Larry King

Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger) was an American talk show host best known for hosting the long-running television program Larry King Live. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Lafayette High School in Brooklyn and began working to support his family before eventually pursuing a career in radio broadcasting.

King began his career in radio in the 1950s in Miami, Florida, where he adopted the professional name Larry King. He hosted local radio and TV talk shows in South Florida before launching a nationally syndicated late night radio program, The Larry King Show, in 1978. From there, his profile rose rapidly, leading to his 1985 premiere of Larry King Live on CNN, where his easygoing interview style and live phone-in format made the show a fixture of American media. The show later moved to Hulu under the name Larry King Now, which ran from 2012 to 2020.

Over his career King interviewed thousands of guests, including world leaders and celebrities such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Jerry Seinfeld. He received multiple broadcast awards, including the Peabody Award and a News & Documentary Emmy for lifetime achievement in 2011. He also authored books such as My Remarkable Journey (2009).

King was married eight times to seven women. He had five children and nine grandchildren.

He died at age 87 on January 23, 2021, after contracting sepsis.