Name	Ray Romano
Caption	Ray Romano in 2006
Birth name	Raymond Albert Romano
Birth date	December 21, 1957
Birth place	Queens, New York, U.S.
Medium	Film, stand-up, television
Active	1989–present
Nationality	American
Spouse	Anna Romano (1987-present)
Children	Joseph Romano, Matthew Romano,Gregory Romano and Alexandra Romano
Notable work	Raymond Barone in Everybody Loves RaymondManfred "Manny" in Ice Age film seriesJoe in Men of a Certain Age
Website	http://www.rayromano.com/

}}

Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He currently stars on the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.

Early life

He was born in Queens, New York to Italian parents. Lucie, his mother, was a piano teacher, and his father, Albert Romano, was a real estate agent and an engineer. He grew up in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens. Romano attended elementary and middle school at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills. After transferring from Archbishop Molloy High School, Romano graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1975. He was in the same high school class as Fran Drescher and later appeared on Drescher's sitcom The Nanny as an old classmate. Before breaking into show business, Romano briefly attended Queens College, in Flushing, New York, where he studied accounting. Romano quit going to Queens College after gaining only 15 credits in three years. However, he would later return, making it to the Dean's List for three years.

Career

His early comedy career started when he competed in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search in 1989 and included many outlets such as Comedy Central, where he had been a recurring guest voice on the show Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. He also was a contestant on Star Search in the stand-up comedy category. He was originally cast to play Joe on the American television sitcom NewsRadio, but was fired, to be replaced by Joe Rogan. He then appeared on Late Show with David Letterman doing his stand up routine which formed his ties with CBS. Shortly thereafter, he became the star of his own show, Everybody Loves Raymond on CBS, that featured a cast and format more suitable to Romano's brand of humor.

Romano and his comedian friend Kevin James starred in the salesman comedy Grilled, as two guys of the same profession who are both very desperate to land a big sale. Romano was featured on a 2000 episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, on which he won US$125,000 for the NYPD's D.A.R.E. Unit. His older brother, Richard Romano (born in 1956) is a sergeant with the NYPD. He also has a younger brother, Robert Romano (born 1965).

In 2001, Romano was named one of E!'s top twenty entertainers of the year. In the same year, he was featured with his brother (a teacher at a school in Long Island) on a New York Police Department recruiting poster. In 2004, he became the highest paid television actor in history for his role of Raymond on CBS's Everybody Loves Raymond. It was later revealed on E! that he had broken another record by his show having the highest revenue, at US$3.9 billion.

On December 13, 2003, Romano was featured as a special guest star, sending a birthday card to Bob Barker in his eightieth-birthday bash on the twenty-seventh "Million Dollar Spectacular" special of the long-running daytime CBS series The Price Is Right.

Romano was the subject of the documentary film 95 Miles to Go. The film documents Romano's road-trip for a series of rides across the south of the United States. The film was released in theaters on April 7, 2010 by ThinkFilm. In August 2006, Romano was interviewed in front of a live audience at UCLA by fellow stand-up veteran, David Steinberg, for an episode of Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg. The program first aired on the TV Land network in March 2007.

Romano returned to television with a new dramedy for TNT in 2008, called Men of a Certain Age and co-starring Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher, which he co-created with former Everybody Loves Raymond writer Mike Royce.

Personal life

main event]] Romano married his wife, Anna, on October 11, 1987. They met while working at a bank together. He had asked out two other co-workers before Anna agreed to go on a date with him. Together, they have four children: one daughter Alexandra (born 1990), and three sons: twins Matthew and Gregory (born 1993) and Joseph Raymond (born February 16, 1998).

Romano's on-screen daughter for Everybody Loves Raymond was named after his real-life daughter. Also, in the series pilot, Ray and Debra's twin boys were named after Gregory and Matthew, Romano's real twin sons, but Romano felt it was too weird to have all his TV kids have the same names as his real kids, so they changed the twins' names to Geoffrey and Michael on screen.

Romano's family has made various appearances in the show. Romano's real-life daughter Alexandra "Ally" Romano made several appearances on Everybody Loves Raymond as Molly, the best friend of his on-screen daughter Ally, and the daughter of Ray Barone's arch-nemesis, Peggy the Cookie Lady. Romano's father, Albert Romano has made various appearances as "Albert", one of Frank Barone's lodge buddies in various episodes such as "Debra at the Lodge", and "Boys' Therapy". Romano's brother Richard Romano has appeared in the episode "Just a Formality".

Romano competed in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 World Series of Poker.

In early 2010, Romano starred in the second season of The Golf Channel's original series The Haney Project, in which Tiger Woods' former coach Hank Haney attempts to improve the golf games of different celebrities and athletes. Charles Barkley starred in the first season. Romano's goals are to finish the show being able to break 80. Romano took time off from the show to be with his father, Albert Romano who died in March 2010. The show resumed on May 24. Ray didn't break 80.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |1996–2005 | Everybody Loves Raymond |rowspan="5"| Raymond Barone |210 episodes |- |1997 | Cosby |1 episode |- |1998–2005 | The King of Queens |4 episodes |- |1998 | The Nanny |1 episode |- |1999 |Becker |1 episode |- |2002 | Ice Age | Manfred "Manny" | voice |- |rowspan="3"|2004 | Welcome to Mooseport | Handy Harrison | |- |Eulogy |Skip Collins | |- | 95 Miles to Go | Himself | |- |2005 |The Simpsons |Ray Magini |"Don't Fear the Roofer" |- |rowspan="2"|2006 | |Manfred "Manny" | voice |- |Grilled |Maurice | |- |rowspan="3"|2007 |The Grand |Fred Marsh | |- |'Til Death |Guest at Italian Restaurant | "The Italian Affair" |- |The Knights of Prosperity |Himself |3 episodes |- |rowspan="2"|2008 |The Last Word |Abel | |- |Hannah Montana |Himself |"We're All On This Date Together" |- |rowspan="2"|2009 | |Manfred "Manny" |voice |- |Funny People |Himself |cameo |- | 2009–present |Men of a Certain Age |Joe Tranelli |- |}

Writing credits

Everybody Loves Raymond

In addition to being the star and producer of Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano was also a member of the writing staff. This is a list of Raymond episodes he co-wrote with other writers of the show. ;Season One

"Why Are We Here?" (with Tom Paris)

;Season Two

"Golf" (with Tom Caltabiano and Kevin James)

"The Wedding" (with Philip Rosenthal)

;Season Three

"Ray Home Alone" (with Tucker Cawley)

"How They Met" (with Philip Rosenthal)

;Season Four

"Debra's Workout" (with Tom Caltabiano and Mike Royce)

"Bad Moon Rising" (with Philip Rosenthal)

;Season Five

"Super Bowl" (with Mike Royce)

;Season Six

"Jealous Robert" (with Tom Caltabiano)

"Talk to Your Daughter" (with Tucker Cawley)

"The First Time" (with Tom Caltabiano and Mike Royce)

;Season Seven

"She's the One" (with Philip Rosenthal)

"The Bachelor Party" (with Mike Royce and Tom Caltabiano)

;Season Nine

"Angry Sex" (with Lew Schneider and Mike Scully)

"The Finale" (with Philip Rosenthal, Tucker Cawley, Lew Schneider, Steve Skrovan, Jeremy Stevens, Mike Royce, Aaron Shure, Tom Caltabiano and Leslie Caveny)

Men of a Certain Age

;Season One

"Pilot" (with Mike Royce)

"Let It Go" (with Mike Royce)

"Back in the Shit" (tele play) with Mike Royce

;Season Two

"If I Could, I Surely Would" (with Mike Royce)

Awards

{| class=wikitable |- !Year !Category !For !Result |- !colspan=4|Emmy Awards |- | 1999 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2000 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2000 | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond w/ Philip Rosenthal | |- | 2002 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2005 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- !colspan=4|Screen Actors Guild |- | 1999 | Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2001 | Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2002 | Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- !colspan=4|Golden Globes |- | 2000 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2000 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- !colspan=4|People's Choice Awards |- | 2002 | Favorite Male Television Performer | Everybody Loves Raymond tie w/ Kelsey Grammer | |- | 2003 | Favorite Male Television Performer | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2004 | Favorite Male Television Performer | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2006 | Favorite Male Television Star | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- !colspan=4|Kid's Choice Awards |- | 2003 | Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie | Ice Age | |- ! colspan=4|Hollywood Foreign Press Association |- | 2002 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- ! colspan=4|American Film Institute |- | 2001 | Best Male Actor in a Television Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- ! colspan=4|Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |- | 2005 | Best Writing for a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- | 2005 | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- !colspan=4|American Comedy Awards |- | 2002 | Funniest Male Performer in a Television Series (Leading Role) | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- !colspan=4|AFI Awards |- | 2002 | Male Actor of the Year (in a TV series) | Everybody Loves Raymond | |- |}

Bibliography

(1999) Everything and a Kite (non-fiction)

(2005) Raymie, Dickie and the Bean (children's)

(2004) (fiction)

References

External links

Ray Romano's website

Category:1957 births Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Archbishop Molloy High School alumni

Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Forest Hills, Queens Category:Queens College, City University of New York alumni Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners

Birth name	Bradley Harold Gerstenfeld
Birth date	April 14, 1960
Birth place	Woodland Hills, California
Occupation	Actor, comedian, voice actor
Years active	1984–present

Brad Garrett (born Bradley Harold Gerstenfeld; April 14, 1960) is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for playing Robert Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond and Eddie Stark on 'Til Death. He has played many roles throughout his career, and is easily recognized by his incredible stature and the deep voice that he uses in many of his roles on television.

Early life

Garrett was born Brad H. Gerstenfeld in Woodland Hills, California, the son of Barbara (née Colton), a homemaker, and Al Gerstenfeld, a hearing aid salesman. He has two older brothers, Jeff and Paul. He attended George Ellery Hale Middle School in Woodland Hills and graduated from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills. He attended UCLA for less than two months before dropping out to pursue his comedy career.

Career

In one of his earliest public appearances, Garrett can be seen on the cover of the Electric Light Orchestra album Discovery released in 1979. In this Garrett is seen dressed in middle-eastern traditional clothing akin to that of the fictional character Aladdin.

Garrett started out at various improv clubs in Los Angeles, including The Improv in Hollywood and The Ice House in Pasadena. In 1984, he became the first $100,000 grand champion winner in the comedy category of the TV show Star Search. This led to his first appearance, at age 23, on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, making him one of the youngest comedians ever to perform on the show. His appearance with Carson brought Garrett a lot of national attention, and soon he was appearing as an opening act for such headliners as Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli. He also opened in Las Vegas for Frank Sinatra, David Copperfield, Smokey Robinson, Sammy Davis, Jr., the Beach Boys, the Righteous Brothers and Julio Iglesias.

After achieving a strong measure of success with stand-up comedy, Garrett decided to change gears and try his luck with performing on TV. He was the voice of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan for the cartoon series Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n Wrestling, He was featured on Family Feud during Ray Combs's tenure in a "Funny Men vs. Funny Women Week" during November sweeps. He also appeared for a week on the game show Super Password in 1987. He then appeared in the short-lived summer comedy First Impressions (CBS, 1988), in which he was a divorced father who makes a living doing impressions, in a one-time spot as a bank loan officer on Roseanne (ABC), and The Pursuit of Happiness (NBC, 1995–96), in which he was the hero's gay best friend. Though prior to these roles, Garrett had also had a minor part on Transformers, voicing the Decepticon base Trypticon in season three and as an ill-fated thug in Suicide Kings. He soon won the role of Ray Romano's brother Robert Barone on the long-running sophisticated but family-oriented comedy hit Everybody Loves Raymond. Garrett has also made an appearance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and played a hitman who tried to kill Will Smith.

Garrett's distinctive deep voice has landed him prolific work as a voice actor, such as on the animated series the Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, 2 Stupid Dogs, The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, Project Geeker, Steven Spielberg Presents: Toonsylvania, A Bug's Life as Dim the Bettle, Asterix and the Vikings, Superman the Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited As Lobo , Finding Nemo, Disney's One Saturday Morning and as Auguste Gusteau in Pixar's Ratatouille. His role on Everybody Loves Raymond won him five Emmy nominations, and the 2002, 2003 and 2005 Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Garrett was also the voice of Harry from the 1998 award-winning computer game Fallout.

In 1990, Garrett appeared as a semi-regular panelist on the revival of Match Game. On the May 2, 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, called "The Bottle Deposit", Garrett played a deranged auto mechanic who steals Jerry Seinfeld's car.

In 2003, he was also nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Gleason. With his Raymond castmates, he won the 2003 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. He won the fifth season championship of Celebrity Poker Showdown, and played in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 World Series of Poker. Garrett was hoping to do a spinoff with his character Robert Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond when the show ended its nine-year run on TV in 2005, but he withdrew in October 2005 due to inaction from CBS that led to a number of the writers from "Raymond" leaving and taking other jobs.

In 2005, Garrett appeared on Broadway playing Murray the Cop in the revival of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. He understudied Lane in the role of Oscar Madison, and substituted for him in January, 2006, during Mr. Lane's illness. In 2006, Fox network announced they would pick up a new sitcom called 'Til Death starring Brad Garrett in the lead role. The plot revolves around a long married couple whose new next door neighbors are a pair of feisty newlyweds. Joely Fisher plays Garrett's wife in the series. He also appeared onstage on American Idol Season 6 during judging on week 11, to which Ryan Seacrest said, "And the next person off American Idol is—Brad, you're out."

In the fall of 2008, Garrett starred and executive produced an online reality show called Dating Brad Garrett.

In 2008, Garrett hosted a celebrity roast of Cheech & Chong, which was aired on TBS.

In 2009, Garrett entered the main event at the World Series of Poker, losing on the second day of the event.

Recently, Garrett has starred in commercials for 7-Up, where he portrays a more happy, cheerful version of himself because of the soda.

In June 2010, he opened Brad Garrett's Comedy Club in the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In December 2010, he was the reader for two day's performances of the Candlelight Processional at Disney's EPCOT.

Personal life

Garrett is Jewish. In 1998, he proposed to his then-girlfriend Jill Diven on the set of Everybody Loves Raymond, and they were married on May 18, 1999. Their first child Maxwell Bradley Garrett was born on October 14, 1998; their second child, daughter Hope Violet Garrett, was born in January 2000. Garrett and Diven separated in 2005, and Diven filed for divorce in July 2006.

Although he portrays a very deep, husky voice in Everybody Loves Raymond and most of his voice-acting work, he has a higher-pitched natural voice, as heard in the show Til' Death, during Everybody Loves Raymond outtakes and bloopers, and his various appearances as himself (such as on the game show Hollywood Squares).

Garrett is also known for his tall stature; he is about 6 feet 8½ inches tall (204 cm).

In 2007, Garrett struck a TMZ photographer's camera, which the photographer claimed hit him in the face. The Los Angeles District Attorney declined to file assault charges against Garrett for the incident.

Garrett was the grand marshal for the Auto Club 500 on February 24, 2008.

Garrett appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and played for his charity, the Maximum Hope Foundation (named after his kids). He answered every single question correctly winning $25,000 and walked away with that after being asked to play for $250,000 with the bonus subject being U.S. History.

Filmography

Film

(1990)

Porco Rosso (1992)

Casper (1995)

A Delicatessen Story (1996)

Spy Hard (1996)

George B. (1997)

Suicide Kings (1997)

(1998)

Postal Worker (1998)

A Bug's Life (1998)

(1999)

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000)

Façade (2000)

Stuart Little 2 (2002)

The Country Bears (2002)

Bleacher Bums (2002)

Finding Nemo (2003)

The Trailer (2003)

Garfield (2004)

The Amateurs (2005)

The Pacifier (2005)

Tarzan II (2005)

Asterix and the Vikings (2006)

Night at the Museum (2006)

Music and Lyrics (2007)

Underdog (2007)

Ratatouille (2007)

Christmas Is Here Again (2007)

''Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby (2008)

(2009)

Tangled (2010)

(2010)

Television

The Transformers (1984–1987) (voice of Trypticon)

Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n Wrestling (1985–1987) (voice of Hulk Hogan)

First Impressions (1988) (canceled after 8 episodes)

Where's Waldo? (1991–1992) (voice of Wizard Whitebeard)

Roseanne (1991) (Doug)

Eek! The Cat (1992–1997) (voice)

Goof Troop (1992–1993) (Guest voice)

Mighty Max (TV series) (1993) (voice of Spike)

(1993) (voice of Goliath)

Biker Mice from Mars (1993–1996) (voice)

Bonkers (1993–1994) (voice of Louie the Louse)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994) (John 'Fingers' O'Neill)

2 Stupid Dogs (1993–1995) (voice of Big Dog)

Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby (1993) (voice)

Seinfeld (1993 and 1995) (Uncredited as a Kramer tryout, and again as Tony, the insane mechanic)

Tales from the Crypt (1996) (voice of Drinky Pig)

Bump in the night (Animated TV series) (Voice of Big Mike)

The Pursuit of Happiness (1995) (canceled after 13 episodes)

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (1996) (voice of Fatso until the end of Season 2)

Earthworm Jim (1996) (voice of the Lord of Nightmares)

The Tick (1996) (voice)

Project G.e.e.K.e.R. (1996–1997) (voice of Noah)

Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series (1996–1997) (voice of Grin)

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005)

King Of Queens

Nightmare Ned (1997) (canceled after 25 episodes) (voice)

(1997)

Bear in the Big Blue House (1997) (voice of Small Possum)

Toonsylvania (1998) (voice of Phil)

The Batman/Superman Movie (1998) (voice)

and Justice League (voice of Lobo)

Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000) (voice)

Hooves of Fire (1999) (voice in U.S. version)

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000–2001) (voice of Torque)

Club Land (2001)

Disney's House of Mouse (2001–2004) (voice)

Gleason (2002)

Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002) (voice in U.S. version)

'Til Death (2006–2010)

Comics Unleashed (2007) (Himself)

Monk (2008) (Honest Jake)

(2008) (Host)

Special Agent Oso (2010) (Professor Buffo)

Glory Daze (TV series) (2010) (Father of Joel Harringtom)

References

External links

Adweek Article on Brad Garrett

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/interviews/2817/brads-movie-pit.html

http://crackle.com/c/Dating_Brad_Garrett

Category:1960 births Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:Living people Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners

Phil Rosenthal (born July 14, 1963) has been media columnist for the Chicago Tribune since the spring of 2005. He had previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Daily News, The Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin, and the News Sun of Waukegan, Illinois.

Biography

Rosenthal was born in Chicago and grew up in Lake Bluff, Illinois. He is a graduate of Lake Forest High School (Illinois) and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Lake Bluff's Rosenthal Field is named for Rosenthal's late father, a former youth baseball coach and elementary school board member. Rosenthal's mother was once Lake Bluff's village clerk and served on the local high school board.

Rosenthal is married to the former Jennie Zbikowski, half-sister of pro football player Tom Zbikowski of the Baltimore Ravens.

External links

Rosenthal's Tower Ticker blog for the Chicago Tribune

Rosenthal's recent Chicago Tribune columns

Rosenthal's Tribune bio

Category:Chicago Tribune people Category:American columnists Category:Living people Category:1963 births Category:American Jews Category:American journalists Category:People from Lake County, Illinois Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni

Caption	Patricia Heaton, 2008
Name	Patricia Heaton
Birth date	March 04, 1958
Birth place	Bay Village, Ohio
Birth name	Patricia Helen Heaton
Website	http://www.patriciaheaton.com
Spouse	David Hunt (1990–present)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1989–present

Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress best known for playing Ray Barone's wife Debra Barone on the CBS television sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. In 2007, she made a return to sitcom television opposite Kelsey Grammer in the Fox comedy series Back to You, which was cancelled in 2008. She currently stars in the ABC comedy series The Middle.

Early life

Patricia Heaton was born in Bay Village, Ohio, the daughter of Pat and Chuck Heaton, who was a well-known Cleveland Plain Dealer sportswriter. She was raised as a devout Roman Catholic.

Heaton has three sisters, Sharon, Alice, and Frances, and one brother, Michael, who is the "Minister of Culture" columnist for the Plain Dealer and a writer for the paper's Friday Magazine.

Career

While attending The Ohio State University, she became a sister of Delta Gamma Sorority. She later graduated with a B.A. in drama. In 1980, Heaton moved to New York City to study with drama teacher William Esper.

Theater

Heaton made her first Broadway appearance in the chorus of Don't Get God Started (1987), after which she and fellow students created Stage Three, an off-Broadway acting troupe.

In January 2007, Heaton returned to the stage to co-star with Tony Shalhoub in the off-Broadway play The Scene at Second Stage Theater in New York City. For this performance, Heaton was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress category for the 22nd Lucille Lortel Awards.

Television

When Stage Three brought one of their productions to Los Angeles, Heaton caught the eye of a casting director for the ABC drama thirtysomething. She was cast as an oncologist, leading to six appearances on the series from 1989-1991. Other TV guest appearances include: Alien Nation (1989), Matlock (1990), Party of Five (1996), The King of Queens (1999), and Danny Phantom (2004).

Heaton was featured in three short-lived sitcoms — Room for Two (1992) with Linda Lavin, Someone Like Me (1994), and Women of the House (1995) with Delta Burke and Terri Garr — before landing her signature role of beleaguered wife, mother, and in-law Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005) with Ray Romano, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett, and Monica Horan. She was nominated in each of the series' last seven seasons for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy, winning the award twice. She has also collected two Viewers For Quality Television awards and a Screen Actors Guild trophy for her work on the series.

Starting September 2007, Heaton began to co-star with Kelsey Grammer in Back to You, a new situation comedy on Fox. The show was canceled in May 2008.

Heaton appeared on the season 7 premiere of where she helped build a home for a firefighter and his family. More recently, she has been seen in the ABC comedy The Middle. She starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Front of the Class, based on the real story of a mother, Ellen Cohen, dealing with a son, Brad Cohen, who has Tourette Syndrome, in 2008.

Film

Heaton's television movies include Shattered Dreams (1990), Miracle in the Woods (1997), A Town Without Christmas (2001), as well as the remake of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl (2004) with Jeff Daniels, and The Engagement Ring(2005), both for TNT.

Heaton also played former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, Barbara Bodine, in the 2006 ABC docudrama The Path to 9/11. Her feature films include Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), Beethoven (1992), The New Age (1994), and Space Jam (1996).

Heaton was the producer for the 2005 documentary The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania, which was directed by her husband.

Other credits

In 2003, Heaton appeared in a series of television and radio commercials as spokesperson for the various incarnations of the grocery chain Albertsons, such as Acme, Jewel and Shaw's. Heaton also was featured on the cover of the company's 2003 and 2004 annual reports. In 2007, Albertsons created the Crazy About Food slogan/campaign and Heaton's association with the company ended. She has also appeared in advertisements for Pantene hair-care products.

Personal life

Heaton has been married to British actor David Hunt since 1990; it is her second marriage. Her first marriage (1984–1987) ended in divorce. The couple has four sons: Samuel David (b. sept 1993); John Basil (b. May 1995); Joseph Charles (b. June 1997); and Daniel Patrick (b. January 20, 1999). They divide their time between Los Angeles and England, where they own a house, as well as a house in her hometown of Bay Village. Her memoir, Motherhood and Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine, was published by Villard Books in 2002. Although she and her family attend a Presbyterian Church, In addition, Heaton is Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life, a non-partisan organization which opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research and supports other pro-life causes on the basis of feminism.

In October 2006, Heaton appeared in a commercial opposing a Missouri state constitutional amendment concerning embryonic stem cell research, which subsequently passed. The advertisement was a response to the election of Democratic Senate hopeful Claire McCaskill and ran at about the same time as Michael J. Fox's advertisement supporting the amendment. Following a public outcry, Heaton later said she regretted doing the ad and sent an apology to Fox, claiming she wasn't aware of Fox's ad before she did hers. Fox accepted her apology and later stated that “If we can have a healthy dialogue about issues that people see differently, that’s marvelous.”

Emmy Awards

Heaton has two Emmys and was nominated for five others:

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Be Nice" (1999)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Bad Moon Rising" (2000)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "The Canister" (2001)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "A Vote for Debra" (2002)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Baggage" (2003)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Fun with Debra" (2004)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Finale" (2005)

See also

Pro-life feminism

References

External links

Patricia Heaton fansite

Patricia Heaton Archive of American Television Interview

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:People from Cuyahoga County, Ohio Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Ohio Republicans Category:American television actors Category:Actors from Ohio Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Ohio State University alumni Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Feminist artists

Name	Michael McKean
Caption	McKean performing in April 2009
Birth date	October 17, 1947
Birth place	New York City, New York, United States
Birth name	Michael John McKean
Occupation	Actor, comedian, writer, composer, musician
Years active	1973–present
Spouse	Susan Russell (1970-1993)Annette O'Toole (1999-present)

Michael John McKean (born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; as David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films.

Early life and career

McKean was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ruth and Gilbert McKean. He began his career (as well as the characters of Lenny and Squiggy) in Pittsburgh while a student at Carnegie Mellon University; David Lander was a fellow student at CMU. Their partnership grew after graduation as part of the comedy group The Credibility Gap with Harry Shearer in Los Angeles, but McKean's breakthrough came in 1976 when he joined the cast of Laverne and Shirley. McKean directed one episode, and the characters became something of a phenomenon, even releasing an album as Lenny and the Squigtones in 1979, which featured a young Christopher Guest on guitar (credited as Nigel Tufnel; the name Guest would use a few years later as part of the spoof rock band, Spinal Tap). "Foreign Legion of Love" was a big hit for the Squigtones, with frequent play on the Dr Demento Show. McKean also played his character in an episode of Happy Days. After leaving Laverne and Shirley in 1982, McKean played David St. Hubbins in the cult spoof documentary movie This Is Spinal Tap with both Guest and Shearer, and appeared in the soap opera spoof Young Doctors in Love.

Film and television

McKean quickly became a recognizable name in film and television, with appearances in films such as Used Cars (1980), Clue (1985), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), the film adaptation of Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), Coneheads (1993), and Radioland Murders (1994). He also had guest roles on such shows as Murder, She Wrote, Murphy Brown, , and Caroline in the City. McKean was part of an ensemble cast in the short-lived television series Grand on NBC which aired in 1990.

Having already appeared as a musical guest and then host of Saturday Night Live, McKean joined the cast in 1994 and remained a cast member until 1995. At 46, he was the oldest person ever to join the Saturday Night Live cast, and the only person to be a musical guest, host, and cast member in that order. During this time, he also released a video follow up to Spinal Tap, played the villainous Mr. Dittmeyer in The Brady Bunch Movie, and played the boss Gibby in the HBO series Dream On. After leaving Saturday Night Live, McKean spent a lot of time doing children's fare, voicing various TV shows and movies. In 1999, with two children from a previous marriage (to Susan Russell, from 1970 to 1993) McKean married Annette O'Toole.

Recent work

at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.]] In 1997, he played the lead voice role in computer game Zork Grand Inquisitor, as Dalboz of Gurth. His more recent films have included Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999); Mystery, Alaska (1999); Best in Show (2000) (in which he reunited with Christopher Guest); Little Nicky (2000); The Guru (2002); And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003); and A Mighty Wind (2003) (in which The Folksmen are played by the actors who play Spinal Tap).

Recent TV guest appearances include; The Simpsons; Law & Order; Family Guy; ; and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. He also guest voiced on Oswald as Henry's cousin, Louie. Coincidentally, Henry was voiced by David Lander. He also lent his voice to an episode of Kevin Smith's Clerks: The Animated Series that was never aired on ABC but was included on the VHS and DVD versions of the series. In 1998, he guest starred in a two-part episode of The X-Files called "Dreamland" in which his character, Morris Fletcher, switched bodies with Fox Mulder. The character was a success, and reappeared in 1999's Three of a Kind, an episode which focused on the recurring characters of The Lone Gunmen. The character appeared on their short-lived spin-off series in 2001, and then returned to The X-Files in its final season for an episode called "Jump the Shark". McKean had a regular role as the brassy, heavily made-up bandleader Adrian Van Horhees in Martin Short's Comedy Central series, Primetime Glick, and in 2003, he guest starred on Smallville, the Superman prequel in which his wife stars as Martha Kent. McKean played Perry White, who - in the Superman universe - ultimately becomes Clark Kent's boss. He previously has been related to the Superman myth. In 1994, on the first season episode "Vatman", He played Dr. Fabian Leek, a cloning expert who creates a Superman clone that belonged to corporate mogul Lex Luthor (John Shea). Also, during his short stint on Saturday Night Live, McKean played Perry White in a Superman spoof.

In 2003, he appeared in the Christopher Guest comedy A Mighty Wind. He co-wrote several songs for the film, including A Mighty Wind (with Guest and Eugene Levy), which won the Grammy for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" and A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow (with wife Annette O'Toole), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song.

He was on Broadway in a production of Hairspray in 2004, and is apparently writing his own musical with O'Toole. He was co-starring as Hines in a revival of The Pajama Game with Harry Connick, Jr. at the American Airlines Theatre in the first half of 2006. Also in 2006, McKean reunited with most of the cast of A Mighty Wind to film the comedy For Your Consideration and appeared in the play Love Song on the stage in London.

On March 22, 2006, while Harry Shearer was being interviewed on the Opie and Anthony Radio Show about the movie "Spinal Tap", he stated the following: "Well, Michael McKean had been in a band called 'The Left Banke'. They'd done a hit called 'Walk Away Renée', and 'Pretty Ballerina' was their follow-up that was a semi-hit, and he joined the band right after they had their hits."

McKean was recently cast in the pilot episode of a remake of the British Series, The Thick of It as the chief of staff. The pilot is being directed by Guest.

Recently, McKean starred in the 40th Anniversary Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, co-starring Ian McShane, Raul Esparza, Eve Best, and James Frain. The show opened on December 9, 2007. In 2009, he starred in the Chicago-based Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production of Superior Donuts, by Pulitzer Prize award-winning playwright Tracy Letts.

On January 20, 2010, it was announced that Michael McKean would return to an episode of Smallville alongside real life wife, Annette O'Toole.

On May 7, 2010, it was revealed McKean had won the Celebrity Jeopardy tournament by defeating Jane Curtin and Cheech Marin. The earnings are being donated to the International Myeloma Foundation in honor of McKean's friend Lee Grayson, who died of myeloma in 2004.

In the summer of 2010, McKean took over the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town at the Barrow Street Playhouse in New York's Greenwich Village. His run ended on August 24, 2010.

McKean is set to guest-star on TBS' Glory Daze.

Recurring characters on SNL

Anthony, the weatherman from "Good Morning, Brooklyn"

Celebrity impersonations on SNL

Bill Clinton (after Phil Hartman left at the end of season 19)

Jimmy Carter

Robert Evans

John Tesh

Robert Shapiro

Spalding Gray

Tom Skerritt

Vincent Price

Richard Gephardt

Jeffrey Dahmer

Howard Stern

Donald E. Belfi

Adam West

Elvis Costello

George F. Will

Gary Busey

Patrick Stewart

Filmography

Cracking Up (1977)

1941 (1979)

Used Cars (1980)

Young Doctors in Love (1982)

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) (also writer)

D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

Clue (1985)

Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)

Double Agent (1987)

Light of Day (1987)

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

Portrait of a White Marriage (1988)

Short Circuit 2 (1988)

Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

Hider in the House (1989)

The Big Picture (1989) (also writer)

Flashback (1990)

Book of Love (1990)

True Identity (1991)

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

Man Trouble (1992)

Coneheads (1993)

Airheads (1994)

Radioland Murders (1994)

The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

Across the Moon (1995)

Friends (1995) The One with the List

- (1996)

Edie & Pen (1996)

The Pompatus of Love (1996)

Jack (1996)

No Strings Attached (1997)

That Darn Cat (1997)

Nothing to Lose (1997)

Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1997) as himself (TV series)

Still Breathing (1997)

The Man Who Counted (1998) (short subject)

Spinal Tap: The Final Tour (1998) (short subject)

The Pass (1998)

''The_X-Files - Dreamland (1998)

Small Soldiers (1998) (voice)

Archibald the Rainbow Painter (1998)

With Friends Like These... (1998)

Sugar: The Fall of the West (1998)

Masters of Horror and Suspense (1999)

Kill the Man (1999)

True Crime (1999)

Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)

Mystery, Alaska (1999)

Best in Show (2000)

Beautiful (2000)

Little Nicky (2000)

My First Mister (2001)

Never Again (2001)

Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)

Slap Her... She's French (2002)

Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002)

The Guru (2002)

Auto Focus (2002)

100 Mile Rule (2002)

A Mighty Wind (2003)

And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)

The Producers (2005)

Relative Strangers (2006)

The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006)

For Your Consideration (2006)

Joshua (2007)

The Grand (2007)

Surf's Up (2007) (scenes deleted)

Adventures of Power (2008)

Whatever Works (2009)

Awards

2004 – Academy Award Nomination: Best Song - A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow - (shared with Annette O'Toole)

2004 – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Winner: Best Song - A Mighty Wind - (shared with Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy)

2004 – Golden Satellite Award Nomination: Best Original Song - A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow - (shared with Annette O'Toole)

2004 – Grammy Award Winner: Best Song Written for a Motion Picture - A Mighty Wind - (shared with Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy)

2003 – Seattle Film Critics Award Winner: Best Music - A Mighty Wind - (shared with Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Annette O'Toole, Harry Shearer and Jeffrey C.J. Vanston)

2003 – DVD Exclusive Award Nomination: Best Animated Character Performance - The Hunchback of Notre Dame II - (shared with Ritsuko Notani)

2001 – DVD Exclusive Award Winner: Best DVD Audio Commentary - This Is Spinal Tap - (shared with Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer)

References

External links

Michael McKean at the Internet Broadway Database

Michael McKean - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org

Official The Homecoming on Broadway website

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American composers Category:American film actors Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American screenwriters Category:Songwriters from New York Category:American television actors Category:American television directors Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:Carnegie Mellon University alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from New York Category:People from Nassau County, New York

Name	Jason Alexander
Caption	Alexander in 2008
Birth name	Jason Scott Greenspan
Birth date	September 23, 1959
Birth place	Harrison, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, comedian, singer
Years active	1981 – present
Spouse	Daena E. Title (1982-present) 2 children

Jason Alexander (born September 23, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998. He also has had an active career on the stage, appearing in several Broadway musicals including Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he won the Tony Award as Best Actor in a Musical. He appeared in the Los Angeles production of The Producers with Martin Short. He is the Artistic Director of "Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles", where he has directed several musicals. Alexander is also an avid poker player.

Biography

Early life

Alexander was born Jason Scott Greenspan in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Jewish parents Ruth Minnie (née Simon), a nurse and health care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager. He has a half-sister, Karen Van Horn, and a half-brother, Michael Greenspan. Alexander is a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey. Alexander had a very wheezy voice growing up, primarily because of his asthma. He attended Boston University but left the summer before his senior year, after getting work in New York City. He was later given an honorary degree in 1995. He is a talented magician, and only switched to acting as a career when he realized that he was unlikely to succeed as a magician.

Stage career

Alexander began his acting career on the New York stage and is an accomplished singer and dancer. On Broadway, he appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, Kander & Ebb's The Rink, Neil Simon's Broadway Bound, Accomplice, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway, for which he garnered the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Returning to the stage in 2003, Alexander was cast in a successful run, opposite Martin Short, in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks' The Producers. Alexander also appeared with Kelsey Grammer in the 2004 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. He played Jacob Marley to Grammer's Ebenezer Scrooge.

Alexander continues to appear in live stage shows, including Barbra Streisand's memorable birthday party for Stephen Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl, in which he appeared with Angela Lansbury, performing selections from Sweeney Todd. Alexander was recently named the Artistic Director of Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles, where he previously directed Sunday in the Park with George. He is scheduled to direct the upcoming revival of Damn Yankees at Reprise!

Television

Alexander is best known as one of the key cast members of the award-winning television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), in which he played George Costanza (the Jerry Seinfeld character's best friend since childhood). Concurrently with his Seinfeld role, Alexander provided the voice of the lead character in the cult animated series Duckman (1994–1997). Alexander also voiced Catbert, the evil director of human resources, in the short-lived Dilbert animated series based on the popular comic strip. He made cameo appearances in the second season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing himself. Alexander also appeared in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, along with the other three principal Seinfeld cast members.

Alexander co-starred with George Clooney and Elliot Gould in the short-lived CBS sitcom E/R from 1984-1985. He played Hospital Administrator Harold Stickley.

Alexander also had a part in the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs, as Al "Sexual" Harris (who frequently engaged in sexual harassment). Despite a relatively successful career in film and stage, Alexander never managed to repeat his Seinfeld-level of success in television. 2001 marked his first post-Seinfeld return to prime-time television: the heavily-promoted but short-lived ABC sitcom Bob Patterson (which was canceled after just 5 episodes). Alexander partially blames the lack of success on the mood of the country after 9/11. His second chance as a TV series lead, the CBS sitcom Listen Up! (September 20, 2004 to April 25, 2005), also fell short of a second season. Alexander was also the principal executive producer of the series based very loosely on the life of the popular sports-media personality Tony Kornheiser.

Alexander appears on the CD singing a verse in the song "All Cartoons are Fuckin' Dicks".

He was featured in the Friends episode "The One Where Rosita Dies" as a suicidal supply manager named Earl. Phoebe rings him trying to sell him toner and she learns about his problem and tries to convince him not to commit suicide. This is referred to in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Alexander appears as a neurotic and critical loner called Leonard. He describes himself as free and mentions that he makes money with a job "selling toner over the phone". Also in the episode, he is repeatedly harassed by a man named George - his character's name on Seinfeld.

Alexander appeared in the 1995 TV version of the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie, as Conrad Birdie's agent, Albert Peterson.

Alexander appeared on on the episode "Think Tank" playing a genius alien named Kurros who was trying to get Seven of Nine to serve on his ship.

He appeared in the first episode of the short-lived 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone, playing Death. He featured in the 2005 Monk episode "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective" as Monk's rival, Marty Eels. On the June 26, 2006 episode of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! talk show, Alexander demonstrated several self-defense techniques. He was also the Host of the 230th July 4, 2006 of the PBS July 4 "A Capitol Fourth" Celebrations in Washington, D.C. in which he sang, danced, and played tuned drums.

On August 6, 2006, Alexander signed on to feature as a regular cast member in the second season of Everybody Hates Chris. Alexander was the host of the Comedy Central Roast of actor William Shatner on August 13, 2006 (first airdate: August 20, 2006). In 2007, Alexander was a guest star in the third episode of the improv comedy series Thank God You're Here. He is also a frequent guest and panelist on: Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time shows; Hollywood Squares; the Late Late Show, with both Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson; and, the Late Show with David Letterman.

In 2008, Alexander guest-starred on the CBS show Criminal Minds in the season four episode "Masterpiece" as Prof. Rothchild, a well-educated serial killer obsessed with the Fibonacci sequence who sends the team into a race against time to save his last victims. He returned in the same season to direct the episode "Conflicted", featuring the actor Jackson Rathbone.

Movies

In addition to his roles as a misogynistic lawyer in Pretty Woman, co-starring with Richard Gere, and as the womanizer Mauricio in Shallow Hal, with Jack Black, Alexander has appeared in Love! Valour! Compassion!, Dunston Checks In, The Last Supper and psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder.

He has also dabbled in the art of directing, starting with 1996's For Better or Worse and 1999's Just Looking. He also played the phenomenally successful US toymaker A.C. Gilbert in the 2002 movie: The Man Who Saved Christmas.

On 2009 he has a small roll in the movie as a train station manager, again working next to Richard Gere.

Other work

celebration at the U.S. Capitol in 2006.]] Alexander is also featured in country music star Brad Paisley's music videos "Celebrity" and "Online", the latter of which he directed and won the 2007 Country Music Association's Video of the Year Award.

In January 1995, Alexander did a commercial for Rold Gold pretzels to be broadcast during the Super Bowl. The commercial depicts him with Frasier dog "Eddie" jumping out of an airplane with a parachute over the stadium. After the commercial, the audience is brought back to a supposedly "live feed" of the playing field hearing startled sports commentators as Alexander and the dog land in the field to wild applause.

In the summer of 2005, he appeared with Lee Iacocca in ads for DaimlerChrysler. Lee Iacocca did the ads as part of a way to raise money for Dr. Denise Faustman's research to cure autoimmunity. Both Lee Iacocca and Jason Alexander have had loved ones whose lives have been adversely affected by autoimmunity.

Alexander has also done a McDonald's commercial advertising the McDLT, in which he sings. He has also appeared in KFC commercials, including one with baseball superstar Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants and another one opposite Trista Rehn of The Bachelorette. It was rumored that he no longer appears in these commercials due to the alleged cruelty to animals by KFC suppliers and slaughterhouses, but he refuted that in August 2, 2006 issue of Adweek. Alexander said, "That's PETA bullcrap. I loved working for KFC. I was targeted by PETA to broker something between them. I think KFC really stepped up to the plate; unfortunately PETA did not."

He performed a mentalism and magic act at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California on April 24–30, 2006. He has been awarded the Parlor Magician of the year award at the Castle.

Alexander was the national spokesman for the Scleroderma Foundation, a leading organization dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and assisting those who are afflicted.

He also voiced the character Abis Mal in The Return of Jafar and the television series of Aladdin.

Jason Alexander guest starred in Malcolm in the Middle as an intelligent but unpleasant individual (Lenard) who Malcolm meets in the park. He makes money as a telephone salesman and spends his time playing chess in the park. Malcolm, afraid of ending up like Lenard, tries to get him to change his ways and get a full time job.

In 2007 Alexander appeared in a commercial for the ASPCA, which is currently airing on cable TV stations.

Playing poker

's charity event in the 2009 World Series of Poker]] In recent years, Alexander has also competed on televised poker shows and in various tournaments. He has appeared twice on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, winning the final table of the 8th season. In the process, Alexander won $500,000 for The Human Fund, a charity.

An avid poker player, Jason was also one of the "famous faces" due to being a regular player on the online poker website Hollywood Poker which is run in conjunction with Ongame Network. Alexander also played in the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, but was eliminated on the second day. He returned to play in 2009. He made it to Day 3 of the event, finishing in the top 30% of the field.

Alexander has also appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark in the "Celebrities and Mentors" episode, finishing in 6th place after being eliminated by professional poker player Gavin Smith. He is currently signed with PokerStars where he plays under the screen name "J. Alexander"

Recent appearances

in May 2010]] Jason Alexander was host of the LOL Sudbury opening night Gala in Sudbury, Ontario on May 29, 2008 which was simulcast throughout Canada at 60 Cineplex theaters, a first for any comedy festival.

He has loaned his voice to several episodes of the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas.

Jason Alexander explained on Real Time with Bill Maher (July 17, 2009) that he has visited Israel many times. On his appearance, he spoke about progress towards peace that he has recently observed.

In 2008 and again in 2009, Alexander fronted "Jason Alexander's Comedy Spectacular", a routine exclusive to Australia. The show consists of stand-up and improvisation and incorporates Alexander's Broadway musical talent. He is backed up by a number of well-known Australian comedians. His first time performing a similar show of this nature was in 2006 for "Jason Alexander's Comedy Christmas."

In February/March 2010, Alexander will be starring in his own show: "The Donny Clay Experience" at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Donny Clay character, which he has performed in a tour of the United States, is a self-help guru in a similar mold to Bob Patterson.

It was announced in July 2010 that Alexander would be joining the cast of the new Nickelodeon film based on their series The Fairly Oddparents, A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up Timmy Turner!. He will serve as the voice of Cosmo, one of the main character's (Timmy) godfather.

Personal life

He has been married to Daena E. Title since May 31, 1982. They have two sons, Gabriel (b. May 1992) and Noah (b. February 1996).

On January 6, 2010, it was announced that Jason is the new face of the weight loss company, Jenny Craig.

Jason has been a prominent public supporter of the OneVoice initiative, which seeks out opinions from moderate Israelis and Palestinians who want to achieve a mutual peace agreement between their societies.

Filmography

The Burning - Dave (1981)

Senior Trip - Pete (1981)

The Mosquito Coast - Clerk (1986)

Brighton Beach Memoirs - Pool Player (1986)

Seinfeld - George Costanza (1989 - 1998)

Pretty Woman - Philip Stuckey (1990)

White Palace - Neil (1990)

Jacob's Ladder - Geary (1990)

I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore - Bernie Fishbine (1992)

Coneheads - Neighbor Larry Farber (1993)

Sexual Healing (1993)

For Goodness Sake (1993)

Chance and things (1994) Channy's brother Sam.

Duckman - Duckman - voice (1994–1997)

The Paper - Marion Sandusky (1994)

North (1994)

Blankman (1994)

The Return of Jafar - Abis Mal - voice (1994)

Bye Bye Birdie - Albert (1995)

The Last Supper (1995)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Hugo- (voice) (1996)

Dunston Checks In (1996)

For Better Or Worse (1996)

Love! Valour! Compassion! - Buzz Hauser (1997)

Cinderella - Lionel (1997)

Denial - Art Witz (1998)

Dilbert - Catbert - voice (1999–2000)

Love and Action in Chicago - Frank Bonner (1999)

Star Trek Voyager - Kurros (1999) (Season 5 Episode 20, original airdate April 1, 1999)

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle - Boris Badenov (2000)

The Trumpet of the Swan - voice (2001)

Shallow Hal - Mauricio Wilson (2001)

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Himself (2001,2009)

Friends - Earl (The One Where Rosita Dies) (2001)

Bob Patterson - Bob Patterson (2001)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II - voice (2002)

The Man Who Saved Christmas (2002)

- Lightning - voice (2002)

Malcolm in the Middle - Lenard - (2003)

A Christmas Carol - Jacob Marley (2004)

Listen Up! (2004–2005)

Monk (2005) - Marty Eels in Mr. Monk and the Other Detective

How to Go Out on a Date in Queens - Johnny (2006)

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror - British Record Executive (2006)

Everybody Hates Chris - Principal of School (2006–2007)

Ira and Abby - Psychologist

Thank God You're Here! - Improv comedy (2007)

The New Adventures of Old Christine (2008)

Criminal Minds (2008)

Meteor - Dr. Chetwyn (2009)

- Carl (2009)

The Cleveland Show - Saul Friedman (2010)

- Cosmo (live-action TV movie)

References

External links

A 1999 Interview about his 1981 Broadway role in Merrily We Roll Along

Category:1959 births Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American magicians Category:American male singers Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American television actors Category:American television directors Category:Boston University Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:Jewish singers Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Newark, New Jersey Category:Tony Award winners

Name	Donny Osmond
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Donald Clark Osmond
Born	December 09, 1957
Origin	Ogden, Utah, U.S.
Genre	Vocal, pop, rock, R&B;, bubblegum, blue-eyed soul, comedy, musical theatre
Occupation	Singer, musician, actor, presenter, former teen idol
Years active	1961–present
Label	Universal
Associated acts	Marie Osmond, The Osmonds
Url

Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, musician, actor and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk show and game show host, record producer, race car driver, and author. In the mid 1960s, he and his four elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long running variety program, The Andy Williams Show. Donny went solo in the early 1970s covering such hits as Go Away Little Girl and Puppy Love. From 1974, he was best known as half of the brother-sister singing duet Donny & Marie, with a four-year variety series of their own on ABC from 1978. Between a highly successful teen career in the 1970s and a rebirth in the 1990s, the singer/actor's career was to some extent stymied in the 1980s by what was sometimes perceived as his former 'boy scout' image. Osmond stated on the May 1, 2009 Larry King Live show, that Michael Jackson had suggested he change his name to overcome this. Osmond's agent even suggested that spreading false rumors about drug arrest charges might boost his career. In 1989, Osmond had two big-selling recordings, the first of which, Soldier of Love (Donny Osmond song), was initially credited to a 'mystery artist' by some radio stations. From 1992-1997 Osmond played Joseph in the Toronto production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Creator Andrew Lloyd Webber, impressed by Osmond's talents and the show's long run, chose him for the 1999 film version (which also starred Richard Attenborough as Jacob). On November 24, 2009, two weeks shy of his 52nd birthday, Osmond was crowned Dancing with the Stars season nine champion.

Early life

Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah, the seventh son of Olive May Osmond (née Davis) and George Virl Osmond. He is the brother of Alan, Jay, Jimmy, Merrill, Wayne, Marie, Tom, and Virl Osmond. Alan, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, and Donny were members of the popular singing group The Osmonds (also known as The Osmond Brothers, which later included tracks with youngest brother Jimmy as well). Donny was raised as a Mormon in Utah along with his siblings. Osmond later traced his family ancestry back to Merthyr Tydfil in Wales; his journey was documented in a BBC Wales program, Donny Osmond Coming Home. On the BBC's The One Show a plaque was unveiled in the town commemorating 'the ancestors of Donny Osmond'.

Music career

Teen idol: 1971 — 1978

The father of Andy Williams saw the Osmond Brothers (Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay) perform at Disneyland as a barbershop quartet. In short order, the group was invited to audition for The Andy Williams Show. They soon became regulars on the show and gained popularity quickly. Donny made his debut on the show at the age of 5 singing "You Are My Sunshine". The brothers continued to perform on the show throughout the 1960s along with a few visits from their sister Marie.

Donny became a teen idol in the early 1970s as a solo singer, while continuing to sing with his older brothers. He, Bobby Sherman, and David Cassidy were the biggest "Cover Boy" pop stars for Tiger Beat magazine in the early 1970s. He had his first solo hit with "Sweet and Innocent", which peaked at #7 in the U.S. in 1971. His solo songs "Go Away Little Girl" (1971) (#1 in the U.S.), "Puppy Love" (U.S. #3), and "Hey Girl/I Knew You When" (U.S. #9) (1972) vaulted him into international fame. The fame was further advanced by his appearance on the Here's Lucy show, where he sang "Too Young" to Lucille Ball's niece, played by Eve Plumb, and sang with Lucie Arnaz ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again").

Comeback: 1989 — 1990

In the 1980s, Osmond re-invented himself as a solo vocal artist and abandoned the earlier television show image crafted to appeal to young viewers. He made an unlikely appearance as one of several celebrities and unknowns auditioning to sing for guitarist Jeff Beck in the video for Beck's 1985 single "Ambitious", followed in 1986 by an equally unlikely cameo in the animated Luis Cardenas music video Runaway. He spent several years as a performer, before hiring the services of music and entertainment guru Steven Machat, who got Donny together with Peter Gabriel to see whether Machat and Gabriel were really alchemist. Whether they could turn the Tv image of Osmond into a contemporary young pop act. They succeeded with the hit song Soldier of Love. Returning to the US charts in 1989 with the Billboard Hot 100 #2 song "Soldier of Love" and its top twenty follow-up "Sacred Emotion". The campaign to market "Soldier Of Love" received considerable airplay with the singer being presented as a 'mystery artist', before his identity was later revealed. Launching an extensive tour in support of the Eyes Don't Lie record, he enlisted Earth Wind & Fire and Kenny Loggins guitarist Dick Smith along with keyboardist Marc Jackson.

Donny was often reluctant to perform his earliest songs, in particular "Go Away Little Girl", but was convinced to sing the song live for KLOS-FM's 'Mark & Brian Christmas Show' on December 21, 1990.

Current music career: 1991 — 2010

Osmond was the guest vocalist on Dweezil Zappa's star-studded version of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" which appeared on Zappa's 1991 album Confessions. The song also included guitar solos from Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Warren DeMartini, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tim Pierce. Osmond sang "No One Has To Be Alone", but the song was heard at the end of the film . He also sang "I'll Make a Man Out of You" for Disney's Mulan

In the 2000s, he released a Christmas album, an album of his favorite Broadway songs, and a compilation of popular love songs. In 2004, he returned to the UK Top 10 for the first time as a solo artist since 1973, with the George Benson-sampling "Breeze On By", co-written with former teen idol Gary Barlow, from the 1990s UK boy band Take That, reaching number 8.

In early 2011 he is scheduled to record a new album with legendary producer Todd Rundgren.

Donny & Marie in Las Vegas

Following Marie's stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2007, the pair teamed up for a limited engagement in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Beginning September 2008, Donny and Marie began playing the 750-seat showroom at the Flamingo Hotel. "Donny & Marie" is a 90-minute variety show. The singing siblings are backed by eight dancers and a nine piece band. Donny and Marie sing together at the beginning and end of the show, and have solo segments in between. Patrons who purchase VIP tickets get to meet Donny and Marie after the show. "Donny & Marie" will appear Tuesday through Saturday (except for hiatus) through October 2010. On July 30, 2009, Donny and Marie made an official announcement on NBC's Today Show that they had just extended their contract for another 2 years, to go until October 2012.

Film and television

Hosting

Donny & Marie

In the mid 1970s, he and Marie co-hosted an episode of The Mike Douglas Show, and were then offered a show of their own, The Donny & Marie Show, a television variety series which aired on ABC between 1976 and 1979.

Donny also co-hosted together in 20 years. Though ratings were high and they were nominated for an award as best talk show, the series was canceled. In a 1999 episode featuring Jefferson Starship promoting their album Windows of Heaven, the hosts performed a rendition of "Volunteers" live with the band.

Other hosting opportunities

Osmond went on to host Pyramid, a syndicated version of the Dick Clark-hosted television game show that ran two seasons in the US from 2002–2004, and a British version of Pyramid on Challenge in 2007.

Osmond returned to ABC as host of The Great American Dream Vote, a prime-time reality/game show that debuted in March, 2007. After earning lackluster ratings in its first two episodes, the program was cancelled.

Osmond hosted the British version of the game show Identity on BBC Two during the daytime.

On April 11, 2008, Osmond also hosted the 2008 Miss USA pageant along with his sister Marie from Las Vegas.

Osmond appeared on Entertainment Tonight as a commentator covering the ABC show Dancing with the Stars during his sister Marie's run as a contestant on the 5th season of the American version of the popular show in Fall of 2007. He was seen at week 7 of the competition in tears in the audience watching Marie do a rumba after his and Marie's father died.

Music

Osmond's name was used in the lyrics of Alice Coopers song "Department of Youth" near the end. Cooper asks the kids doing the background vocals "who gave them the power", where the kids reply "Donny Osmond".

Musical theatre

His first foray into Broadway musical theatre was the lead role in a revival of the 1904 George M. Cohan show Little Johnny Jones. Osmond replaced another former teen idol, David Cassidy, who received negative reviews while the show was on its pre-Broadway tour. After 29 previews and only 1 performance, the show closed on March 21, 1982.

Osmond found success in musical theatre through much of the 1990s when he starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for over 2,000 performances. During his performances for the musical, he suffered from Social Anxiety Disorder, which caused him to feel light-headed and extremely nervous during his performances.

He returned to Broadway on September 19, 2006, in the role of Gaston in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. He was scheduled to perform for nine weeks but due to popular demand he extended his run through December 24. Liz Smith of the New York Post wrote "I am here to tell you he is charmingly campy, good-looking and grand as the villain "Gaston", patterned after our old friend Elvis and noting "Donny is divine". On July 29, 2007, Osmond played Gaston again for the final performance of Beauty and the Beast.

Donny and his sister Marie recently starred in a new holiday production called Donny & Marie - A Broadway Christmas, which was originally scheduled to play on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre from December 9 - 19, 2010. The show was then extended till December 30, 2010 and again till January 2, 2011.

Film

In the animated television series Johnny Bravo, Osmond voiced himself as a recurring character. He has also done guest spots on numerous other television shows such as Friends, , and Hannah Montana. He also appeared in a Pepsi Twist commercial during the Super Bowl with his sister, Marie, and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.

In 1998, Donny Osmond was chosen to be the singing voice of Shang in Walt Disney's Mulan. He sang "I'll Make a Man Out of You".

Also in 1998, he starred in the movie version of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber's request who said, "to me there is no better selection". In addition to playing the role of Joseph, he played with a cobra snake puppet during the "Poor, Poor Joseph" musical number.

Osmond remarked in an interview recently that with his movie appearance on College Road Trip and upcoming appearances on two Disney Channel shows that he would coming about full circle since he and his family were discovered by Walt Disney.

Osmond appears in the music video of "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "White & Nerdy". The song is a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'"; Osmond's role is analogous to that of Krayzie Bone's role in the original video. Yankovic asked Osmond to appear because "if you have to have a white and nerdy icon in your video, like who else do you go for?"

Dancing with the Stars

Osmond and professional Kym Johnson were paired for the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars; he participated in the show to prove he was a better dancer than his sister. It was very difficult for him to manage to get to rehearsals and host his show in Las Vegas with sister Marie. For the first week, the two were assigned to dance a Foxtrot and a 30-second Salsa. His Foxtrot was said to be "too theatrical" and was scored 20/30 from the judges. He however managed to maintain a good score when his Salsa scored 10 points and was safe that week. He danced a Jive the following week which was guest judged by Baz Luhrman. He scored 25 and was scored 2nd place, called first to be safe. That following week he danced a Rumba and scored 21. After his comments he "attacked" openly homosexual judge Bruno Tonioli, first kissing him, before embracing him and tipping him back in a mock-passionate move after Bruno called Donny's dance "a bit airy fairy". The following week introduced 4 new dances including the Charleston which he danced and scored 24. That following week, the two danced an Argentine Tango which scored 29/30, the highest scored dance to date until it was beaten by then leader topping scorer and future runner-up Mýa and her 70s-themed Samba. He had also received that week's encore. Following that week, Osmond and Johnson danced a train-station themed Jitterbug and was scored a 24. He then danced a Mambo against all couples and was eliminated 6th receiving 7 points for a total of 31/40. The following week, he danced a Quickstep which he quotes "was one of the worst moments of my life" and scored 24 and a Team Tango along with Joanna Krupa and Kelly Osbourne and received 28/30 and the encore. In the 8th week of competition, Osmond was required to dance a Ballroom and decade-themed Latin dance. His Ballroom Viennese Waltz received 26 but his 1980's themed Paso Doble received 24 being quoted by judge Len Goodman as "the most scariest, bizarre Paso Doble we've ever seen" being awarded last place on the judges' leaderboard for the first time. Following that week, he danced a Tango and got advice from past runner-up Gilles Marini. He got tangled in Johnson's dress and received 21 and saying the cause was that "I saw Marie". He then danced a samba to a song originally recorded by his brothers and himself called "One Bad Apple", receiving 26 and a Jitterbug scored 27. He once again was scored last place. For the finals week, he danced a Cha-Cha-Cha (27), a Megamix dance alongside Mya and Kelly Osbourne (28), the only perfect-scoring Freestyle (30) and a repeat of his Argentine Tango (30) and won. As he accepted his trophy, he hugged fellow finalist Mya and grabbed sister Marie on stage.

Other projects

Donny and Marie were part of a Pepsi Twist commercial in 2006 with the Osbourne family. Osmond appeared in the North American version commercial for the PlayStation 2 video game Buzz! the Mega Quiz.

Donny and Marie began a six month run as the new headlining act at the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas, on September 9, 2008. On October 27, 2008, the Flamingo announced that Donny and Marie's contract had been extended until October 2010. Then on July 30, 2009, Donny & Marie made an announcement on NBC's Today Show that they had again extended their contract to go until October 2012.

On the 15th December 2009, he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show, along with his sister, Marie, being interviewed by the Channel 4 resident dinner lady, Susan.

Image struggle

Osmond states that he has had a tremendous public image struggle since Donny & Marie ended in 1979. He has been described as "unhip", as a "boy scout", and has been the butt of innumerable jokes, including appearing in "White and Nerdy" because Yankovic said he was the whitest guy he could think of. His image has seemed such a liability that one professional publicist even suggested that Osmond purposefully get arrested for drug possession in order to change his image. In March 2010, Osmond criticized Lady Gaga and Beyoncé for using profanity and sex in their Telephone video.

Personal life

Osmond married Debra Glenn on May 8, 1978, at the LDS Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together they have five sons: Donald Clark Osmond, Jr. (b. July 31, 1979), Jeremy James Osmond (b. June 8, 1981), Brandon Michael Osmond (b. January 29, 1985), Christopher Glenn Osmond (b. December 12, 1990), and Joshua Davis Osmond (b. February 16, 1998).

Osmond became a grandfather on August 21, 2005, when his second son Jeremy and daughter-in-law Melisa (married 2002) had a son, Dylan James Osmond. His granddaughter Emery Anne was born on February 25, 2008. Osmond's third son Brandon married Shelby Hansen in 2008. Their son, Daxton Michael was born on June 28, 2010. Donny's son, Don Osmond Jr, married Jessica Nelson on October 2, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah at a ceremony in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.

Like the rest of his family, he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In retrospect, he has written, "It would have been nice to be able to have served a regular full-time mission, but when I was of that age, my career was such that everyone, including my parents and the leaders of the church, thought that I could do a lot of good in the world by continuing being in the public eye, by living an exemplary life and sharing my beliefs in every way that I could". He continues sharing his beliefs in an extensive letters-and-comments portion of his website.

In the aftermath of Proposition 8 in California, which received large Mormon support, Osmond stated that he opposes same-sex marriage but that he condemns homophobia. He believes that homosexual and lesbian Mormons should be accepted in the church if they remain celibate.

He has stated on his website that:

Discography

References

External links

Interview on Reel.com

Donny Osmond Interview on Fox News Radio

Donny Osmond in I Dreamed A Dream: The Susan Boyle Story

Osmondheaven Popular Fan Site

Category:1957 births Category:Actors from Utah Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American pop singers

Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:MGM Records artists Category:Musicians from Utah Category:People from Ogden, Utah Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:Dancing with the Stars (US TV series) participants Category:Reality show winners Category:American child singers Category:American musical theatre actors Category:The Osmonds members

Name	David Letterman
Caption	Speaking at the opening of the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute (September 2009)
Pseudonym	Earl Hofert
Birth name	David Michael Letterman
Birth date	April 12, 1947
Birth place	Indianapolis, Indiana
Notable work	Host of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC)Host of Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Signature	David Letterman Autograph.svg

}} David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Only Letterman's friend and mentor Johnny Carson has had a longer late-night hosting career. was a florist; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays. He has an older sister Janice and a younger sister Gretchen.

Letterman lived on the north side of Indianapolis (Broad Ripple area), not far from Speedway, IN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers. In 2000, he told an interviewer for Esquire that, while growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Harry Joseph Letterman survived a heart attack at age 36, when David was a young boy. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up. The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack at age 57.

Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple High School at the same time as Marilyn Tucker Quayle (wife of the former Vice President) who lived nearby, and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas supermarket. According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and he graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television, in 1969. A self-described average student, Letterman endowed a scholarship for what he called "C students" at Ball State.

Though he registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from College, he avoided military service in Vietnam due to receiving a draft lottery number of 352 (out of 365).

Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana public radio. He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence.

Letterman credits Paul Dixon—host of the Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while Letterman was growing up—for inspiring his choice of career: :"I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all the sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"

Weatherman

Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as a local anchor and weatherman. He received some recognition for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams." (To this day he occasionally gives out canned hams on his show). He would also occasionally report the weather and the day's very high and low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree and surrounding areas."). He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs), and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power," in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.

In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500.

Move to Los Angeles

In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with hope of becoming a comedy writer. He started off by writing material for comedian Jimmie Walker. He also began performing stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, a famed comedy club and proving ground for young comics.

Letterman appeared in the summer of 1977 on the short-lived Starland Vocal Band Show. He has since joked about how fortunate he was that nobody would ever see his performance on the program (due to its low ratings).

Letterman had a stint as a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, Mary; a guest appearance on Mork & Mindy (as a parody of EST leader Werner Erhard); and appearances on game shows such as The $20,000 Pyramid, The Gong Show, Password Plus and Liar's Club. He also hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled The Riddlers that was never picked up. His dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Letterman was soon a regular guest on the show. Letterman became a favorite of Carson's and was a regular guest host for the show beginning in 1978. Letterman personally credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.

NBC

Morning show

On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given his own morning comedy show on NBC, The David Letterman Show. It was originally 90 minutes long, but was shortened to 60 minutes in August. The show was a critical success, winning two Emmy Awards, but was a ratings disappointment and was canceled in October 1980.

Late Night with David Letterman

NBC kept Letterman under contract to try him in a different time slot. Late Night with David Letterman debuted February 1, 1982; the first guest on the first show was Bill Murray. The show ran weeknights at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an interviewer was borne out in verbal sparring matches with Cher (who even called him an asshole on the show), Shirley MacLaine, Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The show also featured inventive comedy segments and running characters, in a style heavily influenced by the 1950s and '60s programs of Steve Allen. Although Ernie Kovacs is often cited as an influence on the show, Letterman has denied this. In the final months of his first stint as host of The Tonight Show, Leno beat Letterman in the ratings by a 1.3 million viewer margin (5.2 million to 3.9 million), and Nightline and The Late Show were virtually tied. Once O'Brien took over Tonight, however, Letterman closed the gap in the ratings. O'Brien initially drove the median age of Tonight Show viewers from 55 to 45, with most older viewers opting to watch The Late Show instead.

Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning twelve times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993–2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality twelve times. Leno was higher than Letterman on that poll three times during the same period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.

Hosting the Academy Awards

On March 27, 1995, Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Critics blasted Letterman for what they deemed a poor hosting of the Oscars, noting that his irreverent style undermined the traditional importance and glamor of the event. In a joke about their unusual names (inspired by a similar joke by Woody Allen), he started off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then the both of them to Keanu Reeves: "Uma...Oprah! Oprah...Uma! Oprah, Uma...Keanu!" This and many of his other jokes fell flat. Although Letterman attracted the highest ratings to the annual telecast since 1983, many felt that the bad publicity garnered by Letterman's hosting caused a decline in the Late Show's ratings.

Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show after the Oscars, he joked, "Looking back, I had no idea that thing was being televised." He lampooned his stint in the following year, during Billy Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which also parodied the plane-crashing scenes from that year's chief nominated film, The English Patient.

For years afterward, Letterman recounted his horrible hosting at the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still holds Letterman in high regard and it has been rumored they have asked him to host the Oscars again. On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premier of the 14th season of The View, and confirmed the rumors.

Heart surgery hiatus

On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely constricted. He was rushed to emergency surgery for a quintuple bypass.

During the initial weeks of his recovery, reruns of the Late Show were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman including Drew Barrymore, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who frequently appears on the show. In a show of emotion, Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination. For a number of episodes, Letterman continued to crack jokes about his bypass, including saying, "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what happened to me when I didn't get The Tonight Show! It's a whole different thing." In a later running gag he lobbied his home state of Indiana to rename the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass." He also featured a montage of faux news coverage of his bypass surgery, which included a clip of Dave's heart for sale on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors and nurses. In 2008, a Rolling Stone interview stated "he hosted a doctor and nurse who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his life in 2000. 'These are people who were complete strangers when they opened my chest,' he says. 'And now, eight years later, they're among my best friends.' "

Additionally, Letterman invited the band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong", introducing them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song." During a later Foo Fighters appearance, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle of a South American tour which they canceled to come play on his comeback episode.

Letterman again handed over the reins of the show to several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson and bandleader Paul Shaffer) in February 2003, when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles. Later that year, Letterman made regular use of guest hosts—including Tom Arnold and Kelsey Grammer—for new shows broadcast on Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler—who had been scheduled to be the lead guest—served as a guest host while Letterman was ill with a stomach virus.

Re-signing with CBS

In March 2002, as Letterman's contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program Nightline with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested as he believed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to weaker lead-ins from the network's late local news programs, but was reluctant to replace Koppel. Letterman addressed his decision to re-sign on the air, stating that he was content at CBS and that he had great respect for Koppel.

On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that David Letterman signed a new contract to host The Late Show with David Letterman through the fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," said Letterman. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute." Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling up his right pants leg, revealing a tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.

"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on the map and in the process became one of the defining icons of our network," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the Late Show puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment. We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS 'home.'"

According to a 2007 article in Forbes magazine, Letterman earned $40 million a year. A 2009 article in The New York Times, however, said his salary was estimated at $32 million per year.

In June 2009, Letterman and CBS reached agreement to extend his contract to host The Late Show until August 2012. His previous contract had been set to expire in 2010. thus allowing his show to come back on air on January 2, 2008. On his first episode since being off air, he surprised the viewing audience with his newly grown beard, which signified solidarity with the strike. His beard was shaved off during the show on January 7, 2008.

Letterman and Carson

NBC's decision to select Jay Leno and not Letterman to succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show was an embarrassment to Carson, who had all but promised the succession to Letterman. Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called The Late Shift, based on a book by New York Times reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the coveted Tonight Show hosting spot. Letterman would mock the film for months afterward, specifically on how the actor playing him, John Michael Higgins, did not resemble him in the least. ("They took a guy who looked nothing like me and with make-up and special camera angles, turned him into a guy who looked nothing like me, with red hair.")

Carson later made a few cameo appearances as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance came May 13, 1994 on a Late Show episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a surprise appearance during a 'Top 10 list' segment. The audience went wild as Letterman stood up and proudly invited Carson to sit at his desk. The applause was so protracted that Carson was unable to say anything, and he finally returned backstage as the applause continued (it was later explained that Carson had laryngitis, though Carson can be heard talking to Letterman during his appearance).

In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson still kept up with current events and late-night TV right up to his death that year, and that he occasionally sent jokes to Letterman, who used these jokes in his monologue; according to CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally (a onetime producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it." Letterman would do a characteristic Johnny Carson golf swing after delivering one of Carson's jokes. In a tribute to Carson, all of the opening monologue jokes during the first show following Carson's death were written by Carson.

Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor." Letterman also frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band" and the "Week in Review."

Letterman and Oprah Winfrey

On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He shared pictures of his son and live-in girlfriend. The so-called feud between Letterman and Winfrey apparently ended in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on December 2, in an event Letterman jokingly referred to as "the Super Bowl of Love". Oprah had previously appeared on Letterman's show when he was hosting NBC's Late Night on May 2, 1989.

Winfrey and Letterman also appeared together in a Late Show promo that aired during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLI in February 2007, with the two sitting next to each other on the couch watching the game. Since the game was played between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis-born Letterman wears a Peyton Manning jersey, while Winfrey—who tapes her show in Chicago—is in a Brian Urlacher jersey. Three years later, during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, the two appeared again, this time with Winfrey sitting on a couch between Letterman and Jay Leno. The appearance was Letterman's idea: Leno flew to New York City in an NBC corporate jet, sneaking into the Ed Sullivan Theater during the Late Show's February 4 taping wearing a disguise, meeting Winfrey and Letterman at a living room set created in the theater's balcony where they taped their promo.

Other projects

Worldwide Pants

Letterman started his own production company—Worldwide Pants Incorporated—which produced his show and several others, including Everybody Loves Raymond , The Late Late Show, and several critically-acclaimed, but short-lived television series for Bonnie Hunt. Worldwide Pants also produced the dramedy program Ed, which aired on NBC from 2000–2004. It was Letterman's first association with NBC since he left the network in 1993. During Ed's run, the star, Tom Cavanagh, appeared as a guest on The Late Show several times.

In 2005, Worldwide Pants produced its first feature film, Strangers with Candy, which was a prequel to the Comedy Central TV series of the same title. In 2007, Worldwide Pants produced the ABC comedy series, Knights of Prosperity.

Worldwide Pants made significant news in December 2007 when it was announced that Letterman's company had independently negotiated its own contract with the Writers Guild of America, East, thus allowing Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and their writers to return to work, while the union continued its strike against production companies, networks and studios who had not reached an agreement.

Rahal Letterman Racing

Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series, and part-time in the Indy Racing League. It is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and Letterman himself, and is based in Hilliard, Ohio. The team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with driver Buddy Rice. Letterman was a pit reporter for ABC in the 1971 Indianapolis 500. The $21 million, David Letterman Communication and Media Building opened for the 2007 Fall semester. It features state-of-the-art recording equipment and facilities. Thousands of Ball State students, faculty, and local residents welcomed Letterman back to Indiana. Letterman's emotional speech touched on his struggles as a college student and his late father, and also included the "top ten good things about having your name on a building."

Letterman received the honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. Letterman finished with, "If reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."

Letterman also received a Sagamore of the Wabash from Governor Mitch Daniels.

Record company

In late April 2010, several music industry websites reported that David Letterman started a record label named Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and signed his first artist, Runner Runner. Lucy Walsh announced on her myspace page that she has been signed by David Letterman and Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and is working on her album.

Appearances in other media

Letterman appeared in issue 239 of the Marvel comic book The Avengers, in which the title characters are guests on Late Night. A parody of Letterman, called "David Endocrine", is gassed to death along with his bandleader named "Paul" and their audience in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from My Ride's Here, and provided the voice for Butt-head's father in the 1996 animated film, Beavis and Butt-head Do America. He also had a cameo in the feature film Cabin Boy, with Chris Elliott, who worked as a writer on Letterman's show. In this and other appearances, Letterman is listed in the credits as "Earl Hofert", the name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. He also appeared as himself in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts as well as the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, in a few episodes of Garry Shandling's 1990s TV series The Larry Sanders Show and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. Letterman also appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast".

Personal life

Marriages and long-term relationships

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. In fact, Markoe was the mind behind several Late Night staples, such as "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".

Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph Letterman (born in 2003), with Regina Lasko. Harry is named after Letterman's father. In 2005, police discovered a plot to kidnap Harry Letterman and ransom him for $5 million. Kelly Frank, a house painter who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.

Letterman and Lasko, who had been together since 1986, wed during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, on March 19, 2009. Letterman announced the marriage during the taping of his March 23 show, shortly after congratulating Bruce Willis for getting married the previous week. Letterman told the audience he nearly missed the ceremony because his truck became stuck in mud two miles from their house. The family resides in North Salem, New York, on a estate.

Stalking incidents

Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Mary Ray, a woman suffering from schizophrenia. Letterman occasionally referenced her in his show, although not by name. She committed suicide in 1998. Letterman publicly expressed sympathy upon her death.

Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs

On his October 1, 2009 show, Letterman announced that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of his female employees. He confirmed the relationships.

Letterman stated that three weeks earlier (on September 9, 2009) someone had left a package in his car with material he said he would write into a screenplay and a book if Letterman did not pay him $2 million. Letterman said that he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's office, ultimately cooperating with them to conduct a sting operation involving giving the man a phony check. The extortionist, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series 48 Hours, was subsequently arrested after trying to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009. Birkitt had until recently lived with Halderman, who is alleged to have copied Birkitt's personal diary and to have used it, along with private emails, in the blackmail package.

On October 3, 2009, a former CBS employee, Holly Hester, announced that she and Letterman had engaged in a year-long "secret" affair in the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student at New York University.

In the days following the initial announcement of the affairs and the arrest, several prominent women, including Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of NBC's Today Show, and NBC news anchor Ann Curry questioned whether Letterman's affairs with subordinates created an unfair working environment. A spokesman for Worldwide Pants said that the company's sexual harassment policy did not prohibit sexual relationships between managers and employees. According to business news reporter Eve Tahmincioglu, "CBS suppliers are supposed to follow the company's business conduct policies" and the CBS 2008 Business Conduct Statement states that "If a consenting romantic or sexual relationship between a supervisor and a direct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose this information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department..."

On October 5, 2009, Letterman devoted a segment of his show to a public apology to his wife and staff. Three days later, Worldwide Pants announced that Birkitt had been placed on a "paid leave of absence" from the Late Show. On October 15, CBS News announced that the company's Chief Investigative Correspondent, Armen Keteyian, had been assigned to conduct an "in-depth investigation" into Halderman's blackmail of Letterman.

On March 9, 2010, Halderman pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.

Awards

In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, David Letterman is among the most nominated people in Emmy Award history with 52 nominations, winning two Daytime Emmys and five Primetime Emmys since 1981. His nomination record is second only to producer Jac Venza, who holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual (57). Letterman has been nominated every year since 1984, when he first appeared on late night television as the host of Late Night with David Letterman. Additionally, he has won four American Comedy Awards.

References

External links

David Letterman's Feb. 24, 1978 appearance on 90 Minutes Live

Official Late Show biography

1999 article on Letterman from Salon.com

Tape of Letterman announcing affairs/extortion attempt on Late Show

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American people of German descent Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Indianapolis, Indiana television anchors Category:Indy Racing League owners Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Weather presenters