One of the late twentieth century's foremost television talk show hosts, Larry King's distinctive style, at once relaxed and commanding, and his focus on issues of topical interest, elevated the talk show genre to something of national importance. Starting out as a disc jockey on local radio, King worked hard to rise in the broadcasting media, overcoming self-created reversals of fortune to become a pioneer of the modern phone-in show on both radio and television. CNN's most popular program, Larry King Live (1985—), has made its host one of the most sought-out interviewers in the world, a man who has proved that entertainment value need not be sacrificed in order to examine important matters.

Born Lawrence Harvey Zieger in Brooklyn, New York in 1933, the son of Russian immigrants who a year previously had been devastated by the death of their firstborn son, the young Larry...