David Letterman Biography (1947-)

Full name, David Michael Letterman; born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, IN;son of Joseph (a florist) and Dorothy (a church secretary) Letterman; married Michelle Cook, 1969 (divorced, 1977). Addresses: Office: Late Show with David Letterman, Ed Sullivan Theater, 1697 Broadway, New York, NY 10019-5904.; Agent: Lee Gabler, Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Publicist: Stephen Rubenstein, Rubenstein & Associates, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10105.

Nationality
American
Gender
Male
Occupation
Television host, comedian, writer
Birth Details
April 12, 1947
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Television Appearances
  • Series
  • Announcer and regular, The Starland Vocal Band, CBS, 1977
  • Regular, Mary, CBS, 1978
  • Regular guest, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1978-1992
  • Regular guest host, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1979-1981
  • Host, The David Letterman Show, NBC, 1980
  • Host, Late Night with David Letterman, NBC, 1982-1993
  • Host, Late Show with David Letterman (also known as Late Show Backstage and The Late Show), CBS, 1993-
  • Specials
  • CBS team member, Battle of the Network Stars V, ABC, 1975
  • Bob Hope Special: Bob Hope's Super Birthday Special, NBC, 1984
  • The NBC All-Star Hour, NBC, 1985
  • Late Night Film Festival, NBC, 1985
  • The Television Academy Hall of Fame, NBC, 1986
  • The Jay Leno Show, NBC, 1986
  • David Letterman's 2nd Annual Holiday Film Festival, NBC, 1986
  • Host, Late Night with David Letterman 5th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1987
  • Host, David Letterman's Old-Fashioned Christmas, NBC, 1987
  • Late Night with David Letterman 6th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1988
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 26th Anniversary Special,NBC, 1988
  • The Comedy Store 15th Class Reunion, NBC, 1988
  • Host, Late Night with David Letterman 7th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1989
  • Skyscraper (documentary), PBS, 1990
  • Host, Late Night with David Letterman 8th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1990
  • Two Years ... Later, NBC, 1990
  • Sunday Night with Larry King, NBC, 1990
  • (In archive footage) Johnny Carson's 29th Anniversary, 1991
  • Host, The Late Night with David Letterman 10th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1992
  • The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1992
  • Donahue: The 25th Anniversary, NBC, 1992
  • The Comedy Store's 20th Birthday, NBC, 1992
  • The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1993
  • The Twelve Most Fascinating People of 1993, ABC, 1993
  • Host, The Late Show with David Letterman Video Special, CBS, 1994
  • It's Just a Ride (also known as Bill Hicks: It's Just a Ride and It's Just a Ride: A Tribute to Bill Hicks), syndicated, 1994
  • A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman, 1995
  • Comic Relief VII, 1995
  • (In archive footage) 20 Years of Comedy on HBO, 1995
  • Host, The Late Show with David Letterman Video Special 2, CBS, 1996
  • Host, The Late Show with David Letterman Video Special 3, CBS, 1997
  • Steve Allen's 75th Birthday Celebration, PBS, 1997
  • Guest host, CBS: The First 50 Years, CBS, 1998
  • Regis Philbin: Made for TV, Arts and Entertainment, 1998
  • Host, The Late Show with David Letterman 5th Anniversary Special,CBS, 1998
  • (In archive footage) Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers, CBS, 1998
  • Intimate Portrait: Mary Tyler Moore, Lifetime, 1998
  • Hollywood Salutes Bruce Willis: An American Cinematheque Tribute,TNT, 2000
  • The Comedy Store: The E! True Hollywood Story (documentary), E! Entertainment Television, 2001
  • (In archive footage) Survivor II: The Reunion, CBS, 2001
  • (In archive footage) 50 Years of NBC Late Night, NBC, 2001
  • The Billy Elliot Boy (also known as Omnibus: The Billy Elliot Boy), BBC, 2001
  • Awards Presentations
  • Cohost, The 38th Annual Emmy Awards, NBC, 1986
  • The 39th Annual Emmy Awards, Fox, 1987
  • The American Television Awards, ABC, 1993
  • Host, The 67th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1995
  • Movies
  • Matt Morgan, Fast Friends, NBC, 1979
  • Episodic
  • Panelist, The Gong Show, syndicated, 1976
  • Celebrity Cooks, 1978
  • Tomorrow, 1978
  • Ellsworth, "Mork Goes to Ork," Mork and Mindy, ABC, 1979
  • Panelist, Password Plus, 1979
  • Interviewer, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, NBC, 1984
  • "Paul Shaffer: Viva Shaf Vegas," The Cinemax Comedy Experiment, Cinemax, 1987
  • "Action Family," The Cinemax Comedy Experiment, Cinemax, 1987
  • "Merrill Markoe's Guide to Glamorous Living," The Cinemax Comedy Experiment, Cinemax, 1988
  • Thief, "Damned if You Do," The Building, 1993
  • (Uncredited) Himself, "Bump in the Night," Murphy Brown, CBS, 1993
  • Himself, "Life behind Larry," The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1993
  • (Uncredited) Voice of himself, "Late Night with Butt-head," Beavis andButt-head (animated), MTV, 1994
  • Guest, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, 1995
  • Guest, The Jon Stewart Show, 1995
  • (Uncredited) Himself, "Pen Pals," The Nanny, CBS, 1995
  • Himself, "Larry's Big Idea," The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1995
  • Guest, The Charlie Rose Show, 1996
  • Guest, Larry King Live, 1996
  • (Uncredited) Himself, "The Abstinence," Seinfeld, NBC, 1996
  • Himself, The Dana Carvey Show, ABC, 1996
  • The Howard Stern Show, 1996
  • Guest, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, 1997
  • Himself, "Fifteen Minutes of Fame," Cosby, CBS, 1997
  • Himself, "An Affair to Remember," Spin City, ABC, 1997
  • (Uncredited) Voice of Rags, the geriatric dog, "Dead Dog Talking," Spin City, ABC, 1998
  • Guest, "Insecure Perfectionist," Nightline Up Close, 2002
  • Also appeared in Good Friends, CBS; panelist, Liar's Club;panelist, $20,000 Pyramid; ALF; Open All Night.
  • Pilots
  • Dan Cochran, Peeping Times, NBC, 1978
  • Television Executive Producer
  • Series
  • Late Night with David Letterman, NBC, 1982-1993
  • The Building, CBS, 1993
  • Late Show with David Letterman (also known as Late Show Backstage and The Late Show), CBS, 1993-
  • The Bonnie Hunt Show (also known as Bonnie), 1995
  • Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 1996
  • The High Life, HBO, 1996-1997
  • The Late Show with Craig Kilborn (also known as The Late Late Show), CBS, 1999
  • Ed (also known as Stuckeyville), NBC, 2000
  • Specials
  • David Letterman's 2nd Annual Holiday Film Festival, NBC, 1986
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 5th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1987
  • David Letterman's Old-Fashioned Christmas, NBC, 1987
  • (With Jack Rollins) The Late Night with David Letterman 6th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1988
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 7th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1989
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 8th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1990
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 10th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1992
  • Episodic
  • "Carol Doesn't Liefer Any More" (also known as "I Was a Woman Who Loved Too Much"), The Cinemax Comedy Experiment, Cinemax, 1988
  • Film Appearances
  • "Homage to Steve," Steve Martin Live, 1986
  • (As Earl Hofert) Old salt in fishing village, Cabin Boy (also known as Nathaniel, the Cabin Boy), Buena Vista, 1994
  • (As Earl Hofert) Voice of Motley Crue roadie number one, Beavis and Butt-head Do America (animated), 1996
  • (Uncredited) Himself, Eddie, 1996
  • Himself, Howard Stern's Private Parts (also known as Private Parts), Paramount, 1997
  • Jackie Chan: My Story, 1998
  • (In archive footage) Occasional Coarse Language, 1998
  • (In archive footage) Boyz in Tights, 1998
  • (Uncredited) Himself, Man on the Moon (also known as Der Mondmann), 1999
  • (Uncredited) Meeting People Is Easy (also known as Radiohead: Meeting People Is Easy), Seventh Art, 1999
  • (Uncredited) Comedian, Miramax, 2002
  • WRITINGS
  • Television Series
  • with Others
  • The Starland Vocal Band, CBS, 1977
  • Mary, CBS, 1978
  • The David Letterman Show, NBC, 1980
  • Late Night with David Letterman, NBC, 1982-1993
  • The Late Night Morning Show, NBC, 1985
  • Late Show with David Letterman (also known as Late Show Backstage and The Late Show), CBS, 1993-
  • Television Specials
  • with Others
  • The John Denver Special, ABC, 1974
  • The Paul Lynde Comedy Hour, ABC, 1977
  • Bob Hope's All-Star Comedy Special from Australia, NBC, 1978
  • David Letterman's 2nd Annual Holiday Film Festival, NBC, 1986
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 5th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1987
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 6th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1988
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 7th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1989
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 8th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1990
  • The Late Night with David Letterman 10th Anniversary Show, NBC, 1992
  • The Late Show with David Letterman Video Special, CBS, 1994
  • The Late Show with David Letterman Video Special 2, CBS, 1996
  • The Late Show with David Letterman Video Special 3, CBS, 1997
  • The Late Show with David Letterman 5th Anniversary Special, 1998
  • Television Episodes
  • Wrote an episode of Good Times, CBS.
  • Other
  • (With others) The Late Night with David Letterman Book of Top Ten Lists, edited by Leslie Wells, Pocket Books (New York), 1990
  • (With others) An Altogether New Book of Top Ten Lists: From "Late Night with David Letterman," edited by Sally Peters, Pocket Books, 1991
  • Roman Numeral Two! Top Ten Lists from Late Night with David Letterman, Pocket Books, 1994
  • (With Steve O'Donnell) David Letterman's Book of Top Ten Lists and Zesty Local Chicken Recipes, Bantam Books (New York), 1995
  • (With O'Donnell) David Letterman's New Book of Top Ten Lists and Wedding Dress Patterns for the Husky Bride, Bantam, 1996
  • (With Dorothy Letterman) Home Cookin' with Dave's Mom, Pocket Books, 1996

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

    Books
    • Adler, Bill, The Letterman Wit: His Life and Humor, Carroll &Graf (New York), 1994
    • Breckman, Andy, and others, Late Night with David Letterman: The Book, Villard Books, 1985
    • Cader, Michael, and Fabrienne Marsh, Dave's World: The Unofficial Guide to the Late Show with David Letterman, Warner Books (New York), 1995
    • Latham, Caroline, The David Letterman Story, F. Watts (New York),1987
    • Lefkowitz, Frances, David Letterman, Chelsea House Publishers (NewYork), 1997
    • Lennon, Rosemary, David Letterman: On Stage and Off, Pinnacle Books, 1994
    Periodicals
    • Daily News (New York, NY), January 31, 1988
    • Detroit Free Press, September 3, 1992, p. 5G
    • Entertainment Weekly, June 21, 1996, p. 52; February 5, 1999, p. 84; November 2, 2001, pp. 24-28
    • Esquire, December, 1981; November 11, 1986, p. 144; September 11,1991, p. 141
    • Newsweek, July 7, 1980, p. 62; February 3, 1986, p. 46
    • New York, May 30, 1983, p. 69; January 19, 1987, p. 36
    • New York Times, September 17, 1980; July 27, 1986
    • People Weekly, February 4, 1980, p. 45; June 4, 1984, p. 11; July14, 1986, p. 88; summer, 1989, p. 74; August 27, 1990, p. 51; February 11, 2002, pp. 56-58
    • Playboy, January, 1994, p. 61
    • Rolling Stone, June 20, 1985, p. 25; November 3, 1988, February 18, 1993, p. 34
    • Sports Afield, winter, 1998, p. 15
    • Time, March 22, 1982, p. 69; February 26, 1986, p. 62; February 6,1989, p. 66; November 17, 1997, p. 97
    • TV Guide, March 27, 1982, p. 46; August 1, 1992, p. 8
    • Vanity Fair, June, 2002, pp. 192-195, 229-232
    Electronic
    • David Letterman Official Site, http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow, December 22, 2002

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