Origin
Born in a tube station in
London,
England during the Blitz, Springer immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of five. He was raised in
New York, and received a BA in political science from Tulane University in 1965. Three years later he received a JD from Northwestern University.
Character Evolution
After graduation he joined
Robert F Kennedy's campaign as a political advisor, obtaining employment with a Cincinnati law firm after the senator's assassination In 1970 he ran for Congress, but did not win. The following year he was elected to the Cincinnati City Council, a position he held for three years until a scandal involving a prostitute caused him to resign his post. He won the seat back the following year. He was elected mayor of the Council in 1977. In 1982 he attempted to become governor of
Ohio, but failed to secure the Democratic nomination. Springer ,who had worked in broadcasting since he was an undergraduate, mainly in radio, became a popular news anchor in Cincinnati. In September of 1991 he embarked on his best-known work,
The Jerry Springer Show. Originally a politically-oriented talk show, it underwent a shift in focus three years after its first broadcast. The show began courting controversy and became increasingly lowbrow, focusing on dramatic topics such as adultery and salacious details of guests personal lives, it became known for baiting guests into confrontations which often turned violent. The show became hugely popular, and has also attracted numerous controversies over the years, many stemming from the alleged staged nature of confrontations. In 1996 he appeared on
Roseanne and
The X-Files, his first forays into scripted television. He made his film debut in 1998 when he starred in the film
Ringmaster, essentially a dramatized version of his show. Since then he has appeared in numerous shows, including
Married... With Children,
The Simpsons and
Days of Our Lives. He has also appeared in films like
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and
The Defender. In 2006 he competed on
Dancing With the Stars. He has hosted numerous shows including
America's Got Talent,
The Wright Stuff and
Baggage.
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