Stern was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1990 and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was admitted to the State Bar of California on February 25, 1994 and has no record of any disciplinary action.









From 2002 until early 2004, Stern portrayed himself in The Anna Nicole Show, a reality based series. He had a major role in the series, and was seen either looking out for Anna Nicole`s best interests (which turned into an antagonistic relationship with decorator Bobby Trendy, who Stern thought was trying to take advantage of Smith through delays in orders and inferior products), or joining in on the sometimes bizarre events that took place on the show. At the time, Smith and Stern claimed to be just close friends.








On September 26, 2006, Mr. Stern claimed in an interview from the Bahamas with Larry King on CNN that he is the father of Anna Nicole`s newborn baby girl, contrary to identical claims by celebrity photographer Larry Birkhead. The Bahamian birth certificate lists the daughter`s name as Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern with Howard as the father. Stern and Smith were reportedly staying in the Bahamas to avoid paternity testing in the United States.

On February 9, 2007, following the death of Anna Nicole Smith, it was revealed that Stern had custody of Smith`s child, Dannielynn. Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, the current husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, also claimed to be the father of the baby girl and threatened to file a lawsuit for custody. Alexander Denk, an actor and a former bodyguard for Anna Nicole Smith, told the tabloid television program Extra that he had an affair with his former employer.[15] Mark Hatten, a former boyfriend of two years, also came forward to claim paternity of Dannielynn.[16]

On April 10, 2007, a Bahamian court determined from DNA evidence presented by court-appointed DNA expert Dr. Michael Baird that Larry Birkhead is the father of Dannielynn. Howard K. Stern announced that he would not contest the ruling and would help Birkhead obtain sole custody. The court has ordered Stern to repay $10,000 in court costs for the abandoned appeal