Joseph Wapner’s Life and Career

Joseph Wapner was an American judge and television personality who presided over The People’s Court TV show from 1981 to 1993 for over 2,400 episodes. Born in Los Angeles in 1919, he graduated from the University of Southern California and served in World War II, receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He went on to become a judge in the Los Angeles Municipal Court and the Los Angeles County Superior Court, as well as the President of the California Judges Association from 1975 to 1976. Wapner was the first star of arbitration-based reality court shows, and his fame led him to return to TV for a new show Judge Wapner’s Animal Court for two seasons in 1998. He even returned to the court room in 2009 as a guest judge on The People’s Court for his 90th birthday. Wapner was a national spokesperson for Singer Asset Finance Company, L.L.C. and had a Judge Wapner Root Beer named after him by the Rocket Fizz soda company. He authored two books and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009. Joseph Wapner passed away in 2017 at the age of 97.

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