- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJoseph Fortgang
- Nickname
- King of Nostalgia
- Joe Franklin was born on March 9, 1926 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Ghostbusters (1984), Broadway Danny Rose (1984) and The Boys Behind the Desk (2000). He was married to Lois Meridan. He died on January 24, 2015 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
- SpouseLois Meridan(December 13, 1952 - January 24, 2015) (his death, 1 child)
- He has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the longest-running TV talk show in history, The Joe Franklin Show (1950), for 50 years. He has interviewed many guests, including: Dorothy Lamour, Buddy Hackett, Jackie Mason, Rodney Dangerfield, Ray Bolger, Redd Foxx, Vincent Price, Jake LaMotta, Tiny Tim, Frank Sinatra Jr., Howard Stern and Buster Keaton. Franklin has also done guest spots on Live with Kelly and Mark (1988), Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993). He has been mentioned several times on The Simpsons (1989).
- In 1983, he sued "Uncle Floyd" Vivino for $35 million for defamation of character; Uncle Floyd had made fun of him in a sketch, calling him "Joe Frankfurter". The case was settled out of court.
- Married wife Lois Meridan on Bride and Groom (1951).
- Son: Bradley
- He also hosted a Sunday night old movie TV show: "When Movies Were Movies" on WOR TV Ch. 9 in New York City during the 1980s
- It's nice to be important, but it's even more important to be nice.
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