Joseph Wapner
| Joseph Wapner | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joseph Albert Wapner November 15, 1919 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
University of Southern California, USC Gould School of Law |
| Occupation | Television personality Judge |
| Years active | 1959–2010 |
| Known for | The People's Court |
| Spouse(s) | Mickey Wapner (m. 1946) |
Joseph Albert Wapner (born November 15, 1919) is an American retired judge and former television judge. He is the first star of the ongoing reality courtroom series The People's Court. The court show's first run in syndication, with Wapner presiding as judge, lasted from 1981 to 1993, for 12 seasons and 2,484 episodes. While the show's second run has been presided over by multiple judges, Wapner was the sole judge to preside during the court show's first run.
Wapner's tenure on the program made him the first jurist of arbitration-based reality court shows, what is now a most popular trend in the judicial genre. Until the summer of 2013, Wapner also held the title of longest reigning arbiter over The People's Court. However, by completion of the court show's 2012-2013 season, Marilyn Milian captured this title from him and became the longest-reigning judge over the series. Five years after presiding over the The People's Court, Wapner returned to television as a judge on the nontraditional courtroom series, Judge Wapner's Animal Court, lasting for two seasons (1998-1999 and 1999-2000).
Joseph Albert Wapner was born November 15, 1919, in Los Angeles to Jewish parents. His father, Max Wapner, an attorney, immigrated to California from Romania, while his mother, Fannie (née Friedman), was from Russia. He has a younger sister, Irene. Wapner attended Hollywood High School and dated actress Lana Turner once while in high school.
Wapner is a graduate of the University of Southern California (1941) and the USC Law School (1948), serving in World War II in between. Wapner was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star while serving in the South Pacific in Cebu. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army as a lieutenant.
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