David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an award-winning American comedian, late night talk show host, television producer, philanthropist, and IRL IndyCar Series car owner. 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.
In 1969, Letterman married Michelle Cook; the marriage ended by divorce in 1977. He also had a long-term relationship with former head writer and producer on Late Night, Merrill Markoe. Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph, (born November 3, 2003) with longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko. Harry is named for Letterman's father, Harry Joe Letterman, who died at age 57 . The family resides in North Salem, New York .
Letterman's ironic, often absurd comedy is heavily influenced by former Tonight Show hosts Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and Jack Paar.
Late Night with David Letterman was a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 and went off the air in 1993 after Letterman left NBC when he moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night with Conan O'Brien then filled the time slot.
The Late Show with David Letterman is an Emmy Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993. It is hosted by David Letterman and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and bandleader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is Paul Shaffer. The head writers are brothers Justin Stangel and Eric Stangel. The announcer is Alan Kalter, who replaced Bill Wendell in 1995.
In November 2007, production of new episodes was suspended due to the Writers Guild of America strike, but the show resumed production on January 2, 2008 in accordance with a deal between the WGA and Worldwide Pants that allowed the show to return with its writers.
In most American markets the show airs at 11:35 pm Eastern/Pacific time, but is recorded Mondays at 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5:30 PM, and Thursdays at 4:30 PM. The second Monday episode usually airs on Friday of that week (the show had previously recorded the Friday episodes on Thursdays). Each show is recapped in The Wahoo Gazette by production coordinator Mike McIntee on CBS.com's blank">Late Show page.
Letterman was previously the host of _Late Night with David Letterman on NBC from 1982 to 1993. The show was co-produced by Carson Productions, Worldwide Pants Incorporated, and NBC Productions. Shaffer, Wendell, and several members of the band were also with the NBC show.
The David Letterman Show was a live morning NBC talk show hosted by David Letterman every weekday from June 23 to October 24 1980.
