Bernard Madoff is Born

Madoff was born to Ralph and Sylvia (née Muntner) Madoff in the New York City borough of Queens, on April 29, 1938.

Ralph Madoff was a plumber before becoming a stockbroker. Madoff graduated from Far Rockaway High School in 1956, attended the University of Alabama for one year, where he became a brother of the Tau Chapter of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, then transferred to and graduated from Hofstra University (then Hofstra College) in 1960 with a degree in political science. Madoff's family was of the Jewish faith. The following year, he attended Brooklyn Law School, but did not continue.

In 1959, Madoff married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Alpern. Ruth graduated from Queens College and worked in the stock market in Manhattan. She later worked in Madoff's firm, and founded the Madoff Charitable Foundation. Several family members worked for Madoff. His younger brother, Peter, was Senior Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer, and Peter's daughter, Shana, was the compliance attorney. Madoff’s sons, Mark and Andrew, worked in the trading section, along with Charles Weiner, Madoff’s nephew.