk Show Series. In 1989, King was inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame . 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. {Link without Title} 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 FAMILY King has been married to six women and has seven children. Wives
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Ratings: '' Larry King Live '' ranks number seven in prime time cable television as of January 26, 2006. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/original/jan06ranker.pdf EXTERNAL LINKS
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