Studs Terkel
Oral historian of ordinary Americans and longtime Chicago radio host.
Louis 'Studs' Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1985 for his book 'The Good War': An Oral History of World War Two.
- born
- May 16, 1912, New York City
- died
- October 31, 2008, Chicago, Illinois
- field
- Writer, historian, actor, broadcaster
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Oral histories of common Americans; hosting The Studs Terkel Program on WFMT Chicago (1952–1997)
Lore & Background
Terkel was born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in New York City and moved to Chicago at age eight. His parents ran the Wells-Grand Hotel, a rooming house that became a meeting place for diverse people, which Terkel credited for his understanding of humanity. He earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1934 but chose not to practice law, instead joining a theater group and later working for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project in radio.
His own radio program, The Studs Terkel Program, aired on 98.7 WFMT Chicago from 1952 to 1997, featuring interviews with a wide range of guests including Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Dylan, and Frank Zappa. He also appeared in the film Eight Men Out as reporter Hugh Fullerton. Terkel published his first book, Giants of Jazz, in 1956, followed by oral history collections including Division Street: America (1967), Working (1974), and Hard Times. His 1985 book The Good War won the Pulitzer Prize.
Reader's Guide
Studs Terkel's significance lies in his pioneering use of oral history to capture the voices of ordinary Americans, preserving their experiences of major historical events such as the Great Depression and World War II. His radio interviews, spanning 45 years, created an extensive archive of cultural and political figures alongside everyday people. The Studs Terkel Radio Archive, created from his donation by the Chicago History Museum, Library of Congress, and WFMT, digitally preserves this collection. Terkel's work emphasized that every voice deserved to be heard, and his books like Working and Hard Times remain influential in documenting the American social landscape. His legacy continues through the ongoing study and broadcast of his interviews, which provide a rich resource for understanding 20th-century American life.
Did You Know?
- Terkel received his nickname 'Studs' from a director who needed to distinguish him from another actor named Louis; he was reading James T. Farrell's Studs Lonigan at the time.
- He smoked two cigars a day until 2004 and underwent successful open-heart surgery at age 93.
- In 2006, Terkel joined a lawsuit against AT&T to stop the company from giving customer phone records to the National Security Agency without a court order.
- He was a self-described agnostic, which he jokingly defined as 'a cowardly atheist.'
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