‘People’s Court’ judge Joseph Wapner dies
Joseph Wapner, the retired judge who starred on The People’s Court – the first television reality show – died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97.
The People’s Court premiered in September 1981. During his 12 years on the show, Wapner heard thousands of cases, according to the entertainment website TMZ.
Before appearing as a judge on television Wapner served as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.
Wapner, a Los Angeles native who grew up in the city, was the son of immigrant parents. His father came from Romania and was an attorney. His mother was born in Russia.
Wapner graduated from the University of Southern California and its law school.
During World War II, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for heroism while serving in the Pacific in Cebu in the Philippines.
He was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1959 and two years later to the Superior Court, where he served for 18 years before retiring in 1979. He also served as president of the California Judges Association.
Wapner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009. He wrote a popular memoir titled A View from the Bench.
Wapner was spoofed on comedy shows, suggested for a seat on the US Supreme Court and became a key element of Dustin Hoffman’s Academy Award-winning portrayal of an autistic savant in the 1988 movie Rain Man.
Hoffman’s character was obsessed with watching The People’s Court, reciting the show’s introduction and counting down the minutes until Wapner was on the air.
Wapner’s son Fred followed in his father’s footsteps to become an attorney and then a judge.
His son David Miron-Wapner also became an attorney. Wapner was predeceased by his daughter Sarah, who died in 2005. He and his wife Mickey were married for 70 years.
(JTA and Reuters)