Jerry Springer biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Journalist, talk show host, politician. Born Gerald Norman Springer on February 13, 1944, in London, England, in a tube station. His parents, Margo and Richard Springer, were Polish Jews who escaped from Germany during the Holocaust. Springer's birth came shortly after the family's emigration and, by the time Springer was five years old, his family had moved again—this time to the Queens area of New York City. For Springer and his family, America represented a place where people could live without persecution.

Springer's college years took him south to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he earned his bachelor's degree in political science at Tulane University in 1965. He then received his law degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Shortly after earning his Juris Doctor in 1968, Springer met New York Senator Robert Kennedy at a dinner party. Springer signed on with the Kennedy's presidential campaign shortly after. Kennedy's assassination occurred on June 5, 1968, only a few months after Springer began helping the candidate on the campaign trail. The incident took an emotional toll on Springer, who felt compelled to continue Kennedy's political vision.

Political Career

The next year, Springer took a job with the law firm Frost & Jacobs in Cincinnati, Ohio. While at the firm, the 25-year-old Springer spearheaded the movement in Ohio to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, which culminated in his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony supporting ratification of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. He then ran for Congress in Ohio in 1970, nearly beating the entrenched Republican incumbent, Donald Clancy. In 1971, he won a seat on the Cincinnati City Council and served five terms before becoming mayor at the age of 33, with the largest plurality in the city's history. Springer served two terms as Mayor of Cincinnati.

The Jerry Springer Show

After an unsuccessful bid for governor of Ohio in 1982, Springer was courted by several networks, ultimately signing with the Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT. As their anchor and managing editor, Springer took WLWT to first place in the news rankings. It was his nightly commentaries, the precursor to his now legendary "Final Thought," that landed him seven Emmys. Springer was voted television's best anchor for five consecutive years by readers of Cincinnati Magazine.

Springer's success on the network led to his own WLWT talk show, which debuted on September 30, 1991. The first season of The Jerry Springer Show aired originally as a politically charged talk show, with episode topics including the social effects of rock 'n' roll, gun control, and homelessness. It also featured high-profile guests such as Jesse Jackson and Oliver North. To improve the ratings, the network brought in a new producer for the 1994 season, and the show began targeting a younger audience. Shortly thereafter, the show moved filming to Chicago, prompting Springer to leave Cincinnati. The new version of Springer's talk show garnered huge ratings, and lots of attention. By 1998, it was reaching more than 6.7 million viewers, and became the inspiration for dozens of imitators, including the award winning British musical, Jerry Springer: The Opera in 2003. In 2007, NBC-Universal announced it would carry The Jerry Springer Show through its 2010 season.

Recent Work

In addition to his success in the TV talk-show circuit, Springer became a morning radio talk-show host. His progressive Springer On The Radio show hit the airwaves on January 17, 2005. Broadcast in 85 markets, including many Air America affiliates, the show would last for two years.

In 2006, Springer showcased his dancing ability as a contestant on the program Dancing With The Stars, finishing in the top five. In 2009, Springer traveled to London to star in the role of Billy Flynn in the West End production of the play Chicago. His performance earned him critical acclaim, and landed him a reprisal of the role on Broadway in August of 2009. Additionally, he starred for a week in a production of the Rocky Horror Show Live.

A man of diverse talents, Springer stepped into the studio to record a country music CD; written his memoirs in the book Ringmaster (1998); and has had his own late-night variety show in both England and South Africa. He also hosted NBC's hit series America's Got Talent for the 2007 and 2008 seasons and is presently hosting the live show on the Las Vegas strip. He twice served as the master of ceremonies for the Miss World Pageant and, in the summer of 2008, hosted the Miss Universe Pageant.

Today, because of his lasting popularity, Springer is a favorite guest speaker at college campuses throughout the U.S. In addition, he has graced the cover of Rolling Stone,