David Letterman

David Letterman
Letterman at the 2016 Peabody Awards
Birth nameDavid Michael Letterman
Born (1947-04-12) April 12, 1947 (age 76)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
MediumStand-up, television, film
Alma materBall State University (BA)
Years active1970–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Spouse
  • Michelle Cook
    (m. 1968; div. 1977)
  • Regina Lasko
    (m. 2009)
Children1
Notable works and roles
Signature

David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late-night television talk shows 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 Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show,[1] surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history.[2]

He is also a television and film producer. His company, Worldwide Pants, produced his shows as well as The Late Late Show and several primetime comedies, the most successful of which was the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Several late-night hosts have cited Letterman's influence, including Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers (each of whom succeeded Letterman on Late Night), Stephen Colbert (his successor on The Late Show), Jimmy Kimmel, and Jon Stewart. Since 2018, he has hosted the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.

  1. ^ "David Letterman signs off after 33 years and 6,080 shows". Yahoo!. Associated Press. May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  2. ^ Rose, Lacey (October 4, 2013). "CBS Extends David Letterman Contract Through 2015". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 30, 2022.