Joseph Wapner

Joseph Wapner

Joseph Albert Wapner (born November 15, 1919) is a retired American judge and former television "judge." He is the first star of the ongoing reality courtroom series, The People's Court. The court show's first run in syndication, with Wapner presiding as "judge", lasted from 1981 to 1993. This run lasted 12 seasons and 2,484 episodes. Unlike the show's second run which has been presided over by multiple judges, Wapner was the sole judge to preside during the court show's first run. His tenure on the program made him the first to star of reality courts shows. Of all four judges that have presided over The People's Court to date, Wapner and the show's current judge, Marilyn Milian, have had the longest tenures on the program. Five years after presiding over the The People's Court, Wapner returned to television as a judge on the nontraditional court series, Judge Wapner's Animal Court, lasting for 2 seasons (1998-99 and 1999-00).