MAIN Art &... Pop Culture TV Stars David Letterman

The self-proclaimed "King of Late Night, David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 12, 1947 to Harry Letterman, a florist, and Dorothy Letterman, a church secretary, who today regularly plays the part of "straight-man" on her son's show.

Following high school, the corn-fed Midwest kid would later study radio and television at Ball State University, where he received a B.A. in telecommunications in 1969.

Letterman's professional career began at several Indianapollis area radio stations and as achor and weatherman for WTHR.

Letterman's unique and irreverent brand of humor soon became evident in his next project, as host of a late night show called Freeze-Dried Movies, in which he regularly blew up a miniature replica of the television station to close each broadcast.

Moving to Los Angeles to write TV comedy material and sitcoms, Letterman's big break came in 1980 when he was offered the spot of regular guest host on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson which led to his own daytime David Letterman Show.

This subsequently resulted in a permanent spot in the "late late-night" lineup following Johnny Carson which premiered February 1, 1982 and instantly gained a huge following among young viewers with now-famous stock skits including Stupid Pet Tricks, Stupid Human Tricks, Viewer Mail and the The Top Ten List.

To Letterman's obvious dismay, NBC chose Jay Leno in 1992 as the replacement for the retiring Johnny Carson. A year later, Letterman moved to CBS with a lucrative deal to host The Late Show with David Letterman, spawning a ratings war - opposite The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - that continues to this day.

Numerous Emmy Awards later, a decade would pass before a career high for the late-night host came in 2002, when Letterman received the Peabody Award for taking "one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms - the talk show - and infusing it with freshness and imagination."

In 2005, Letterman won for Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host at the People's Choice Awards.

In December he was making headlines again for making peace with Oprah Winfrey, when he finally booked the Queen of Daytime on his show.

Letterman has often and irreverently poked fun at Winfrey for her refusal to appear on his show, a fact based on Oprah's rumored dislike for the Letterman's brand of humor. However, Winfrey's appearance in December 2005 ended a long-standing feud between the two, followed by Letterman's reciprocal appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show in early 2007.

David Letterman - A Star Library biography - A profile of the star from the Indianapolis star with a biography and chronological timeline of his career.

DDY's Late Show with David Letterman Fan Page - Current schedule and guest lists, and some 18 picture galleries of the star in photo shoots, screen captures, magazine and book covers, including childhood photos and pictures with mom...plus related links and article archive.

Kevin Nagle's "Late Show with David Letterman" Web Site - Catch all the rabid fan action with favorite Top Ten lists, audio files, pictures, and links to the official sites of Rupert Jee's Hello Deli and Larry "Bud" Melman (Cal DeForest) plus links to related fan sites and news lists.

Kimberly's David Letterman Page - Another adoring fan with a large cache of photos chronicling the talk show host's career.

also see in TV Stars -> Jay Leno | Oprah Winfrey