David Letterman

David Michael Letterman 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. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history.

About David Letterman in brief

Summary David LettermanDavid Michael Letterman 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. His company, Worldwide Pants, produced his shows as well as The Late Late Show and several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was Everybody Loves Raymond, now in syndication. Letterman currently hosts the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction withDavid Letterman. He was ranked 45th on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history. He also starred in kiddie show Freeze-Dried Movies and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called 4-H Clover Power, in which he interviewed 4- H members about their projects. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman, was a florist. His mother, Dorothy Marie Letterman Mengering, a church secretary for the Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis, was an occasional figure on Letterman’s show, usually at holidays and birthdays. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up. The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack in 1973, at the age of 57. He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and graduated in 1969 from what was then the Department of Radio and Television.

He registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from college, but he was not drafted for service in Vietnam because he received a draft lottery number of 346. Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college’s student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station that is now part of Indiana Public Radio. He received some attention for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hailstones the size of hams. In 1971, he appeared as a road pit reporter for ABC Sports’ tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500, which was his first nationally telecast. He later endowed a scholarship for what he called “C students” at Ball State. In 2000, he told an interviewer for Esquire that, while growing up, he admired his father’s ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. He enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers. In 2002, The Late Show with DavidLetterman was ranked seventh on TVGuide’s 50 greatest TV shows of all time. He has been married to his wife, Sharon, since 2007. The couple have two children, a son, and a daughter, and two step-daughters. They live in Indianapolis, Indiana, and have a daughter and a son-in-law who lives in New York City.