David Letterman Biography

Celebrated American talk show host David Letterman was born in 1947 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Letterman grew up near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a proximity which helped him to develop a life-long love of racing cars. After graduating from high school, David went on to attend Ball State University, graduating in 1969 from the Radio and Television Department, with his sights on a career in broadcasting.

David Letterman’s first gig was as an announcer at the college radio station. He then went on to serve as anchor and weatherman for an Indianapolis television station, where he began to develop his quirky and often unpredictable on-air behavior. His humorous was infectious, and many in his personal circle began to suggest that David consider a career in comedy, particularly as a writing. So in the mid 1970’s, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, with the intention of doing just that.

Letterman began not only writing, but also performing stand-up comedy around the Los Angeles areas, appearing at such notable venues as The Comedy Store. During this time he also began writing for a number of television shows and appearing in small roles on such shows as Mork & Mindy. Eventually, Letterman’s gift for sarcasm and pithy wit caught the attention of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. David was assigned as a regular on the show, quickly growing to become a favorite.

The Tonight Show led to NBC’s offer for Letterman’s own show, The David Letterman Show. Although the show garnered low ratings and was canceled quickly, NBC decided instead to move the show to a late night time slot and re-name it Late Night with David Letterman in 1982. The rest, as they say, is history. Late Night with David Letterman led to The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS, airing opposite The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (and currently, Jimmy Fallon.) Letterman has remained with the show ever since.

David Letterman is also a producer of a number of shows, including the hit television series Everybody Loves Raymond. In his combined role as writer, producer, and host, David Letterman has garnered a staggering sixty-seven Emmy Award nominations thus far, with twelve wins. Much to his fan’s disappointment, David Letterman recently announced that he would be leaving late-night television in 2015. Stephen Colbert is expected to fulfill the late night talk show slot in his stead, sometime in September of 2015.