Television has seen so many royalties in the past, but there has hardly ever been one like Larry King. As an American TV and radio host, King began his career as a radio host, and after conquering this front, he went on to television, where he reached the pinnacle of his career and hosted one of the most popular shows – Larry King Live, before finally retiring in 2012.
Larry King Bio
Although we have all come to know the man as Larry, he was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Aaron Zeiger, a restaurant owner, and Jennie, a garment worker, raised him with a brother.
Since childhood, Larry dreamed of working on the radio, but after his father’s death, he lost interest in school. After the tragedy, the family was forced to rely on welfare, and soon after graduating from Lafayette High School, King decided to look for a job to help his mother and brother.
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Following the advice of a CBS station, Larry moved to Miami, where the media market was growing rapidly and he was able to get a job without any experience. And of course, he got a radio job at WMBM, then TRUE. Here Lawrence Harvey Zeiger became Larry King after his manager told him that his real name was not easy to remember and sounded too ethnic.
As he climbed the ladder bit by bit on both radio and television, he caught the attention of Americans in 1985 when he started the Larry King Live CNN show. The show was successful because of his interview style and non-confrontational approach. After a very successful time, he ended his CNN career in 2012.
Even after leaving CNN, King continued his show with Ora TV, a production company he founded with Carlos Slim. He also hosts another show, Politicking with Larry King, which is also broadcast on RT America.
Wife, Ex-Wives, And Marriages Through The Years
Over the years, King has been married to more women than some men would ever get in a single lifetime, as he has been married 8 times to up to 7 women.
He was only 18 years old when he first entered into the marriage in 1952. The woman he married was Freda Miller, his high school sweetheart. Unfortunately, the marriage was annulled only one year later by his parents, who did not agree with it.
He did not remarry until 1961 when he married Annette Kaye. Although the marriage did not last beyond that year, it produced his first child, Larry Jr. Shortly after his divorce from Kaye, King married former Playboy Bunny Alene Akins from 1961 to 1963.
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Next in line was Mickey Sutphin to become his wife, with whom he walked down the aisle in 1964. Although the marriage with a daughter, Kelly, was blessed, it was not blessed for eternity as it ended in 1967. In 1968, Larry King married Alene Akins a second time and had a daughter, Chaia, whom he kept until the marriage ended in 1971.
Larry, who had already become a king of entering and leaving marriages, remained unmarried until 1976 when he settled with Sharon Lepore in a marriage that lasted until 1983. He did not marry again for several years until 1989 when he married Julie Alexander, from whom he was to be separated only a year later, before being officially divorced in 1992.
And then came Shawn Southwick, whom he married in 1997. To the surprise of almost everyone, the couple stayed together until 2010, when it was reported that Shawn Southwick, who is almost 30 years younger than her husband, would soon be added to the list of his ex-wives. However, they withdrew the divorce already filed. In 2016 it was reported that they were heading for divorce after Shawn allegedly had an affair with a man, Robert Green. However, nothing happened because Larry and Shawn are still together. They share two sons, Cannon Edward King, and Chance Armstrong King.
Larry King Net Worth
Larry King has a net worth estimated at $150 million. He made his fortune apparently through his work with the media as well as through his investments, since he is a co-owner of OraTV.
