David Letterman | |
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Letterman at the Peabody Awards, May 2016
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Birth name | David Michael Letterman |
Born |
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
April 12, 1947
Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
Alma mater | Ball State University |
Years active | 1970–2016 |
Genres | Observational comedy, surreal humor, satire, deadpan, self-deprecation |
Spouse |
Michelle Cook (m. 1968; div. 1977) Regina Lasko (m. 2009) |
Children | 1 |
Notable works and roles |
The David Letterman Show (host, 1980) Late Night with David Letterman (host, 1982−93) Late Show with David Letterman (host, 1993–2015) |
Signature |
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American former television talk show host, comedian, writer, producer and actor.
He hosted a late night television talk show for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC, and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,028 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history. In 1996 Letterman was ranked 45th on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company, Worldwide Pants, produced his show and formerly produced The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Worldwide Pants has also produced several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was Everybody Loves Raymond, currently in syndication.
Several late-night hosts have cited Letterman's influence, including Conan O'Brien (his successor on Late Night), Stephen Colbert (his successor on The Late Show), Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers.
Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman (1915– 1973), was a florist. His mother, Dorothy Marie (Hofert) (1921-), a church secretary, was an occasional figure on Letterman's show, usually at holidays and birthdays. His mother is of German descent, and his father had English, Scots-Irish, and German ancestry.