Joseph Albert Wapner

 Joseph Albert Wapner (November 15, 1919 – February 26, 2017)

He was the first presiding judge of the ongoing reality court show The People's Court. The court show's first run in syndication, with Wapner presiding as judge, lasted from 1981 to 1993, for 12 seasons and 2,484 episodes. While the show's second run 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 jurist of arbitration-based reality court shows, which are now a most popular trend in the judicial genre. Appointed by Governor Pat Brown to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1959, Wapner served two years before being elevated to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he served for 18 years before retiring. After 12 seasons on The People's Court, Wapner was not invited back to the series in 1993, when the ratings had dropped to an all-time low. After a four-year hiatus, beginning in 1993, The People's Court returned to the air in 1997, though without Wapner, and still runs today.

Wapner has stated that he was told years later that the producers did not want to hurt his feelings; however, he stated that this is exactly what the show did. Wapner also stated that he was not notified when the producers decided to revamp the series. He declined to offer any opinions on the People's Court judges who succeeded him, as he never watched the revamped program. Wapner died from respiratory failure on February 26, 2017, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97 years old. Wapner is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles.