1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
2. Joan Greenwood to James Handy

Arsenio Hall Biography (1955-)

Born February 12, 1955, in Cleveland, OH; son of Fred (a Baptist minister) and Anne Hall. Addresses: Office: c/o Star Search, CBS-TV, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.; Agent: Writers and Artists Agency, 8383Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Beverly Hills, CA 90211; Creative Artists Agency,9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-1825.; Manager: c/o ML Management, 152 West 57th St., 47th Floor, New York, NY 10019.; Contact: 9701 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Occupation

Talk show host, actor, comedian, producer, composer

Birth Details

February 12, 1955

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Film Appearances
• (Film debut; as Arsenio) Apartment victim, "Mondo Condo," Amazon Womenon the Moon (also known as Cheeseburger Film Sandwich), Universal, 1987
• Semmi, Morris, extremely ugly girl, and Reverend Brown, Coming to America (also known as Prince in New York), Paramount, 1988
• Crying man, Harlem Nights, Paramount, 1989
• Host, Time Out: The Truth about HIV, AIDS, and You, 1992
• Himself, Blankman, Columbia, 1994
• Film Executive Producer
• Time Out: The Truth about HIV, AIDS, and You, 1992
• Bopha!, Paramount, 1993
• Television Appearances
• Series
• Cohost, The Half Hour Comedy Hour, ABC, 1983
• Cohost, Thicke of the Night, syndicated, 1984
• The New Love, American Style, ABC, 1985
• Motown Revue (also known as The Motown Revue Starring Smokey Robinson), NBC, 1985
• Voice of Winston Zeddmore, The Real Ghostbusters (animated; also known as Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters), ABC, 1986-1987
• Host/himself, The Late Show (also known as The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers and The Late Show Starring Arsenio Hall), Fox, 1987
• Host, The Arsenio Hall Show, syndicated, 1989-1994
• Michael Atwood, Arsenio, ABC, 1996-1997
• (In archive footage) Himself, Arsenio Jams, VH1, 2001
• Host, Star Search, CBS, 2003-
• Also appeared as cohost, Solid Gold (also known as Solid Gold in Concert), syndicated.
• Specials
• Himself, Uptown Comedy Express, HBO, 1987
• The R.A.C.E., NBC, 1989
• Mike Tyson--A Portrait of the People's Champion, syndicated, 1989
• Comic Relief III, HBO, 1989
• The Comedy Store 15th Year Class Reunion, NBC, 1989
• A Laugh, A Tear, syndicated, 1990
• Face to Face with Connie Chung, CBS, 1990
• Racism: Points of View, MTV, 1991
• A Party for Richard Pryor, CBS, 1991
• First Person with Maria Shriver, NBC, 1991
• In a New Light, ABC, 1992
• The Comedy Store's 20th Birthday, NBC, 1992
• Kathie Lee Gifford's Celebration of Motherhood, ABC, 1993
• Apollo Theatre Hall of Fame, NBC, 1993
• Host, In a New Light '93, ABC, 1993
• Host, The Soul Train 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Special (also known as Soul Train's 25th Anniversary), 1995
• Celebrate the Dream: 50 Years of Ebony, ABC, 1996
• Comic Relief American Comedy Festival, ABC, 1996
• Happy Birthday Elizabeth--A Celebration of Life, ABC, 1997
• Intimate Portrait: Patti LaBelle, Lifetime, 1998
• Narrator, Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker, Lifetime, 1999
• The Politically Incorrect After Party, ABC, 2000
• Himself, The Comedy Store: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2001
• Himself, Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television, TV Land,2002
• (Uncredited) Himself, Inside the Playboy Mansion, Arts and Entertainment, 2002
• Himself, Diet Coke with Lemon Celebrates 40 Years of Laughter: At theImprov, 2002
• Cohost, World's Greatest Commercials, CBS, 2002
• Laugh Out Loud: TV's 15 Greatest Comedians, Arts and Entertainment, 2002
• Host, The 5th Annual Sears Soul Train Christmas Starfest, The WB,2002
• Also host, The Magic of Christmas, broadcast on a local station inCleveland, OH.
• Awards Presentations
• Host, MTV's 1988 Video Music Awards Show, MTV, 1988
• The 21st Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1989
• The 41st Annual Emmy Awards, Fox, 1989
• The 3rd Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1989
• The 15th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1989
• Host, MTV's 1989 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1989
• The 4th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, syndicated, 1990
• Host, MTV's 1990 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1990
• Host, MTV's 1991 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1991
• The 24th Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1992
• Soul Train Comedy Awards, syndicated, 1993
• The American Television Awards, ABC, 1993
• The 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards, TBS, 1994
• Tribute segment host, The 23rd Annual American Music Awards, 1996
• The 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards, 1996
• Host, The 28th Annual NAACP Image Awards, 1997
• The 11th Annual American Comedy Awards, 1997
• The 24th Annual American Music Awards, 1997
• The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, ABC, 2000
• The 32nd NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 2001
• Host, The 16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, syndicated, 2002
• Host, The 17th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, The WB, 2003
• Episodic
• Himself, "The Spinners/Skyy," Soul Train, 1981
• Himself, "The Four Tops/Stacy Lattisaw," Soul Train, 1981
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1986
• Cleavon, "Happy Birthday," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, NBC, 1986
• "Uptown Comedy Express," On Location, HBO, 1987
• Himself, "Where Nobody Knows Your Name," Cheers, NBC, 1990
• Himself, "The Joke," The Jackie Thomas Show, ABC, 1992
• Himself, "The Last Laugh," Blossom, 1993
• Himself, "Friends Like These," Living Single, 1994
• The Late Show with David Letterman, 1995
• Himself, "The Cameo Show," Muppets Tonight!, 1997
• Guest, The Magic Hour, syndicated, 1998
• Terrell Parker, "How Sammo Got His Groove Back," Martial Law, CBS,1998
• Terrell Parker, "Bad Seed," Martial Law, CBS, 1998
• Terrell Parker, "Lock-up," Martial Law, CBS, 1998
• Terrell Parker, "Painted Faces," Martial Law, CBS, 1999
• Himself, "Redd Foxx: Say It Like It Is," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2000
• Joe, "Norm vs. the Kids," The Norm Show, ABC, 2000
• "Patti LaBelle: Surviving with Soul," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2001
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2001-2003
• Also appeared as guest panelist, The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour; in The Chris Rock Show.
• Television Work
• Executive Producer
• The Arsenio Hall Show (series), syndicated, 1989-1994
• The Party Machine with Nia Peeples (series), syndicated, 1991
• One on One with Magic Johnson (special), Fox, 1994
• Arsenio (series), ABC, 1996-1997
• RECORDINGS
• Music Videos
• Appeared in "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul.
• Albums
• Recorded (as Chunky A), Large and In Charge.
• WRITINGS
• Television Theme Songs
• Series
• "Hall or Nothing," The Arsenio Hall Show, syndicated, 1989-1994
• Television Episodes
• Motown Revue, NBC, 1985
• The Arsenio Hall Show, syndicated, 1989-1994
• Television Specials
• Opening monologue, The Soul Train 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Special, CBS, 1995

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

• Newsweek, March 10, 1997, p. 78
• New York Times Magazine, October 1, 1989, pp. 29-31, 65-66, 92-93
• Time, March 10, 1997, pp. 82-83
• TV Guide, September 30, 1989, pp. 16-19
• US, September 18, 1989, pp. 24-28, 30, 32-33
• Village Voice, May 23, 1989, pp. 27-31