Harvey Levin

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For the American economist, see Harvey J. Levin.

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Harvey Robert Levin[1][2] (born September 2, 1950) is an American television producer, lawyer, legal analyst, and celebrity reporter.[3] He is the founder of celebrity news website TMZ.

Early life and education

Levin was born September 2, 1950, in Los Angeles County, California.[1][4][5][6] He attended high school at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, Los Angeles and graduated in 1968.[7][8] Levin matriculated to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1972.[9] He later attended the University of Chicago Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1975.[10]

Career

Early law career and academia

Levin was an active attorney in the state of California from December 18, 1975, until January 1, 1996.[2] In the mid-70s, Levin taught law at the University of Miami School of Law under Soia Mentschikoff.[10][11] He briefly practiced in Los Angeles before returning to teach at Whittier College School of Law.[11][6][12]

The introduction and debate surrounding California Proposition 13 in 1978 pushed Levin into the public's eye following his performances in a number of public debates.[11][6][12] With his new found fame, he started to contribute legal advice on a radio show where he was nicknamed "Doctor Law", as well as write columns for the Los Angeles Times.[12][11][6] His columnist career with the Times spanned seven years.[12]

Transition to entertainment

Levin's first television job was for Los Angeles-based KNBC-TV in 1982 where he covered legal issues.[12] He would later join KCBS-TV and spent a decade doing investigative reporting and legal analysis at the station.[12][11][6] His television career rose to prominence from his coverage of the O. J. Simpson murder case where he was regularly on-camera.[12][11][6]

He also worked on The People's Court after impressing a crew member with his legal analysis.[11] He has worked on The People's Court in some capacity for 25 years.[12] With his entertainment career thriving, Levin deactivated his bar registration in 1996.[2][11] He later created Celebrity Justice, which ran from 2002 to 2005.[11][6]

TMZ

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Main article: TMZ

In 2005, AOL and Telepictures Productions launched TMZ with Levin as the founder and managing editor.[12][13][14] The website quickly rose to prominence when it broke the story of Mel Gibson's DUI arrest and subsequent antisemitic rant.[12][11][6][13] It would later break the news regarding a number of high-profile celebrity stories including the abuse of Rihanna by Chris Brown, the deaths of Heath Ledger, Brittany Murphy, and Michael Jackson.[6] The Los Angeles Times named TMZ's coverage of the Jackson death as the biggest story the website had covered to date.[15]

Other ventures

Harvey Levin Productions, the company that produces TMZ and Levin's other media projects, was created in 1983 after Levin joined The People's Court.[11] In addition to creating Celebrity Justice, Harvey Levin Productions produced Beyond Twisted, which aired in 2009 for one season before getting cancelled.[16]

Another creation, Famous in 12, was a 2014 experiment on The CW about exploiting a family for fame.[17] Like Beyond Twisted, Famous in 12 was cancelled after one season with only five of the scheduled twelve episodes aired.[18]

Awards and honors

For his broadcast work, Levin has won nine Emmys.[13]

Personal life

Levin appeared as an event speaker for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association in April 2010 in which he publicly confirmed his self-identity as gay.[19] He discussed his fear of losing his career if someone were to find out, which led to Levin compartmentalizing his personal and professional lives.[19]

Levin's longtime partner is Dr. Andy Mauer, a Southern California chiropractor.[20][21][22] The two own multiple properties together, sharing joint-deed listings since the late 1990s and early 2000s.[20][21]

Levin has been named to Out magazine's "Power 50" list as one of the most influential voices in LGBT America since 2012 when he was named #15.[23] He has since been named #25 in 2013, #34 in 2014, and #48 in 2015.[24][25][26]

References

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External links

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ "Harvey Levin." Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Biography In Context. Web. April 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Harvey Levin." Newsmakers. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Gale Biography In Context. Web. April 17, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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