Jerry Springer Biography:
Born on February 13, 1944 in an East Finchley tube station in London, England, Jerry Springer was born to Jewish escapees from Nazi Germany. His family moved to the United States when he was about five years old, and they eventually chose to reside in Queens, New York.
Prior to his highly controversial career as the host of his own tabloid talk show, The Jerry Springer Show, he had an equally colorful career in politics. A graduate of Political Science from Tulan University, he became a member of the Cincinnati City Council in 1971, but had to resign three years later when he was discovered to have hired a prostitute. Springer did not deny the incident, and surprisingly, was re-elected again for the city council in 1975. Two years later, he was selected to take over as mayor of Cincinatti, but his service to the state only lasted one year. His political career was supposed to be highlighted by the by the birth of his own talk show, The Jerry Springer Show, but in the hopes of gaining higher television ratings, Springer changed the show's format from a politically-motivated television program to a tabloid-type form of visual entertainment.
Despite having received negative comments from critics and viewers alike, Springer has maintained a very large following. In 2006, he became a participant on the third season of the reality series Dancing with the Stars, where he ultimately placed fifth with partner
Kym Johnson .
(Photo courtesy of ABC)