Donna Douglas
American actress (1933-2015)
Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a renowned sex therapist and talk show host who overcame a turbulent past to become a household name. From her childhood in Nazi Germany to her training as a sniper in Israel, her extraordinary life story led her to a successful career in psychology and media, where she provided candid and insightful advice on sex and relationships.
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About the Ruth Westheimer
Karola Ruth Westheimertall and 17 years of age, she joined the Haganah, and was trained as a sniper. On her 20th birthday, she was wounded in action by an exploding shell during mortar fire on Jerusalem during the 1947-1949 Israeli War of Independence, and almost lost both feet.
Two years later, Westheimer moved to Paris, France, where she studied psychology at the Sorbonne. Immigrating to the United States in 1956, she worked as a maid to put herself through graduate school, earned a Master of Arts in sociology from The New School in 1959, and earned a doctorate at age 42 from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1970. Over the next decade, she taught at a number of universities and had a private sex therapy practice.
Westheimer’s media career began in 1980 with the radio call-in show Sexually Speaking, which continued until 1990. In 1983 it was the top-rated radio show in the country’s largest radio market. She then launched a television show, The Dr. Ruth Show, which by 1985 attracted two million viewers a week. She became known for giving serious advice while being candid, but also warm, cheerful, funny, and respectful, and for her tag phrase: “Get some”. In 1984 The New York Times noted that she had risen “from obscurity to almost instant stardom.” She hosted several series on the Lifetime Channel and other cable television networks from 1984 to 1993. She became a household name and major cultural figure, appeared on several network TV shows, co-starred in a movie with Gerard Depardieu, appeared on the cover of People, sang on a Tom Chapin album, appeared in several commercials, and hosted Playboy videos. She was the author of 45 books on sex and sexuality.
The one-woman 2013 play Becoming Dr. Ruth, written by Mark St. Germain, is about Westheimer’s life, as is the 2019 documentary, Ask Dr. Ruth, directed by Ryan White. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, and awarded the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Leo Baeck Medal, the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a German-American sex therapist and talk show host who became famous for her candid and insightful advice on sex and relationships.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s parents were killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, while she was sent to a school in Switzerland for safety.
Before becoming a sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer served as a sniper in the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary organization in Mandatory Palestine, and later studied psychology at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s media career began in 1980 with the radio call-in show ,Sexually Speaking,, which became the top-rated radio show in the country’s largest radio market. She then launched a successful television show, ,The Dr. Ruth Show,, which attracted millions of viewers.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer has been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and has received numerous awards, including the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Leo Baeck Medal, the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The 2013 play ,Becoming Dr. Ruth,, written by Mark St. Germain, is a one-woman play that explores the life and career of Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s tumultuous past, including her separation from her parents during the Nazi era and her training as a sniper in Israel, likely influenced her compassionate and insightful approach to sex therapy and her ability to connect with a wide audience.