David Letterman

About David Letterman

David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American Emmy Award-winning television host, comedian, and actor. His first major success occurred on the long-running NBC television program, Late Night with David Letterman, before moving to CBS in 1993 to his current place on the Late Show. Letterman's ironic, often absurd comedy is heavily influenced by former Tonight Show hosts Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and Jack Paar.

Letterman has been hosting late night television for over 26 years, the longest of anyone outside of Johnny Carson who retired after 30 years.

David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joe Letterman, was a florist who died in 1973; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering) (born August 12, 1921), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays. He has an older sister Janice and a younger sister Gretchen. One of his early comic influences was the Cincinnati talk show host Paul Dixon, but the person who influenced his career most was Tonight Show host Johnny Carson.