| Larry King (born November 19, 1933) is a popular American journalist. He is considered as one of the best hosts of talk shows in the USA. Larry King was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Jennie and Edward Zeiger, Jews, who emigrated from Belarus (his Father was from Minsk and his mother came from Pinsk). Their first son, Irvin, was born in 1932 but died at the age of six due to appendicitis. After Larry, they had one more son, Marty, in their family.
Larry King started working as a Barman.
Larry King is considered as one of the best hosts of talk shows in USA.
In his youth, Larry King was quite handsome: long hair – according to the fashion of that time, sufficiently proper face and teeth, not similar to his current jaws, and he even had no problems with his vision.
The majority of American showmen, producers and the most desperate of actors were born in Brooklyn, New York or in the Bronx. Few are from Harlem, but they look indifferently on screen.
Lawrence Harvey Zeiger - from Brooklyn. He was born in the year, when madman Adolf came to power in Germany, who started to build the third Reich and concentration camps. “All boys attended school, and I worked”, - stated the future broadcasting King not without sarcasm, for hints of him being “under-educated” sounded for the last 50 years. Always he dreamt of working in radio, but only at the age of 23 could he reach Miami, where he was taken into a small station as a cleaner and to perform miscellaneous jobs. The personnel were thin and when the announcer resigned, the manager took the young boy from Brooklyn for lapels (braces weren't around yet) and said that the name “Zeiger” was too Jewish or German”. Both variants were considered disastrous for American show business. Zeiger became Larry King and was paid 55 dollars per week, which was not bad in those times. The first interview of the young reporter was that of a waiter at a small restaurant. Conditions appeared natural and as it was too hot, King removed the jacket. The interlocutor was pleased (from here, the braces appeared!).
For more than ten years of successful performances on radio, TV and again radio, Larry Kings returned to his native station... For the time being, Larry King lived by the principle: how good to be rich and healthy! Suddenly, something happened: money was gone, and with it, even health. Roulette and playing cards and the result was a $300 000 debt. Harvey Zeiger was arrested on December 20, 1971. He was accused for grand larceny of business partner Louis Wolfson.
His history appeared very dirty and scandalous. For three years, Larry King disappeared from radio and worked as a PR, wrote articles, but it could not satisfy the thirst for “Live”.
Returning he became triumphant. King’s show instantly became popular countrywide.
Larry King complained that he could never interview Christ and Lincoln. Though jokers released a series “Larry-King-Live" with all people, but characters inaccessible physically: Santa Claus, Lara Croft, Immanuel Kant...
Certainly, the audience does not perceive Larry King without braces, horn-rimmed spectacles and a powerful jaw (dentures) any more.
It’s long forgotten that 55 dollars a week. Larry King one of the most highly paid journalists in the world. The previous contract of King with company CNN fetched $7 million per year. Money was aplenty. King decided to “build” employers; all the same, the employers earned huge money on advertisements during his show. Newspapers came out with headings about the “indefinite absence of King on health grounds”. Even the news was making rounds that “Sarah Margaret Ferguson – Duchess of York” will replace King. Management was slightly startled- CNN is not afraid of hiring the British duchess but the threat of Larry King leaving CNN and joining competing channel “Fox News” appeared valid. As a result, he got a $14 million salary and a share in the profits of corporation “Time Warner”. A private aircraft for transporting Larry King braces and dentures, from New York, where he lives, to Los Angeles, from where the show is aired “Live”. The contract not only provoked an avalanche of migrations of popular journalists from channel to channel, but also has opened a new era in journalism.
But all this started after the success. And then, CNN started experimenting with direct calls to the studio (in 1985). The show “Larry King Live” is aired on New York time at 21.00, which is exactly at 12.00 our time, which is prime time. Five times a week. Larry never poses questions which have predefined answers. The number of callers already touches fifty thousand.
Larry King attends the show under-prepared. He does not list down the questions and hands them over to the guest. He is always ready, as a person to whom everything is curious - such was his childish interest to everything that is why he is able to move and speak. He is very cool to the rebukes and reacts very little, but knows how lucky he was in life. “I am the lucky favorite of fortune”- he admits openly.
He has seven wives as in the case of Blue Beard. All the wives are alive and healthy and along with them – he had two “domestic partners”. The last marriage was with Scottish woman Shawn Southwick, who gave twins to the aged daddy.
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Television icon Larry King is celebrating his 75th birthday today. This is also King's 23rd year as a host of CNN's Larry King Live. 5th years ago on his 70th birthday Larry said "40000 interviews and I'm just warming up". He might be going after Geraldo Rivera's record of 52,693 interviews - sooner than we realize it! Happy 75th birthday, Larry!
