James Lipton was a Parisian pimp in the 1950s

It’s hard to believe that Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio is set to celebrate its 250th episode tonight as it soldiers on during its incredible 19th year on TV. ITAS has made a legend, when Will Ferrell parodies you on SNL and your own show you are boss, out of its card-flipping, intrepid host James Lipton. I’ve always been a fan of Lipton’s, as he seems to approach his craft with a wonderful combination of joy and austerity.

In a recent interview with Parade, Lipton, 86-years-young, discussed the impressive accomplishments of his show, who his favorite interview was and even verified the fact that way back in the 50s he was a Parisian pimp.

Here are some of the highlights in an interview with one of the most noted interviewers in television history:

Of the people you’ve interviewed, who was best?

“What I’ve waited for is that one of my graduated students has achieved so much that he walks out and sits down on that chair next to me. It happened when Bradley Cooper walked out on that stage. We looked at each other and burst into tears. It was one of the greatest nights of my life.”

Is it true you were a pimp in Paris in the 1950s?

“I was. It was only a few years after the war. Paris was different then, still poor. Men couldn’t get jobs and, in the male chauvinist Paris of that time, the women couldn’t get work at all. It was perfectly respectable for them to go into le milieu.”

Prostitution?

“Young women desperately needed money for various reasons. They were beautiful and young and extraordinary. There was no opprobrium because it was completely regulated. Every week they had to be inspected medically. The great bordellos were still flourishing in those days before the sheriff of Paris, a woman, closed them down. It was a different time.”

How did your involvement come about? You became friends with one of the prostitutes in Paris?

“We became great friends. When I ran out of money, I said, ‘I have to go home.’ She said, ‘No, you don’t. I’ll arrange for you.’ So she arranged for me to do it. I had to be okayed by the underworld; otherwise they would’ve found me floating in the Seine.”

Did you represent more than one girl?

“Yes, a whole bordello. I represented them all, but her especially. I did a roaring business, and I was able to live for a year. The French mecs didn’t exploit women. They represented them, like agents. And they took a cut. That’s how I lived. I was going through my rites of passage, no question about it. It was a great year of my life.”

Do you think people should buy sex?

“I really don’t. I think if you can’t earn it on your own, then you don’t deserve it.”

What is your greatest achievement?

“No question about it — marrying Kedakai.”

James Lipton with his wife Kedakai Turner

How did you meet your wife?

“We met at the ballet. I took one look at her and I fell madly in love. I called her the next day and asked her to have dinner with me. Nine months later we were married.”

Why has your marriage lasted 40 years?

“Because Kedakai (Turner) is a masterpiece.”

To find out James’ answer to his own most famous question from his list of ten that he asks all of his guests, you should check out the rest of the interesting interview here.

The 250th episode of Inside the Actors Studio airs tonight at 7 EST.

Photos: WENN