Lawrence Harvey Zeiger

Larry King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Belarus and Austria. Beginning his broadcasting career in Florida in the late 1950s as a local radio disc jockey, he adopted the surname King on the advice of his general manager. His nationwide overnight radio show, The Larry King Show, debuted in 1978 and earned him a devoted following and a Peabody Award.

In 1985, King joined CNN to launch Larry King Live, which became the network's flagship interview program and the first worldwide phone-in television broadcast. Over twenty-five years, he interviewed every sitting US president from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama, international statesmen, and major cultural figures. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Television Hall of Fame.