David Michael Letterman was born on 12 April 1947 in Indianapolis, Indiana to florist Harry Joseph Letterman and his wife, Dorothy Hofert Letterman. He was the middle child, with an older and younger sister.
Letterman attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television in 1969. He began a broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station, WBST, which is now part of Indiana public radio.
Letterman married Michelle Cook in 1969, but that marriage ended in divorce in 1977. He also had a long-running relationship with former head writer and producer on the Late Night Show, Merrill Markoe. Letterman only has one child, a son named Harry Joseph Letterman born in 2003. Letterman married his son's mother, Regina Lasko, on 19 March 2009. They reside in New York.
Letterman is best known initially for hosting Late Night with David Letterman, which debuted on NBC in 1982. It ran immediately after The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This show promoted Letterman's quirky and unpredictable comedic personality, and the show developed a large cult following.
By the time that Johnny Carson retired from his show in 1992, Letterman fully expected to replace Carson. However, NBC had signed Jay Leno as the next permanent host. Letterman then left NBC to host a show opposite the Tonight Show on CBS. While Leno consistently beats Letterman's show in ratings, Letterman's audience is devout and his show has received sixty-seven Emmy Award nominations, winning twelve times in his first twenty years in late-night television. Letterman has consistently ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality category.
After a serious heart problem in 2000, Letterman returned to his show with rave reviews and with a new habit of introducing guest hosts. His contract with CBS was renewed in 2002 and in 2006. Only six entertainers earn more money than David Letterman, who pulls in $40 million per year. |