David Letterman is an American comedian, producer, and writer. He was also the TV host for Late Night with David Letterman for 33 years.
David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 12, 1947 and began his career as a weatherman on the WNTS Indianapolis (AM) radio station in 1979. Known for his zany antics, Letterman moved to LA with his wife and started doing stand up comedy at The Comedy Store. Comedian Jimmie Walker saw Letterman on stage and hired him to write jokes for his act. Not long after, David Letterman began making guest appearances on shows like Mark & Mindy, and continued writing for other comedians. In the late 70’s, he caught the eye of the legendary Johnny Carson and became a reoccurring guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. When Carson wanted to retire, he wanted Letterman to take over the shoe, but NBC hired Jay Leno over his objections. This lead to Late Night with David Letterman first airing on February 2, 1982, and lasting 33 years, until he retired on May 20, 2015.
David Letterman hosted the 1995 Academy Awards show to some of the highest ratings the awards show had ever seen. Despite this, his performance and jokes fell flat, and Letterman never hosted the show again. He does have his own production company, Worldwide Pant, and produced Late Night, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond. His record company, Clear Entertainment, signed Runner Runner to contract. David Letterman even owns a racing company, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, whose driver, Buddy Rice, won the 2004 Indianapolis 500.
While he loves his cars and is rumored to have 10 Ferarris, a Jag, some Porshes and a Chevy truck, he is generous with his money. His charitable foundation, The Letterman Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming, gives to such causes as the Salvation Army, Doctor’s Without Borders and the American Cancer Society.
David Letterman vacations in St. Barts and Rome. His net worth is $400 million.
