Vodka (, ) is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits.

Traditionally prepared vodkas had an alcoholic content of 38% by volume. Today, the standard Polish, Russian and Lithuanian vodkas are 40% abv (80 proof), although many non-export Russian brands are sold at 38%. The European Union has established a minimum of 37.5% alcohol by volume content for any ''European vodka'' to be named as such. Products sold as vodka in the United States must have an alcoholic content of 40% or more. Homemade vodka, referred to as "samogon" in Russia and Ukraine, sometimes has an ABV as high as 62%.

Vodka is traditionally drunk neat in the vodka belt countries of Eastern Europe and around the Baltic Sea. It is also commonly used in cocktails and mixed drinks, such as the Bloody Mary, the Screwdriver, the Sex on the Beach, the White Russian, the Black Russian, the vodka tonic, and the vodka martini.

Etymology

The name "vodka" is a diminutive form of the Slavic word ''voda'' (water), interpreted as ''little water'': root вод- (''vod-'') [water] + -к- (''-k-'') [ diminutive suffix, among other functions]) + ''-a'' [ postfix of feminine gender ].

The word "vodka" was recorded for the first time in 1405 in ''Akta Grodzkie'', the court documents from the Palatinate of Sandomierz in Poland. At the time, the word vodka (wódka), referred to chemical compounds such as medicines and cosmetics' cleansers, while the popular beverage was called gorzałka (from the Old Polish ''gorzeć'' meaning ''to burn''), which is also the source of Ukrainian ''horilka'' (горілка). The word ''vodka'' written in the Cyrillic alphabet appeared first in 1533, in relation to a medicinal drink brought from Poland to Russia by the merchants of Kievan Rus'.

A number of Russian pharmaceutical lists contain the terms "vodka of grain wine" (водка хлебного вина ''vodka khlebnogo vina'') and "vodka in half of grain wine" (водка полу хлебного вина ''vodka polu khlebnogo vina''). As alcohol had long been used as a basis for medicines, this implies that the term vodka could be a noun derived from the verb ''vodit’'', ''razvodit’'' (водить, разводить), "to dilute with water". ''Grain wine'' was a spirit distilled from alcohol made from grain (as opposed to ''grape wine'') and hence "vodka of grain wine" would be a water dilution of a distilled grain spirit.

While the word could be found in manuscripts and in ''lubok'' (лубок, pictures with text explaining the plot, a Russian predecessor of the comic), it began to appear in Russian dictionaries in the mid-19th century.

Another possible connection of "vodka" with "water" is the name of the medieval alcoholic beverage aqua vitae (Latin, literally, "water of life"), which is reflected in Polish "okowita", Ukrainian ''оковита'', Belarusian ''акавіта'', and Scandinavian ''akvavit''. (Note that whisky has a similar etymology, from the Irish/Scottish Gaelic ''uisce beatha''/uisge-beatha''.)

People in the area of vodka's probable origin have names for vodka with roots meaning "to burn": ; ; ; ; ; Samogitian: degtėnė, is also in use, colloquially and in proverbs); ; . In Russian during 17th and 18th century горящѣе вино (''goryashchee vino'', "burning wine") was widely used. Compare to German "Branntwein", Danish; brændevin; ; ; (although the latter terms refer to any strong alcoholic beverage).

Another Slavic archaic term for hard liquors, and its derivatives in other languages, was "green wine" (Russian: ''zelyonoye vino'', Lithuanian: ''žalias vynas'').

History

According to the Gin and Vodka Association (GVA), the first documented production of vodka, stemming from the Russian word 'voda' meaning water, was in Russia in the late 9th century. The first known vodka distillery was documented almost two hundred years later at Khylnovsk, Russia, as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Poland lays claim to having distilled vodka even earlier in the 8th century but as this was a distillation of wine it would be more appropriate to consider it a crude brandy. What could be identified as vodka first appeared in Poland in the 11th century when they were called ''gorzalka'', originally used as medicines. ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' writes that vodka originated in Russia during the 14th century, first brewed Sydnayaska Krueger of the Krueger Family, which later evolved into the company now known as Smirnoff.

For many centuries beverages contained little alcohol. It is estimated that the maximum amount was about 14% as only this amount is reachable by means of natural fermentation. The still allowing for distillation – the "burning of wine" – was invented in the 8th century.

Russia

A type of distilled liquor close to the one that would later become generally designated by the Russian word ''vodka'' came to Russia in the late 14th century. In 1386 the Genoese ambassadors brought the first ''aqua vitae'' ("the water of life") to Moscow and presented it to Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. The liquid that was obtained by distillation of grape must was thought to be a concentrate and a "spirit" of wine (''spiritus vini'' in Latin), from where came the name of this substance in many European languages (like English spirit, or Russian ''spirt'').

According to a legend, around 1430 a monk called Isidore from Chudov Monastery inside the Moscow Kremlin made a recipe of the first Russian vodka. Having a special knowledge and distillation devices he became an author of the new type of alcoholic beverage of a new, higher quality. This "bread wine" as it was initially known, was produced for a long time exclusively in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and in no other principality of Rus' (this situation persisted until the era of industrial production). Thus this beverage was closely associated with Moscow.

Until the mid-18th century, it remained relatively low on alcohol content, not exceeding 40% by volume. It was mostly sold in taverns and was quite expensive. At the same time, the word ''vodka'' was already in use, but it described herbal tinctures (similar to absinthe), containing up to 75% by volume alcohol, and made for medicinal purposes.

The first written usage of the word ''vodka'' in an official Russian document in its modern meaning is dated by the decree of Empress Elizabeth of June 8, 1751, which regulated the ownership of vodka distilleries. The taxes on vodka became a key element of government finances in Tsarist Russia, providing at times up to 40% of state revenue. By the 1860s, due to the government policy of promoting consumption of state-manufactured vodka, it became the drink of choice for many Russians. In 1863, the government monopoly on vodka production was repealed, causing prices to plummet and making vodka available even to low-income citizens. By 1911, vodka comprised 89% of all alcohol consumed in Russia. This level has fluctuated somewhat during the 20th century, but remained quite high at all times. The most recent estimates put it at 70% (2001). Today, some popular Russian vodka producers or brands are (amongst others) Stolichnaya and Russian Standard.

Poland

In Poland, vodka (; obsolete: ''gorzałka'') has been produced since the early Middle Ages. In these early days, the spirits were used mostly as medicines. Stefan Falimierz asserted in his 1534 works on herbs that vodka could serve "to increase fertility and awaken lust". Around 1400 it became also a popular drink in Poland. ''Wódka lub gorzała'' (1614), by Jerzy Potański, contains valuable information on the production of vodka. Jakub Kazimierz Haur, in his book ''Skład albo skarbiec znakomitych sekretów ekonomii ziemiańskiej'' (''A Treasury of Excellent Secrets about Landed Gentry's Economy'', Kraków, 1693), gave detailed recipes for making vodka from rye.

Some Polish vodka blends go back centuries. Most notable are ''Żubrówka'', from about the 16th century; ''Goldwasser'', from the early 17th; and aged ''Starka'' vodka, from the 16th. In the mid-17th century, the ''szlachta'' (nobility) were granted a monopoly on producing and selling vodka in their territories. This privilege was a source of substantial profits. One of the most famous distilleries of the aristocracy was established by Princess Lubomirska and later operated by her grandson, Count Alfred Wojciech Potocki. The Vodka Industry Museum, now housed at the headquarters of Count Potocki's distillery, has an original document attesting that the distillery already existed in 1784. Today it operates as "Polmos Łańcut".

Large-scale vodka production began in Poland at the end of the 16th century, initially at Kraków, whence spirits were exported to Silesia before 1550. Silesian cities also bought vodka from Poznań, a city that in 1580 had 498 working spirits distilleries. Soon, however, Gdańsk outpaced both these cities. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Polish vodka was known in the Netherlands, Denmark, England, Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and the Black Sea basin.

Early production methods were primitive. The beverage was usually low-proof, and the distillation process had to be repeated several times (a three-stage distillation process was common). The first distillate was called "''brantówka''", the second—"''szumówka''", the third—"''okowita''" (from "''aqua vitae''"), which generally contained 70–80% alcohol by volume. Then the beverage was watered down, yielding a simple vodka (30–35%), or a stronger one if the watering was done using an alembic. The exact production methods were described in 1768 by Jan Paweł Biretowski and in 1774 by Jan Chryzostom Simon. The beginning of the 19th century inaugurated the production of potato vodka, which immediately revolutionized the market.

The end of the 18th century marked the start of the vodka industry in Poland (eastern part of Poland was part of Russian empire at that time). Vodkas produced by the nobility and clergy became a mass product. The first industrial distillery was opened in 1782 in Lwów by J. A. Baczewski. He was soon followed by Jakub Haberfeld, who in 1804 established a factory at Oświęcim, and by Hartwig Kantorowicz, who started producing Wyborowa in 1823 at Poznań. The implementation of new technologies in the second half of the 19th century, which allowed the production of clear vodkas, contributed to their success. The first rectification distillery was established in 1871. In 1925 the production of clear vodkas was made a Polish government monopoly.

After World War II, all vodka distilleries were taken over by Poland's communist government. During the 1980s, the sale of vodka was rationed. After the victory of the Solidarity movement, all distilleries were privatized, leading to an explosion of brands.

Today

Vodka is now one of the world's most popular spirits. It was rarely consumed outside Europe before the 1950s. By 1975, vodka sales in the United States overtook those of bourbon, previously the most popular hard liquor and the native spirit of the country. In the second half of the 20th century, vodka owed its popularity in part to its reputation as an alcoholic beverage that "leaves you breathless", as one ad put it — claiming no smell of liquor remains detectable on the breath, and its neutral flavor allows it to be mixed into a wide variety of drinks, often replacing other liquors (particularly gin) in traditional drinks, such as the Martini.

According to ''The Penguin Book of Spirits and Liqueurs'', "Its low level of fusel oils and congeners — impurities that flavour spirits but that can contribute to the after-effects of heavy consumption — led to its being considered among the 'safer' spirits, though not in terms of its powers of intoxication, which, depending on strength, may be considerable."

Russian culinary author William Pokhlebkin compiled a history of the production of vodka in Russia during the late 1970s as part of the Soviet case in a trade dispute; this was later published as ''A History of Vodka''. Pokhlebkin claimed that while there was a wealth of publications about the history of consumption and distribution of vodka, virtually nothing had been written about vodka production. Among his assertions were that the word "vodka" was used in popular speech in Russia considerably earlier than the middle of the 18th century, but the word did not appear in print until the 1860s.

Production

Vodka may be distilled from any starch/sugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas, rye and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodkas are made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, sugar beets and sometimes even byproducts of oil refining or wood pulp processing. In some Central European countries like Poland some vodka is produced by just fermenting a solution of crystal sugar and yeast. In the European Union there are talks about the standardization of vodka, and the Vodka Belt countries insist that only spirits produced from grains, potato and sugar beet molasses be allowed to be branded as "vodka", following the traditional methods of production.

Distilling and filtering

A common property of vodkas produced in the United States and Europe is the extensive use of filtration prior to any additional processing including the addition of flavourants. Filtering is sometimes done in the still during distillation, as well as afterwards, where the distilled vodka is filtered through activated charcoal and other media to absorb trace amounts of substances that alter or impart off-flavors to the vodka. However, this is not the case in the traditional vodka producing nations, so many distillers from these countries prefer to use very accurate distillation but minimal filtering, thus preserving the unique flavours and characteristics of their products.

The master distiller is in charge of distilling the vodka and directing its filtration, which includes the removal of "fore-shots" and "heads" and the "tails." These components of the distillate contain flavour compounds such as ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate (heads) as well as the fusel oils (tails) that impact the usually desired clean taste of vodka. Through numerous rounds of distillation, or the use of a fractioning still, the taste is improved and clarity is enhanced. In contrast, distillery process for liquors such as whiskey, rum, and baijiu allow the "heads" and "tails" to remain, giving them their unique flavours.

Repeated distillation of vodka will make its ethanol level much higher than is acceptable to most end users, whether legislation determines strength limits or not. Depending on the distillation method and the technique of the stillmaster, the final filtered and distilled vodka may have as much as 95-96% ethanol. As such, most vodka is diluted with water prior to bottling. This level of distillation is what truly separates a rye-based vodka (for example) from a rye whisky; while the whisky is generally only distilled down to its final alcohol content, vodka is distilled until it is almost totally pure alcohol and then cut with water to give it its final alcohol content and unique flavour, depending on the source of the water.

Flavoring

Apart from the alcoholic content, vodkas may be classified into two main groups: ''clear vodkas'' and ''flavored vodkas''. From the latter ones, one can separate ''bitter tinctures'', such as Russian ''Yubileynaya'' (anniversary vodka) and ''Pertsovka'' (pepper vodka).

While most vodkas are unflavored, many flavored vodkas have been produced in traditional vodka-drinking areas, often as home-made recipes to improve vodka's taste or for medicinal purposes. Flavorings include red pepper, ginger, fruit flavors, vanilla, chocolate (without sweetener), and cinnamon. In Russia and Ukraine, vodka flavored with honey and pepper (''Pertsovka'', in Russian, ''Z pertsem'', in Ukrainian) is also very popular. Ukrainians produce a commercial vodka that includes St John's Wort. Poles and Belarusians add the leaves of the local bison grass to produce ''Żubrówka'' (Polish) and ''Zubrovka'' (Belarusian) vodka, with slightly sweet flavor and light amber color. In Poland, a famous vodka containing honey is called Krupnik. In the United States bacon vodka has been introduced to critical acclaim.

This tradition of flavoring is also prevalent in the Nordic countries, where vodka seasoned with herbs, fruits and spices is the appropriate strong drink for midsummer seasonal festivities. In Sweden, there are forty-odd common varieties of herb-flavored vodka (''kryddat brännvin''). In Poland and Ukraine there is a separate category (''nalyvka'' in Ukraine and ''nalewka'' in Poland), for vodka-based spirits with fruit, root, flower, or herb extracts, which are often home-made or produced by small commercial distilleries. Its alcohol content is between 15 to 75%. In Estonia, vodkas are spiced with barbaris, blackcurrant, cherry, greenapple, lemon, vanilla and watermelon flavors.

Polish distilleries make a very pure (95%, 190 proof) rectified spirit (Polish language: spirytus rektyfikowany). Technically a form of vodka, it is sold in liquor stores rather than pharmacies. Similarly, the German market often carries German, Hungarian, Polish, and Ukrainian-made varieties of vodka of 90 to 95% alcohol content. A Serbian vodka, ''Balkan 176°'', has a 88% alcohol content.

European Union regulation

The recent success of grape-based vodka in the United States has prompted traditional vodka producers in the Vodka Belt countries of Poland, Finland, Lithuania, and Sweden to campaign for EU legislation that will categorize only spirits made from grain or potatoes as "vodka." This proposition has provoked heavy criticism from south European countries, which often distill used mash from wine-making into spirits; although higher quality mash is usually distilled into some variety of pomace brandy, lower-quality mash is better turned into neutral-flavored spirits instead. Any vodka then not made from either grain or potatoes would have to display the products used in its production. This regulation was adopted by the European Parliament on June 19, 2007.

Health

Excess consumption of vodka or any other alcoholic beverage can be lethal by inducing respiratory failure or unguarded inhalation of vomit by a comatose drunk person. In addition, the effects of alcohol are responsible for many traumatic injuries such as falls and vehicle accidents. Consumption of alcohol above 0.1 Blood alcohol content can cause dehydration, digestive irritation, and other symptoms associated with alcohol intoxication and hangover, and the chronic effects can include liver failure due to cirrhosis, and it is associated with many GI cancers (particularly oral cavity). In addition to ethanol, methanol, fusel oils (not present in pure vodka), and esters can contribute to hangovers.

In some countries black-market vodka or "bathtub" vodka is widespread because it can be produced easily and avoid taxation. However, severe poisoning, blindness, or death can occur as a result of dangerous industrial ethanol substitutes being added by black-market producers. In March 2007, BBC News UK made a documentary to find the cause of severe jaundice among imbibers of a "bathtub" vodka in Russia. The cause was suspected to be an industrial disinfectant (Extrasept) - 95% ethanol but also containing a highly toxic chemical - added to the vodka by the illegal traders because of its high alcohol content and low price. Death toll estimates list at least 120 dead and more than 1,000 poisoned. The death toll is expected to rise due to the chronic nature of the cirrhosis that is causing the jaundice.

See also

List of vodkas

Flavored liquor

Horilka

List of cocktails with vodka

Russian Vodka Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Vodka infusion (flavored liquor)

Vodka war at European Parliament

''A History of Vodka'' (1991) by Pokhlebkin

Notes

References

Begg, Desmond. ''The Vodka Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide''. Running: 1997. ISBN 0-7624-0252-0.

Pokhlebkin, William and Clarke, Renfrey (translator). ''A History of Vodka''. Verso: 1992. ISBN 0-86091-359-7.

Delos, Gilbert. ''Vodkas of the World''. Wellfleet: 1998. ISBN 0-7858-1018-8.

Lingwood, William, and Ian Wisniewski. ''Vodka: Discovering, Exploring, Enjoying''. Ryland, Peters, & Small: 2003. ISBN 1-84172-506-4.

Price, Pamela Vandyke. ''The Penguin Book of Spirits and Liqueurs''. Penguin Books, 1980. Chapter 8 is devoted to vodka.

Broom, Dave. ''Complete Book of Spirits and Cocktails'', Carlton Books Ltd: 1998. ISBN 1-85868-485-4

Faith, Nicholas and Ian Wisniewski ''Classic Vodka'', Prion Books Ltd.: 1977. ISBN 1-85375-234-7

Rogala, Jan. ''Gorzałka czyli historia i zasady wypalania mocnych trunków'', Baobab: 2004. ISBN 83-89642-70-0

External links

Category:Polish inventions Category:Russian inventions Category:Slavic loanwords

af:Wodka ar:فودكا (مشروب كحولي) az:Araq bn:ভদকা be:Гарэлка be-x-old:Гарэлка bo:ཧྥུ་ཐ་ཅ་ཨ་རག bs:Vodka bg:Водка ca:Vodka cv:Водка cs:Vodka cy:Fodca da:Vodka de:Wodka et:Viin (jook) el:Βότκα es:Vodka eo:Vodko eu:Vodka fa:ودکا fo:Vodka fr:Vodka ga:Vodca gv:Vodka gl:Vodka gu:વોડકા xal:Əрк ko:보드카 hi:वोदका hsb:Wódka hr:Votka id:Vodka is:Vodka it:Vodka he:וודקה ka:არაყი la:Vodca lv:Degvīns lb:Wodka lt:Degtinė hu:Vodka mk:Вотка arz:فودكا ms:Vodka my:ဗော့ဒ်ကာ nah:Vodka nl:Wodka ja:ウォッカ no:Vodka pl:Wódka pt:Vodca ksh:Wodka ro:Votcă ru:Водка simple:Vodka sk:Vodka sl:Vodka sr:Вотка sh:Votka fi:Votka sv:Vodka ta:ஓட்கா th:วอดก้า tr:Votka uk:Водка vi:Vodka bat-smg:Arielka zh:伏特加

Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
birth name	Daniel Edward Aykroyd
birth date	July 01, 1952
birth place	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
occupation	Actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, winemaker, ufologist
years active	1974–present
spouse	Donna Dixon (1983–present) }}

Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM (born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'', an originator of ''The Blues Brothers'' (with John Belushi) and ''Ghostbusters'' and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.

Early life

Aykroyd was born on July 1, 1952, at the Ottawa General Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in the Canadian capital, where his father, Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd, a civil engineer, worked as a policy adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His mother, Lorraine Helene (née Gougeon), is a secretary of French Canadian origin. His brother, Peter, also became a comedy actor. Aykroyd was born with syndactyly (webbed toes), which was revealed in the movie ''Mr. Mike's Mondo Video'' and in a short film on ''Saturday Night Live'' (''Don't Look Back In Anger''). He was also born with heterochromia (a condition of having two differently coloured eyes). His right eye is green and his left eye is brown.

Aykroyd's great-grandfather, Samuel Augustus Aykroyd (1855–1933), a dentist, had been a mystic and had been involved in Spiritualism, which Aykroyd would have a great interest in, stating that "all that stuff was hanging around the old farmhouse I grew up in, so I was kind of steeped in it".

Aykroyd was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, and had intended to become a priest until the age of seventeen. He attended St Pius X and St Patrick's, and was briefly expelled from the latter because he had dressed up a pig to look like the pope and took it to school for show and tell. He went on to study criminology and sociology at Carleton University but dropped out before completing. He worked as a comedian in various Canadian nightclubs and ran an after-hours speakeasy (Club 505) in Toronto for several years.

Aykroyd's musical career was initially developed in Ottawa, particularly through his regular attendances at Le Hibou, a club that featured many blues artists. He describes these influences as follows:

...there was a little club there called Le Hibou, which in French means 'the owl'. And it was run by a gentleman named Harvey Glatt, and he brought every, and I mean every blues star that you or I would ever have wanted to have seen through Ottawa in the late 50s, well I guess more late 60s sort of, in around the Newport jazz rediscovery. I was going to Le Hibou and hearing James Cotton, Otis Spann, Pinetop Perkins, and Muddy Waters. I actually jammed behind Muddy Waters. S. P. Leary left the drum kit one night, and Muddy said 'anybody out there play drums? I don't have a drummer.' And I walked on stage and we started, I don't know, Little Red Rooster, something. He said 'keep that beat going, you make Muddy feel good.' And I heard Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett). Many, many times I saw Howlin' Wolf. As well as The Doors. And of course Buddy Guy, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. So I was exposed to all of these players, playing there as part of this scene to service the academic community in Ottawa, a very well-educated community. Had I lived in a different town I don't think that this would have happened, because it was just the confluence of educated government workers, and then also all the colleges in the area, Ottawa University, Carleton, and all the schools—these people were interested in blues culture.

''Saturday Night Live''

Aykroyd gained fame on the American late-night comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he was a writer and the youngest cast member for its first four seasons, from 1975 to 1979. Aykroyd brought a unique sensibility to the show, combining youth, unusual interests, talent as an impersonator and an almost lunatic intensity. Eric Idle, of Monty Python, once said that Aykroyd's ability to write and act out characters flawlessly made him the only member of the ''SNL'' cast capable of being a Python.

He was known for his impersonations of celebrities like Jimmy Carter, Vincent Price, Richard Nixon, Rod Serling, Tom Snyder, and others. He was also known for his recurring roles, such as Beldar, father in the Coneheads family; with Steve Martin, Georg Festrunk, one of the "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" Czech brothers; sleazy late-night cable TV host E. Buzz Miller and his cousin, corrupt maker of children's toys and costumes Irwin Mainway (who extolled the virtues and defended the safety of the "Bag-o-Glass" toy, perhaps the retail leader of the "Bag-o" series of toys); Fred Garvin – male prostitute; and high-bred but low-brow critic Leonard Pinth-Garnell. He also co-hosted the Weekend Update segment for a season with Jane Curtin, coining the famous catchphrase "Jane, you ignorant slut" during point-counterpoint segments.

Aykroyd's eccentric talent was recognized by others in the highly competitive ''SNL'' environment: when he first presented his famous "Super Bass-O-Matic '76" sketch, a fake T.V. commercial in which a garish, hyper pitchman (modelled after Ron Popeil) touts a food blender that turns an entire bass into liquid pulp, "to [other writers and cast members] the 'Bass-O-Matic' was so exhilaratingly strange that many remember sitting and listening, open-mouthed ... Nobody felt jealous of it because they couldn't imagine writing anything remotely like it."

While Aykroyd was a close friend and partner with fellow cast member John Belushi and shared some of the same sensibilities, Aykroyd was more reserved and less self-destructive. In 1977, he received an Emmy Award for writing on ''Saturday Night Live''; he later received two more nominations for writing, and one each for acting and Outstanding Comedy-Variety series.

In later decades, Aykroyd made occasional guest appearances and unannounced cameos on ''Saturday Night Live'', often impersonating the American politician Bob Dole. He would also bring back past characters including Irwin Mainway and Leonard Pinth-Garnell. During a couple of his guest appearances he resurrected the Blues Brothers musical act with frequent host John Goodman in place of John Belushi. Finally in May 2003, he hosted the season finale of ''Saturday Night Live''. During his monologue, he did a musical bit with James Belushi that was similar to the Blues Brothers, but neither Aykroyd nor Belushi donned the famous black suit and sunglasses. It was a unique hosting choice as he was not promoting a project at the time and he did not bring back any characters for this appearance. He became the second member of the original cast to host the show. On March 24, 2007, he made an appearance as a crying fan of American Idol finalist Sanjaya Malakar (played by Andy Samberg) during Weekend Update. On February 14, 2009, he made an appearance portraying U.S. House Minority leader John Boehner.

The Blues Brothers

Aykroyd was good friends with John Belushi. According to Aykroyd, it was his first meeting with Belushi that helped spark their popular Blues Brothers act. When they met in a club Aykroyd frequented, Aykroyd put on a blues record to play in the background, and it stimulated a fascination with blues in Belushi, who was primarily a fan of heavy rock bands at the time. Aykroyd educated John on the finer points of blues music and, with a little encouragement from then-''SNL'' music director Paul Shaffer, it led to the creation of their Blues Brothers characters.

Backed by such experienced professional R&B; sidemen as lead guitarist Steve Cropper, sax man Lou Marini, trumpeter Alan Rubin and bass guitarist Donald "Duck" Dunn, the Blues Brothers proved more than an SNL novelty. Taking off with the public as a legitimate musical act, they performed live gigs and released the hit album Briefcase Full of Blues in 1978. The Blues Brothers Band continues to tour today, featuring original members Cropper, Marini, Rubin, and Dunn, along with vocalist Eddie Floyd.

Early in the incarnation of the Blues Brothers, John Belushi joined the Grateful Dead on Stage on April 2, 1980, for a rendition of "Good Morning Little School Girl" at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, N.J (coinciding with the Dead performing on SNL that weekend). John sang the part usually carried by the late Dead band member "Pigpen." This is a moment cherished by all fans of John Belushi and the Dead alike. There were other SNL connections between the Dead and SNL over the years.

Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles was a regular haunt for the original Blues Brothers back in the early days of the band. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd became fixtures at the recording studio, while fellow Blues Brother and legendary guitar player Steve Cropper called Cherokee his producing home. Whenever they needed a bass player, they were joined by another Blues Brother, Donald "Duck" Dunn. During this time, Cropper along with producing partner and Cherokee owner Bruce Robb worked on a number of music projects with the two comedian/musicians, including Belushi's favourite band Fear and later Aykroyd's movie ''Dragnet''.

Aykroyd and Belushi were scheduled to present the Academy Award for Visual Effects in 1982, but Belushi died only a few weeks prior to the ceremony. Though devastated by his friend's death, Aykroyd presented the award alone, remarking from the stage "My partner would have loved to have been here to present this, given that he was something of a visual effect himself." Not a few years before, when he and John Belushi were making an appearance on the ''Today'' show, he referred to them as "kindred spirits." In the biography "Belushi", Aykroyd claims that John Belushi was the only man he could ever dance with.

In 1992, Aykroyd, along with many other notable music and Hollywood personalities, founded the House of Blues. Its mission is to promote African-American cultural contributions of blues music and folk art. From 2004 until its sale to Live Nation in 2007, it was the second-largest live music promoter in the world, with seven venues and 22 amphitheaters in the United States and Canada. Aykroyd also contributes his voice to the weekly House of Blues Radio Hour, which he hosts in the character of Elwood Delaney aka Elwood Blues.

Today, the Blues Brothers still tour. Dan Aykroyd still performs as Elwood back with John's younger brother James Belushi who plays "Brother Zee" on stage. They are almost always backed by The Sacred Hearts Band.

Other work

Concurrent with his work in Saturday Night Live, Aykroyd played the role of Purvis Bickle, lift operator at the fictitious office block ''99 Sumach Street'' in the CBC Television series Coming Up Rosie.

After leaving ''Saturday Night Live'', Aykroyd starred in a number of mainly comedy films, with uneven results both commercially and artistically. When starting out in the film industry Aykroyd would star with his old friend Belushi in three films, ''The Blues Brothers'', ''Neighbors'' and ''1941''. One of his best-received performances was as a blueblood-turned-wretch in the 1983 comic drama ''Trading Places''; a notable flop was in the earlier ''1941'' (director Steven Spielberg received the brunt of the criticism, but Aykroyd's performance as an Army Sergeant was either played straight or completely manic).

Aykroyd originally wrote the role of Dr. Peter Venkman in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) with John Belushi in mind, but rewrote the part for another famous SNL player, Bill Murray, after Belushi died. Aykroyd used to joke that the green ghost (who would later come to be known as "Slimer" in the animated series and was credited as such in the second film) was "the ghost of John Belushi", based on the similar party animal personality. ''Ghostbusters'' became a huge success for Aykroyd as a co-creator, co-writer, and one of the lead actors; the film's inspiration came from Aykroyd's fascination with parapsychology.

Aykroyd participated in the recording of "We are the World" in 1985.

Aykroyd was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1989's ''Driving Miss Daisy''. He was the first SNL cast member to be nominated for an Oscar.

His directorial debut was 1991's ''Nothing but Trouble''. It starred Demi Moore, Chevy Chase, John Candy and Aykroyd himself, sporting an oddly phallic prosthetic nose. The film was a critical and box office flop. Other films starring Aykroyd in the 1990s, included ''Exit to Eden'', ''Blues Brothers 2000'', ''Getting Away with Murder''; these were also poorly received. He also made an uncredited appearance in the Michael Moore film, ''Canadian Bacon'' as a motorcycle cop.

In 1997, Aykroyd starred in a short-lived sitcom on ABC called ''Soul Man''. The show lasted one season. In the 2000s, Aykroyd's film appearances have tended to be small character parts in big-budget productions, such as a signals analyst in ''Pearl Harbor'' and a neurologist in ''50 First Dates''. In 2001, Aykroyd starred in the Woody Allen film, ''The Curse of the Jade Scorpion''.

In February 2007, Aykroyd revealed that he would be providing voice-acting for a ''Ghostbusters III'' CGI project, though these rumours were clarified later on, that the CGI project was a next-gen video game that was currently in production. In 2009, Aykroyd along with Harold Ramis, wrote and appeared in ''Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', which also featured Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton, and Brian Doyle-Murray. On June 14, 2009, GameStop called people who pre-ordered Ghostbusters: the video game using Aykroyd's voice told them to come to the launch event at 10 p.m.

On the 2008 release of fellow Ottawa born blues musician JW-Jones' album ''Bluelisted'', Aykroyd wrote the liner notes.

In 2009, Aykroyd contributed a series of reminiscences on his upbringing in Canada for a charity album titled "Dan Aykroyd's Canada".

Most recently, Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase guest starred in the ''Family Guy'' episode "Spies Reminiscent of Us". He also hosts the nationally-syndicated radio show "House of Blues Radio Hour" under his Blues Brothers moniker Elwood Blues.

Aykroyd appeared in two February 2011 episodes of CBS' ''The Defenders'', which starred Jim Belushi, the brother of Aykroyd's Blues Brothers partner. This information was announced November 29, 2010.

Honours

He has been inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In 1994, Aykroyd received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Carleton University. In 1998, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Aykroyd also received a dubious honour in 1997, when the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal "awarded" him the Snuffed Candle award, for "contributing to the public's lack of understanding of the methods of scientific inquiry." CSICOP did this in response to Aykroyd's program ''Psi Factor''. This award came in conjunction with the public having the general perception that Akroyd is a real guy for repping Ottawa.

The popular Scottish band Dananananaykroyd named themselves after Dan Aykroyd.

Eric Idle once said of Aykroyd that he was "the only person I ever met who could have been part of Python – he had all the skills, the capability of being a Python."

Personal life

Aykroyd is a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 1983, he married actress Donna Dixon, with whom he starred in the movies ''Doctor Detroit'', ''Spies Like Us'', and ''The Couch Trip''. They have three daughters: Danielle Alexandra (born November 18, 1989), Belle Kingston (born June 9, 1993), and Stella Irene August (born April 5, 1998). He maintains his Canadian roots as a longtime resident of Sydenham, Ontario, with his estate on Loughborough Lake.

Aykroyd described himself (in a radio interview with Terry Gross) as having mild Tourette syndrome that was successfully treated with therapy when he was a preteen, as well as mild Asperger syndrome.

As of 2006, Aykroyd has entered a partnership with Niagara Cellars, which owns four wineries in the Niagara region. They will be marketing a series of red and white wines under his name. He spent a good amount of time in 2009 promoting his own Crystal Head Vodka, with his interest in the paranormal coming through with the drink's unique skull-shaped bottle. He is also considering a beer and vodka label with the Coneheads name.

He is a former reserve commander for the police department in Harahan, Louisiana, working for Chief of Police Peter Dale. Aykroyd would carry his badge with him at all times.

Aykroyd helped Dale start the Blue Line Foundation. They are redeveloping flood damaged lots in New Orleans and helping first responders buy them at reduced prices. Coastal Blue Line LLC, hopes to eventually to rebuild 400 properties in New Orleans.

In a recent radio interview with the Hill-Man Morning show, Aykroyd said if he could forget one film he did it would be ''Exit To Eden''.

Beliefs

Aykroyd considers himself a Spiritualist, stating that: :I am a Spiritualist, a proud wearer of the Spiritualist badge. Mediums and psychic research have gone on for many, many years... Loads of people have seen [spirits], heard a voice or felt the cold temperature. I believe that they are between here and there, that they exist between the fourth and fifth dimension, and that they visit us frequently.

His great-grandfather, a dentist, had been a mystic who had corresponded with author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the subject of Spiritualism, and who was a member of the Lily Dale Society.

Other than Spiritualism, Aykroyd is also interested in various other aspects of the paranormal, particularly ufology. He is a lifetime member of and official Hollywood consultant for the Mutual UFO Network. In 2005, Aykroyd produced a DVD titled, ''Dan Aykroyd: Unplugged on UFOs''. In it, he is interviewed for 80 minutes by UFOlogist David Sereda where he discusses in depth every aspect of the UFO phenomenon, and reveals specifically that they are blue, not green, but appear that way because of a filter.

On September 29, 2009, Peter Aykroyd, father of Dan Aykroyd, published a book entitled, ''A History of Ghosts''. This book chronicled the family's historical involvement in the Spiritualist Movement, to which Aykroyd readily refers. Aykroyd wrote the introduction and accompanied his father on a series of promotional activities, including launches in New York City and Toronto, an appearance on ''Larry King Live'' and various other public relations initiatives. Aykroyd also read the introduction for the audio version of the book.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	''''	Goodly/Rotten/Maple	Television film, voice role
1977	''Love at First Sight''	Roy
1979	''Mr. Mike's Mondo Video''	Jack Lord Priest
1979		Sgt. Frank Tree
1980	''''	Elwood Blues	Also Writer
1981		Vic
1982	''It Came from Hollywood''	Himself
1983	''Doctor Detroit''	Clifford Skridlow/ Doctor Detroit
1983	''Trading Places''	Louis Winthorpe III
1983	''Twilight Zone: The Movie''	Passenger/ Ambulance Driver
1984	''Ghostbusters''	Dr. Raymond Stantz	Also Writer
1984	''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom''	Art Weber	Cameo
1984		Buck Heller
1985		Herb
1985	''Spies Like Us''	Austin Millbarge
1987
1988	''Caddyshack II''	Capt. Tom Everett	Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1988	''''	John W. Burns, Jr.
1988	''''	Roman Craig
1988	''She's Having a Baby''	Roman Craig
1988	''My Stepmother Is an Alien''	Steven Mills
1989	"Liberian Girl"	Cameo	Music Video by Michael Jackson
1989	''Driving Miss Daisy''	Boolie Werthan	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1989	''Ghostbusters II''	Dr. Raymond Stantz	Also Writer
1990	''Loose Cannons''	Ellis Fielding
1990	''Masters of Menace''	Johnny Lewis
1991		Harry Sultenfuss
1991		Judge Alvin Valkenheiser/ Bobo	Also Director/WriterGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting ActorNominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst DirectorNominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
1992		Mack Sennett
1992		Mother
1992		Arnold Moss
1993		Beldar Conehead	Also Writer
1994	''''	Himself	Documentary
1994		Fred Lavery	Nominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting ActorNominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple
1994	''My Girl 2''	Harry Sultenfuss
1994		Pa Tex	Nominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1995		OPP Officer	Cameo
1995		Dr. Raymond Stantz	Cameo
1995	''''	Dexter	Voice role
1995	''Tommy Boy''	Zalinsky
1996		Sheriff Wyatt Hampton
1996	''Celtic Pride''	Jimmy Flaherty
1996	''Feeling Minnesota''	Det. Ben Costikyan
1996	''My Fellow Americans''	President William Haney
1996		Jack Lambert
1996	''Sgt. Bilko''	Colonel John T. Hall
1997	''Grosse Pointe Blank''	Grocer
1998	''Antz''	Chip	Voice role
1998	''Blues Brothers 2000''	Elwood Blues	Also Writer/Producer
1998	''Susan's Plan''	Bob
1999		Lance Agensky
2000	''''	Gus
2000		Dad
2000	''Stardom''	Barry Levine
2001	''''	Chris Magruder
2001		Governor Lewis
2001	''''	Himself	Documentary
2001		Dr. Barry Davis
2001		Capt. Thurman
2002		Pete Wagner
2002		Max Beasly
2003	''Bright Young Things''	Lord Monomark
2004	''Christmas with the Kranks''	Vic Frohmeyer
2004	''Shortcut to Happiness''	Julius Jenson
2004	''50 First Dates''	Dr. Keats
2004	''Intern Academy''	Dr. Cyrill Kipp
2007	''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry''	Captain Tucker
2010		Yogi Bear	Voice and motion-capture

Television

Year	Title	Role	First episode	Notes
1975	''Coming Up Rosie''	Purvis Bickle	unknown
1975–79	''Saturday Night Live''	Various	"Episode 1.1"	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
1976	''''	Cop		Television film, also writer
1978	''[[All You Need Is Cash''	Brian Thigh		Television film
1986–91	''''			Creator
1990	''''	Various	"Episode 1.2"	1 episode
1990	''It's Garry Shandling's Show''	Boolie Shandling	"Driving Miss Garry"	1 episode
1991		Captain Mulligan	"Yellow"	1 episode
1994	''''	Repair Man	"Sunday in the Park with Fran"	1 episode
1995	''Kesley Grammar Salutes Jack Benny''	Himself		Television special
1996–2000	''PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal''	Host	"John Doe"	88 episodes
1997	''''	Crawford Gordon		Television film, also creative consultant
1997		Rev. Mike Walker	"Losing My Religion"	1 episode
1997		Rev. Mike Weber	"Grabbed By An Angel"	12 episodes
2001		Det. Insp. Jack Grillo		Television film
2001	''History's Mysteries''	Narrator	"The Children's Crusade"	1 episode
2002	''According to Jim''	Danny Michalsky	"Old Friends"	5 episodes
2009	''Family Guy''	Himself	"Spies Reminiscent of Us"	1 episode
2009	''X-Play''	Himself	"Quit Givin' Me the Bug Eye, Valkyrie"	1 episode
2011	''''	Judge Max Hunter	"Nevada v. Doug the Mule"	2 episodes

Guest appearances on SNL

! Date	! Episode number	! Host/ Musical guest	! Role
	13.11	Justine Bateman/ Terrance Trent D'Arby	Bob Dole
	18.20	Kevin Kline/ Willie Nelson and Paul Simon	Bob Dole
	20.16	John Goodman/ The Tragically Hip	Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Irwin Mainway, Tom Snyder, Rush Limbaugh, Robert Stack, miner
	23.12	John Goodman/ Paula Cole	Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Irwin Mainway, Ernesto
	24.1	Cameron Diaz/ The Smashing Pumpkins	Yortuk Festrunk
	27.4	John Goodman/ Ja Rule
	27.12	Britney Spears	Mormon, Judge Lindenwell
	28.14	Queen Latifah/ Ms. Dynamite	Bob Dole
	28.20		Andrew Card, Patrick Fitzpatrick, Donnie "The Finger" Dabinski, biker, Esteban, chief science officer, Butch, Sam Elliot
	32.16	Peyton Manning/ Carrie Underwood	Himself
	34.16	Alec Baldwin/ The Jonas Brothers	John Boehner

Highest grossing films

Rank	Film	Year	Gross	Budget
1.		2001	$449,220,945	$135,000,000
2.	''Ghostbusters''	1984	$291,600,000	$30,000,000
3.	''Ghostbusters II''	1989	$215,394,738	$25,000,000
4.	''Antz''	1998	$171,757,863	$60,000,000
5.		1989	$145,793,296	$7,500,000
6.	''Yogi Bear''	2010	$127,209,281	$80,000,000
7.		1992	$105,232,691	Unknown
8.	''Trading Places''	1983	$97,333,523	$28,000,000
9.		1979	$92,755,742	$35,000,000
10.	''Spies Like Us''	1985	$70,648,171	$20,000,000
11.		1980	$115,229,890	$27,000,000
12.		1991	$59,847,242	$17,000,000
13.		1987	$57,387,516	$20,000,000
14.		1988	$41,455,230	$24,000,000
15.	''Twilight Zone: The Movie''	1983	$29,500,000	$10,000,000
16.		1981	$28,732,057	$8,500,000
17.	''She's Having a Baby''	1988	$16,031,707	Unknown
18.	''Caddyshack II''	1988	$11,798,302	$20,000,000
19.	''The Couch Trip''	1988	$11,005,304	Unknown
20.	''Doctor Detroit''	1983	$10,800,000	$8,000,000

See also

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

Saturday Night Live cast

References

Further reading

Hill, Doug, and Weingrad, Jeff, ''Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live''. Vintage Books, 1986. ISBN 0-394-75053-5.

External links

Dan Aykroyd at Psiberific Dan Aykroyd, host of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal.

Dan Aykroyd and MUFON

Dan Aykroyd, Still Full of the 'Blues' – interview on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross – originally aired Nov. 22, 2004

Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs (2005) – video.google.com

Category:1952 births Category:Actors from Ontario Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States Category:Canadian impressionists (entertainers) Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian television comedians Category:Carleton University alumni Category:Comedians from Ontario Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Musicians from Ottawa Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Second City alumni Category:Spiritualists Category:Ufologists Category:The Blues Brothers members Category:People with Asperger syndrome

ar:دان أيكرويد bg:Дан Акройд ca:Dan Aykroyd cs:Dan Aykroyd da:Dan Aykroyd de:Dan Aykroyd et:Dan Aykroyd es:Dan Aykroyd fr:Dan Aykroyd gl:Dan Aykroyd ko:댄 애크로이드 hr:Dan Aykroyd io:Dan Aykroyd id:Dan Aykroyd is:Dan Aykroyd it:Dan Aykroyd he:דן אקרויד la:Daniel Aykroyd hu:Dan Aykroyd nl:Dan Aykroyd ja:ダン・エイクロイド no:Dan Aykroyd oc:Dan Aykroyd nds:Dan Aykroyd pl:Dan Aykroyd pt:Dan Aykroyd ro:Dan Aykroyd ru:Эйкройд, Дэн simple:Dan Aykroyd sh:Dan Aykroyd fi:Dan Aykroyd sv:Dan Aykroyd tl:Dan Aykroyd tr:Dan Aykroyd uk:Ден Екройд zh:丹·艾克洛德

Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
name	David Letterman
pseudonym	Earl Hofert
birth date	April 12, 1947
birth place	Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
medium	Stand-up, talk show
nationality	American
genre	Observational comedy, surreal humor, deadpan
subject	Self-deprecation, everyday life
influences	Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, Paul Dixon
influenced
website	CBS.com/latenight/lateshow
active	1974–present
domesticpartner	Regina Lasko (1986-2009)
spouse	Michelle Cook (1969–1977)Regina Lasko (2009–present)
Religion	Lutheran
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 had a longer late-night hosting career in the United States.

Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company Worldwide Pants produces his show as well as its network follow-up ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''. Worldwide Pants has also produced several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', currently in syndication.

In 1996, David Letterman was ranked #45 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Early life and career

Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman (April 1915 – February 1973), was a florist of British descent; 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.

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) 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 was not drafted for 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 then became involved with the founding of another campus station—WAGO-AM 570 (now WWHI, 91.3).

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 of a 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 attention 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." 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.") while on another occasion saying that a state border had been erased. ("From space you can see the border between Indiana and Ohio has been erased. I'm not in favor of this.") 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. David is initially introduced as Chris Economaki in his job as a corner reporter. He interviews Mario Andretti who has just crashed out of the race and asks him a question about traffic on the course.

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 proving ground for unknown 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. He was also screen tested for the lead role in ''Airplane!'', a role that eventually went to Robert Hays.

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 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 1980. 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. Murray also guested on January 31, 2012 - 30 years later. The show ran Monday through Thursday at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (a Friday night broadcast was added in June 1987. It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an acerbic 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 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.

The show often featured quirky, genre-mocking regular features, including "Stupid Pet Tricks", dropping various objects off the roof of a five-story building, demonstrations of unorthodox clothing (such as suits made of Alka-Seltzer, Velcro and suet), a recurring Top 10 list, the Monkey-Cam (and the Audience Cam), and a facetious letter-answering segment. The Top 10 list, several "Film[s] by My Dog Bob" in which a camera was mounted on Letterman's own dog (often with comic results), Stupid Human Tricks, Small Town News, and Stupid Pet Tricks (which had its origins on Letterman's morning show) all eventually moved with Letterman to CBS.

Other memorable moments included Letterman using a bullhorn to interrupt a live interview on ''The Today Show'', announcing that he was the NBC president while not wearing any pants; interrupting Al Roker on WNBC-TV's broadcast of ''Live at Five'' by walking into their studio (which occupied the same floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza as Letterman's studio); and staging "elevator races", complete with commentary by NBC Sports' Bob Costas. In one infamous appearance, in 1982, Andy Kaufman (who was already wearing a neck brace) appeared to be slapped and knocked to the ground by professional wrestler Jerry Lawler (though Lawler and Kaufman's friend Bob Zmuda later revealed that the event was staged.) In another memorable exchange, sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer included cucumbers in a list of handy sex objects that women could find at home. The following night, guest Ted Koppel asked Letterman "May I insert something here?" and Dave responded "OK, as long as it's not a cucumber."

''Late Show with David Letterman''

In 1992, Johnny Carson retired, and many fans believed that Letterman would become host of ''The Tonight Show''. When NBC instead gave the job to Jay Leno, Letterman departed NBC to host his own late-night show on CBS, opposite ''The Tonight Show'' at 11:30 p.m., called the ''Late Show with David Letterman''. The new show debuted on August 30, 1993 and was taped at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, where Ed Sullivan taped his eponymous variety series from 1948 to 1971. For Letterman's arrival, CBS spent $8 million in renovations. In addition to that cost, CBS also signed Letterman to a lucrative three-year, $14 million/year contract, doubling his ''Late Night'' salary. The total cost for everything (renovations, negotiation right paid to NBC, signing Letterman, announcer Bill Wendell, Shaffer, the writers and the band) was over $140 million.

But while the expectation was that Letterman would retain his unique style and sense of humor with the move, ''Late Show'' was not an exact replica of his old NBC program. Recognizing the more formal mood (and wider audience) of his new time slot and studio, Letterman eschewed his trademark blazer with khaki pants and white sneakers wardrobe combination in favor of expensive shoes, tailored suits and light-colored socks. The monologue was lengthened and Paul Shaffer and the "World's Most Dangerous Band" followed Letterman to CBS, but they added a brass section and were rebranded the "CBS Orchestra" as a short monologue and a small band were mandated by Carson while Letterman occupied the 12:30 slot. Additionally, because of intellectual property disagreements, Letterman was unable to import many of his ''Late Night'' segments verbatim, but he sidestepped this problem by simply renaming them (the "Top Ten List" became the "Late Show Top Ten", "Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag", etc.)

Popularity

The main competitor of ''The Late Show'' is NBC's ''The Tonight Show'', which was hosted by Jay Leno for nearly 16 years, but from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, was hosted by Conan O'Brien. In 1993 and 1994, ''The Late Show'' consistently gained higher ratings than ''Tonight''. But in 1995, ratings dipped and Leno's show consistently beat Letterman's in the ratings; Leno typically attracted about 5 million nightly viewers between 1999 and 2009. ''The Late Show'' lost nearly half its audience during its competition with Leno, attracting 7.1 million viewers nightly in its 1993–94 season and about 3.8 million per night as of Leno's departure in 2009. 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.

Following Leno's return to ''The Tonight Show'', however, Leno has regained his lead.

Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning 12 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'' 12 times. For example, in 2003 and 2004 Letterman ranked second in that poll, behind only Oprah Winfrey, a year that Leno was ranked fifth. 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: "Oprah...Uma. Uma...Oprah," "Have you kids met 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 two years later, 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 hosting the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued to hold Letterman in high regard and they had invited him to host the Oscars again. On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premiere of the 14th season of ''The View'', and confirmed that he had been considered for hosting again.

Heart surgery hiatus

On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely obstructed. 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 Letterman's complaint of 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 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's Worldwide Pants and CBS reached agreement to continue the ''Late Show'' until at least August 2012. The previous contract had been set to expire in 2010, and the two-year extension is shorter than the typical three-year contract period negotiated in the past. Worldwide Pants agreed to lower its fee for the show, though it had remained a "solid moneymaker for CBS" under the previous contract.

On the February 3, 2011, edition of the ''Late Show'', during an interview with Howard Stern, Letterman said he would continue to do his talk show for "maybe two years, I think."

2007–2008 writers' strike

The Late Show went off air for eight weeks during the months of November and December because of the Writers Guild of America strike. Letterman's production company—Worldwide Pants—was the first company to make an individual agreement with the WGA, 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". Winfrey 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.

Response to Internet death threat

On August 17, 2011, it was reported that a Muslim militant had posted a death threat against Letterman on a website frequented by Al-Qaeda supporters, calling on American Muslims to kill Letterman for making a joke about the death of an Al-Qaeda leader killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in June 2011. In his show on August 22, Letterman joked about the threat, saying "State Department authorities are looking into this. They're not taking this lightly. They’re looking into it. They're questioning, they're interrogating, there's an electronic trail — but everybody knows it's Leno."

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, named "David Endochrine," is gassed to death along with his bandleader named "Paul" and their audience in Frank Miller's ''The Dark Knight Returns''.

Letterman appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast", and he appears with a bag over his head as a guest on Bonnie Hunt's ca. 1993 sitcom ''The Building''. He also appears in The Simpsons, as himself in a couch gag when The Simpsons find themselves (and the couch) in "Late Night with David Letterman." He 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 made an uncredited appearance in the first episode of the third season of the sitcom The Nanny.

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''.

In 2010, a documentary ''Dying to Do Letterman'' was released directed by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina featuring Steve Mazan, a stand up comic, who has cancer and wants to appear on the Letterman Show. The film won Best Documentary and Jury Awards at the Cinequest Film Festival. Steve Mazan published a same-titled book (full title, ''Dying to Do Letterman: Turning Someday into Today'' about his own saga.

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.

Record company

In late April 2010, several music industry websites reported that 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 Letterman and Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and is working on her album.

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.

American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming

American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming is Letterman's private foundation. Through it, Letterman has donated millions of dollars to charities and other non-profits in Indiana and Montana, celebrity-affiliated organizations such as Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, universities such as Ball State, and other organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Salvation Army, and Doctors Without Borders.

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 on November 3, 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 on March 19, 2009, during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, where he purchased a ranch in 1999. 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. She once stole his Porsche, repeatedly broke into his house, and camped out on his tennis court. Her exploits drew national attention, and Letterman occasionally joked about her behavior in his show, although never mentioning her name. After she committed suicide in 1998, Letterman told the ''New York Times'' that he had had great compassion for her, and publicly expressed sympathy.

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, confirming the relationships. He 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. Subsequently, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series ''48 Hours'', was 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. Eventually, on March 9, 2010, he pleaded guilty to this same felony and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.

A central figure in the case and one of the women Letterman had had a sexual relationship with was his longtime personal assistant Stephanie Birkitt who often appeared with him in his show. She had also worked for ''48 Hours''. Until a month prior to the revelations she had shared a residence with Halderman, who allegedly had copied her personal diary and 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.

Awards and honors

Awards

In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, 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. Letterman was the first recipient of the Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence at The Comedy Awards in 2011.

David Letterman Communication and Media Building

On September 7, 2007, Letterman visited his alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for the dedication of a communications facility named in his honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. 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", finishing with, "if reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."

At the same time, Letterman also received a Sagamore of the Wabash award given by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, which recognizes distinguished service to the state of Indiana.

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 entertainment industry businesspeople 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 Category:American people of British descent

ar:ديفيد ليترمان bg:Дейвид Летърман cs:David Letterman da:David Letterman de:David Letterman et:David Letterman es:David Letterman fa:دیوید لترمن fr:David Letterman gl:David Letterman ko:데이비드 레터맨 id:David Letterman it:David Letterman he:דייוויד לטרמן hu:David Letterman ms:David Letterman nl:David Letterman ja:デイヴィッド・レターマン no:David Letterman nn:David Letterman pl:David Letterman pt:David Letterman ru:Леттерман, Дэвид simple:David Letterman fi:David Letterman sv:David Letterman th:เดวิด เลตเทอร์แมน tr:David Letterman yi:דעיוויד לעטערמאן zh:大卫·莱特曼

Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
birth name	Betty Marion White
birth date	January 17, 1922
birth place	Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
nationality	American
alma mater	Beverly Hills High School
other names	Betty White Ludden
occupation	Actress, comedienne, writer
years active	1939–present
spouse	Dyck Barker (1945)Lane Allen (1947–1949) Allen Ludden (1963–1981; his death) }}

Betty White Ludden (born January 17, 1922) better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and Rose Nylund on ''The Golden Girls''. , she is starring as Elka Ostrovsky in the TV Land sitcom ''Hot in Cleveland''. She has also released several books over the span of her career. In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam Sons to produce two more books, the first of which was scheduled for release in 2011.

White has won seven Emmy Awards and received 20 Emmy nominations over the course of her career, including being the first woman ever to receive an Emmy for game show hosting (for the short-lived ''Just Men!''). In May 2010, White became the oldest person to guest-host ''Saturday Night Live'', for which she also received a Primetime Emmy Award. She made regular appearances on the game shows ''Password'' and ''Match Game'' and played recurring roles on ''Mama's Family'', ''Boston Legal'', and'' The Bold and the Beautiful''.

Early life

Born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922, she is the daughter of Tess Curtis (née Cachikis), a homemaker, and Horace Lawrence White, a traveling salesman and electrical engineer. Her mother was of Greek, English, and Welsh descent, and her father was of Danish and English ancestry. White's family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression. She attended Horace Mann School in Beverly Hills, California, and Beverly Hills High School. Hoping to become a writer, she wrote and played the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School and discovered her interest in performing.

Career

1939–1979

White began her television career in 1939, three months after high school graduation, when she and a classmate sang songs from ''The Merry Widow'' on an experimental Los Angeles channel. White found work modeling, and her first professional acting job was at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. White's career was disrupted immediately, as World War II broke out, causing her to join the American Women's Voluntary Services. In the 1940s, she worked in radio appearing on shows such as ''Blondie'', ''The Great Gildersleeve'' and ''This Is Your FBI''. She then got her own radio show, called ''The Betty White Show''. In 1949 she began appearing with Al Jarvis on his daily, live variety show ''Hollywood on Television'' on KLAC in Los Angeles. White began hosting the show in 1952 after Jarvis' departure.

In 1952, the same year she began hosting ''Hollywood on Television'', White co-founded Bandy Productions with writer George Tibbles and Don Fedderson, a producer. The trio worked to create new shows using existing characters from sketches shown on ''Hollywood on Television''. White, Fedderson and Tibbles created the television comedy ''Life With Elizabeth'', based on a ''Hollywood on Television'' sketch. White portrayed the title character on the sitcom from 1952 to 1955, which effectively boosted her career. The show, which she co-produced, garnered White her first Emmy Award. ''Life With Elizabeth'' was nationally syndicated by the mid-1950s, allowing White to become one of the few women in television with full creative control in front of and behind the camera at the time. In 1954, she briefly hosted and produced her own daily talk show, ''The Betty White Show'', on NBC (not to be confused with her 1970s sitcom of the same name). Following ''Life with Elizabeth'', she appeared as Vicki Angel on the sitcom ''Date with the Angels'' from 1957 to 1958. The show later became another variety series before going off the air. White performed in commercials seen on live television in Los Angeles, including a spirited rendition of the "Dr. Ross Dog Food" advertisement at KTLA during the 1950s.

She made her feature film debut as Kansas Senator Elizabeth Ames Adams in the 1962 drama, ''Advise and Consent''.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, White appeared on a number of late night talkshows and daytime game shows, including ''Password''. White made many appearances on the hit game show ''Password'' as a celebrity guest from 1961 through 1975. She married the show's host, Allen Ludden, in 1963. She subsequently appeared on the show's three updated versions ''Password Plus'', ''Super Password'', and ''Million Dollar Password'', having been on versions of the game with five different hosts (Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Tom Kennedy, Bert Convy, and Regis Philbin). White made frequent game show appearances on ''What's My Line?'' (starting in 1955), ''To Tell the Truth'' (in 1961 and in 1990), ''I've Got a Secret'' (in 1972–73), ''Match Game'' (1973–1982) and ''Pyramid'' (starting in 1982). Both ''Password'' and ''Pyramid'' were created by White's friend, Bob Stewart. In 1983, she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Game Show Host, for the NBC entry ''Just Men!''. Due to the amount of work she has done on them, she has been deemed the "First Lady of Game Shows".

In 1973, White made a guest appearance in season four of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' as ''The Happy Homemaker''. As a result of her guest appearance, White landed her most significant role at that point as the sardonic, man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens, ''The Happy Homemaker'', on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' as a full time cast member. The running gag was that Sue Ann's hard-edged private personality was the complete opposite of how she presented herself on her show. "We need somebody who can play sickeningly sweet, like Betty White," Moore herself suggested at a production meeting, which resulted in casting White herself. White won two back-to-back Emmy Awards for her role in the hugely popular series.

Following that show's end in 1977, she was given her own sitcom on CBS, ''The Betty White Show'', during the 1977–78 season, in which she co-starred with John Hillerman and former ''Mary Tyler Moore'' co-star Georgia Engel. It was canceled after one season. White appeared several times on the ''Tonight Show With Johnny Carson'' appearing in many sketches, and began guest-starring in a number of television movies and television miniseries, including ''With This Ring'', ''The Place to Be'', ''Before and After'', and ''The Gossip Columnist''.

1980–2000

From 1983 through 1985, she had a recurring role playing Ellen Harper Jackson on the series ''Mama's Family'', along with future ''Golden Girls'' co-star Rue McClanahan. White had originated this character in a series of sketches on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' in the 1970s. When ''Mama's Family'' was picked up in syndication after being canceled by NBC in 1985, White left the show (with the exception of one final appearance in the show's syndicated version in 1986).

In 1985, she scored her second signature role as the St. Olaf, Minnesota-native Rose Nylund on ''The Golden Girls''. The series chronicled the lives of four widowed or divorced women in their "golden years" who shared a home in Miami. ''The Golden Girls'', which also starred Beatrice Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan, was immensely successful and ran from 1985 through 1992. White won one Emmy Award, for ''Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series'', for the first season of ''The Golden Girls'' and was nominated in that category every year of the show's run (the only cast member to receive that distinction — Getty was also nominated every year, but in the supporting actress category). When Beatrice Arthur left in 1992, White, McClanahan, and Getty reprised their roles Rose, Blanche, and Sophia in the spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. The series was short-lived, lasting only one season. In addition, White reprised her Rose Nylund character in guest appearances on the NBC shows ''Empty Nest'' and ''Nurses'', both of which were set in Miami.

White was originally offered the role of Blanche in ''The Golden Girls,'' and Rue McClanahan was offered the role of Rose (the two characters being similar to roles they had played in ''Mary Tyler Moore'' and ''Maude'', respectively). Jay Sandrich, the director of the pilot, suggested that since they had played similar roles in the past, they should switch roles, Rue McClanahan later said in a documentary on the series. White was originally scared to play Rose, feeling that she would not be able to play the role—until the show's creator took her aside and told her not to play Rose as stupid but to play her as someone "terminally naive, a person who always believed the first explanation of something." Despite being the eldest of the four women, White is the only surviving regular cast member, following the deaths of Estelle Getty in July 2008, Bea Arthur in April 2009, and Rue McClanahan in June 2010.

After ''The Golden Girls'' ended, White guest-starred on a number of television programs including ''Ally McBeal'', ''The Ellen Show'', ''My Wife and Kids'', ''That '70s Show'', ''Everwood'', ''Joey'', and ''Malcolm in the Middle''. She received Emmy Award nominations for her appearances on ''Suddenly Susan'', ''Yes, Dear'' and ''The Practice''. She won an Emmy in 1996 for ''Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series'', appearing as herself on an episode of ''The John Larroquette Show''. In that episode, titled "Here We Go Again", a spoof on ''Sunset Boulevard'', a diva-like White convinces Larroquette to help write her memoirs. In one bit, ''Golden Girls'' co-stars McClanahan and Getty appear as themselves. Larroquette is forced to dress in drag as Beatrice Arthur, when all four appear in public as the "original" cast members. White comically envisions her Rose as the central character with the other cast members as mere supporting players.

The actress has lent her voice to several animated shows, including ''The Simpsons'', ''King of the Hill'', ''The Wild Thornberrys'', ''Family Guy'' and ''Father of the Pride''. In 1999, she had a supporting role in the monster film ''Lake Placid'', as a widow who later is revealed to have raised the giant crocodile (which accidentally ate her husband).

2000–present

White's career has been in revival throughout the first decades of the 2000s, and her continuing cultural relevance is reflected in the numerous television and film projects she has been a part of. In December 2006, White joined the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' in the role of Ann Douglas, the long-lost mother of the show's matriarch Stephanie Forrester, who is played by Susan Flannery. In February 2007, White returned as Ann, who had an intent to move to Los Angeles to be near her daughters. The characters of Ann and Pamela Douglas (Alley Mills) disappeared after their March 27, 2007, appearance and were not mentioned again until October 19, 2007, when Ann appeared briefly. White would go on to appear in three more episodes following that, one on December 10, 2007; August 28, 2008; and October 28, 2008. She returned to the show on November 18, 2009 and in the November 19, 2009 episode her character revealed that she was dying of advanced pancreatic cancer. To date she has made 22 appearances as Ann Douglas. In the November 23, 2009 episode Ann passes away due to complications from her illness, with both of her daughters at her side on the beach at Paradise Cove.

In the broadcast of the 2007 TV Land Awards, White starred in a parody of ''Ugly Betty'', aptly titled ''Ugly Betty White'', in which she played America Ferrera's title character, with Charo playing White's sister Hilda, and Erik Estrada playing her father Ignacio. Her performance earned her a part on ''Ugly Betty'' as herself, the victim of Wilhelmina Slater's temper as they vie for a cab in the episode "Bananas for Betty", which aired December 6, 2007.

White had a recurring role in ABC's ''Boston Legal'' from 2005 to 2008 as the calculating, blackmailing gossip-monger Catherine Piper, a role she originally portrayed as a guest star on ''The Practice'' in 2004.

White appeared as a roaster on the ''Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner'' in 2006. On May 19, 2008, White appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', taking part in the host's ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' reunion special alongside every surviving cast member of the series.

She was honored at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards with the Pop Culture Award on June 8, 2008. She accepted it along with co-stars Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan.

White returned to ''Password'' in its latest incarnation, ''Million Dollar Password'', on June 12, 2008, (episode #3), participating in the Million Dollar challenge at the end of the show. Her quick correct responses helped the contestant win $100,000. White returned to the show again on December 28, 2008 (episode #9), helping the contestants win $25,000 each. White has made a number of appearances in skits on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', playing the part of an Exxon representative, a Girl Scout, an accountant with a briefcase full of cocaine, a nurse who just got her medical license from El Salvador, a newspaper delivery girl, a prison guard, and an Apple representative. She appeared as herself with a shoe box full of receipts, explaining that she was doing her taxes. She appeared as herself to promote ''Together: A Story of Shared Vision'' by her and Tom Sullivan. On July 18, 2008, she appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in a skit entitled "Can You Make Betty White Flinch".

White guest starred as the "Witch Lady" on an episode of ''My Name is Earl'', and starred on Chelsea Handler's late night show ''Chelsea Lately''. Some of her other most recent television credits in the 2000s include ''Stealing Christmas'', ''Annie's Point'' and ''The Retrievers''. Her film credits in the late 1990s and early 2000s included ''Hard Rain'', ''Dennis the Menace Strikes Again'' and ''Bringing Down the House'', in which she co-starred with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah.

White appeared in the 2009 motion picture ''The Proposal'' with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. White provided the English-language voice of Yoshie in the anime film ''Ponyo'', which was released in Japan in 2008 and in the United States and Canada on August 14, 2009. She co-starred with Kristen Bell in the 2010 film, ''You Again''.

White appeared alongside Abe Vigoda in an advertisement for Snickers during the 2010 Super Bowl XLIV. The ad won the top spot on the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter. It was also featured on Television with the caption; "You're not you when you're hungry".

A grassroots campaign on Facebook called "Betty White to Host SNL (Please)" began in January 2010. The group was approaching 500,000 members when NBC confirmed on March 11, 2010 that White would in fact host ''Saturday Night Live'' on May 8. The appearance made her, at age 88, the oldest person to host the show, beating out Miskel Spillman, the winner of ''SNL'''s "Anybody Can Host" contest, who was 80 when she hosted in 1977. The May 8 SNL episode garnered the show's highest ratings since November 1, 2008, when Ben Affleck hosted. In her opening monologue, White thanked Facebook and joked that she "didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time." The appearance earned her a 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series, her seventh Emmy win overall. Years earlier, White's character Rose Nylund on ''The Golden Girls'' in an episode from season 7 while laying in a hospital bed awaiting open heart surgery, says to her daughter; "There's something else I wanna tell you. Now lean in close, this is very important...LIVE FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!

In June 2010, White took on the role of Elka Ostrovsky the house caretaker on TV Land’s original sitcom ''Hot in Cleveland'', now in its second season.

In July 2010, it was announced that she posed for her own calendar for the year 2011; the calendar also features photos from her career and her pictured with various animals. She also debuted her own clothing line on July 22, 2010, which features shirts with her face on them. All proceeds will also go to various animal charities she supports.

She guest-starred in the second-season premiere of NBC's ''Community'' as an anthropology professor. In 2010 she also guest starred in The Middle & 30 Rock. She also had a role as Mrs. Claus in ''Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa'', the sequel to Disney's ''Prep & Landing''.

Betty also starred in the Hallmark Hall of fame presentation of The Lost Valentine on January 30, 2011. This presentation garnered the highest rating for a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation in the last four years and according to the Nielsen Media Research TV rating service won first place in the prime time slot for that date.

Betty White's latest book, ''If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)'', was published in 2011.

White is scheduled to serve as a judge alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Wendy Diamond for the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards airing on The Hallmark Chanell on November 8th, 2011 at 8PM ET/PT

Charity

White is a pet enthusiast and animal health advocate who works with a number of animal organizations, including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, the Morris Animal Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals. Her interest in animal rights and welfare began in the early 1970s while she was both producing and hosting the syndicated series, ''The Pet Set'', which spotlighted celebrities and their pets.

As of 2009, White is the president emerita of the Morris Animal Foundation, where she has served as a trustee of the organization since 1971. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974. Additionally, White served the zoo association as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years.

According to the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden's "ZooScape" Member Newsletter, White hosted "History on Film" from 2000 to 2002. White donated nearly $100,000 to the zoo in the month of April 2008 alone.

Personal life

In 1945, White married Dick Barker, a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot. The marriage was short-lived. In 1947, she married Lane Allen, a Hollywood agent. This marriage ended in divorce in 1949.

On June 14, 1963, White married television host and personality Allen Ludden, whom she had met on his game show ''Password'' as a celebrity guest in 1961, and is legally known as Betty White Ludden. He proposed to White at least twice before she accepted. The couple appeared together in an episode of ''The Odd Couple'' featuring Felix's and Oscar's appearance on ''Password''. Ludden appeared as a guest panelist on ''Match Game'', with White sitting in the audience. (She was prompted to criticize one of Ludden's wrong answers on camera during an episode of ''Match Game '74''). The two appeared together on the Match Game panel in 1975.

Ludden died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles. They had no children together. White has not remarried since Ludden's death.

When asked about her real-life heroes White told Vanity Fair, "Charles Darwin."

Awards, honors and nominations

White has won seven Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990), and two Viewers For Quality Television Awards. She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6747 Hollywood Boulevard alongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden. White was the recipient of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Golden Ike Award and the Genii Award from the American Women in Radio and Television in 1976. The American Comedy Awards awarded her the award for Funniest Female in 1987 as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. She was formally inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2009, White received the Career Achievement Award from the Television Critics Association.

The American Veterinary Medical Association awarded White with its Humane Award in 1987 for her charitable work with animals. The City of Los Angeles further honored her for her philanthropic work with animals in 2006 with a bronze plaque near the Gorilla Exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. The City of Los Angeles named her "Ambassador to the Animals" at the dedication ceremony.

In September 2009, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced plans to honor White with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sandra Bullock presented White with the award on January 23, 2010, at the ceremony, which took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. She is a Kentucky Colonel. In 2009, White and her now deceased ''Golden Girls'' cast mates Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty were awarded honorary Disney Legend awards. Betty was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December 2010. In 2010 she was chosen as the Associated Press's Entertainer of the Year.

On November 9, 2010, the USDA Forest Service along with Smokey Bear made actress Betty White an honorary forest ranger, fulfilling her lifelong dream. White said in previous interviews that she wanted to be a forest ranger as a little girl but that women were not allowed to do that then. Today’s United States Forest Service is 38 percent female, including rangers, scientists and leaders at every level.

In January 2011, White received a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Elka Ostrovsky in Hot In Cleveland. The show itself was also nominated for an award as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, but lost to the cast of Modern Family.

A 2011 poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos revealed that White was considered to be the most popular and most trusted celebrity among Americans, beating out the likes of Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks.

! Year !! Award !! Category !! Work !! Result
1951	Emmy Award
1952	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''Life With Elizabeth''
1975	Emmy Awards		''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
1976	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
1977	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
1983	Emmy Awards		''Just Men!''
1984	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Game Show Host	''Just Men!''
1986	Emmy Awards		''The Golden Girls''
1986	Golden Apple Award	Female Star of the Year
1986	Golden Globes		''The Golden Girls''
1987	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1987	Golden Globes	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	''The Golden Girls''
1987	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication	''The Golden Girls''
1987	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1988	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1988	Golden Globes	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	''The Golden Girls''
1988	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1989	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1989	Golden Globes	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	''The Golden Girls''
1990	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1990	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication	''The Golden Girls''
1990	American Comedy Awards	Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy
1991	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1992	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1995	Walk of Fame	Star on the Walk of Fame
1996	Emmy Awards		''The John Larroquette Show''
1997	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''Suddenly Susan''
2000	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series	''Ally McBeal''
2003	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series	''The Practice''
2003	TV Land Awards	Quintessential Non-Traditional Family
2004	TV Land Awards	Groundbreaking Show
2008	TV Land Awards	Pop Culture Award
2009	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''My Name Is Earl''
2009	Television Critics Association
2009	Disney Legends	Disney Legends
2010
2010	MTV Movie Awards
2010	MTV Movie Awards		''The Proposal''
2010		Best Dance (with Sandra Bullock)	''The Proposal''
2010	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''Saturday Night Live''
2010	''New Now Next Awards''	Cause You're Hot
2011	People's Choice Awards
2011	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Web Celeb
2011	Screen Actors Guild		''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	Screen Actors Guild		''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	Gracie Allen Awards	Best Actress in a Comedy Series	''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	The Comedy Awards	Best Actress in a TV Comedy	''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	''Hot In Cleveland''

Filmography

''Hollywood on Television'' ''Life with Elizabeth'' ''Make the Connection'' ''Date with the Angels'' ''Santa Claus'' '''' ''To Tell the Truth'' ''Advise and Consent (film) ''Password (game) ''Your First Impression'' ''Concentration (game show) ''What's My Line?'' ''Vanished'' ''Match Game'' '''' ''Tattletales'' '''' '''' ''Liar's Club'' '''' ''Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Betty White'' ''With This Ring'' '''' '''' '''' ''Before and After'' ''Password Plus'' '''' ''Eunice'' ''Just Men!'' ''Doctor Detroit'' ''Kill Me If You Can'' ''Santa Claus: The Movie'' ''Mama's Family'' ''Body Language (game show) ''Trivia Trap'' ''Who's the Boss'' '''' '''' ''Super Password'' ''Santa Barbara (TV series) ''Another World (TV series) ''To Tell the Truth'' ''Chance of a Lifetime'' '''' ''Bob (TV series) ''Diagnosis: Murder'' ''Family Feud'' ''Maybe This Time'' '''' '''' ''Hard Rain (film) ''Hercules: The Animated Series'' ''Me & George'' ''Dennis the Menace Strikes Again'' ''Holy Man'' '''' '''' ''Gaia Symphony II'' ''Lake Placid (film) '''' ''Ladies Man (1999 TV series) ''Ally McBeal'' '''' ''Whispers: An Elephant's Tale'' ''Tom Sawyer (2000 film) '''' '''' ''I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'' ''That '70s Show'' ''Bringing Down the House (film) ''Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt'' ''Stealing Christmas'' ''Malcolm in the Middle'' ''Hollywood Squares ''Complete Savages'' '''' '''' ''Annie's Point'' ''Boston Legal'' ''Family Guy'' ''Gameshow Marathon (US TV series) '''': Their Greatest Moments ''Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner'' '''' ''My Wife and Kids'' ''Daytime Emmy Awards ''Back to the Grind'' '''' ''Pioneers of Television'' '''' ''Million Dollar Password'' ''Ugly Betty'' '''' ''Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show) ''My Name is Earl'' ''Chelsea Lately'' ''Ponyo'' ''Love N' Dancing'' ''Chelsea Lately'' ''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List'' ''30 Rock'' ''Glenn Martin, DDS'' ''Saturday Night Live'' '''' ''Inside the Actors Studio'' ''Operation Secret Santa'' ''Hot in Cleveland'' ''You Again (film) ''Community (TV series) ''Pound Puppies (2010 TV series) '''' ''''

Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1945	''Time to Kill''	Lou's Girl
1949–50	|	Phone Girl
1953–55	|	Elizabeth	12 episodes
1955	|
1957–58	|	Vickie Angel	33 episodes
1959	|
1959–62	|
1961	|	Herself
1962	Advise and Consent'' ||	Senator Bessie Adams
1961–75	Password'' ||	Herself
1963	|
1965	Concentration'' ||	Herself
1967	|	Herself
1971	|	TV Hostess
1973–82	|	Herself
1973–77	|	Sue Ann Nivens	42 episodes
1974–78	|
1977	|
1977–78	|	Joyce Whitman	14 episodes
1978	|
1978	|
1978	|
1979	|	Evelyn Harris
1979	|
1979	|
1980	|
1980	|
1980–83	|	Herself
1982–88	|	Herself
1982	|	Ellen
1983	|
1983	|
1984	|
1985	|
1983–84, 1986	|	Ellen Harper-Jackson	15 episodes
1984	Body Language'' ||	Herself
1985	|	Herself
1985	|	Bobby Barnes
1985–88	|	Herself
1985–92	|	Rose Nylund	180 episodes
1987–99	|	Herself
1988	Santa Barbara'' ||	Waitress	3 episodes
1988	Another World'' ||	Brenda Barlowe
1990–91	|	Herself
1991	|	Evelyn Eglin
1992–93	|	Rose Nylund	24 episodes
1993	Bob'' ||	Sylvia Schmidt
1994	|	Dora Sloan
1995	|	Herself
1995–96	|	Shirley Wallace
1996	|
1996	|
1997	Hard Rain'' ||	Doreen Sears
1998	|	Hestia
1998	|
1998	|	Martha Wilson
1998	|
1998–99	|		(voice)
1999	|	Herself
1999	|
1999	Lake Placid'' ||	Mrs. Deloris Bickerman
1999	|	Lillian Jordan
1999–2000	Ladies Man'' ||	Mitzi Stiles
2000	|	Dr. Shirley Flott
2000	|		(voice)
2000	|	Round
2000	Tom Sawyer'' ||	Aunt Polly
2001	|	Sophie Hunter
2001	|	Mrs. Krisper
2001	|
2002–03	|	Bea Sigurdson
2003	Bringing Down the House'' ||	Mrs. Kline
2003	|	Woman in Window
2004	|	Emily Sutton
2004	|	Sylvia
2004	Hollywood Squares – Game Show Week Part 2'' ||
2004–05	|	Mrs. Riley
2005	|	Catherine Piper
2005	|	Lettie
2005	|	Annie Eason
2005-08	|	Catherine Piper	16 episodes
2006	|	Herself	(voice)
2006	Gameshow Marathon'' ||
2006	|	Herself
2006	|	Herself
2007	|
2007	|
2007	34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards'' ||
2007	|
2007	|	Herself	(voice)
2008	|	Herself
2008	|
2008	|	Herself
2008	|		1 episode
2009	|	Grandma Annie
2009	Wheel of Fortune'' ||	Herself
2009	|	Mrs. Weezmer	1 episode
2009	|	Herself
2009	|		(voice)
2009	|	Irene
2009	|	Herself
2009	|
2009	|	Betty White	1 episode
2009–10	|	Dora / Grandma Shelia Martin	2 episodes
2010	|	Herself	(Host)
2010	|	Mrs. Nethercott	1 episode
2010	|	Herself
2010	|		(voice)
2010–present	|	Elka Ostrovsky
2010	You Again'' ||	Grandma Bunny
2010	Community '' ||	Professor June Bauer	2 episodes
2010	Pound Puppies'' ||	Agatha McLeish
2011	|	Caroline Thomas
2012	|	Norma	(voice)

Books by White

1983: ''Betty White's Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us''

1987: ''Betty White In Person''

1991: ''The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story''

1995: ''Here We Go Again: My Life In Television''

2011: ''If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)''

References

Further reading

Tucker, David C. ''The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.

External links

Betty White News on Twitter

Betty White is Hot in Cleveland

The Early Betty White 1947-1971

Archive of American Television Interview with Betty White June 4, 1997

Betty White on The Museum of Broadcast Communications

Betty White to Star on Hot in Cleveland

Video of TV Academy's Salute to Betty White

Category:1922 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Illinois Category:Animal rights advocates Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American people of Danish descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American voice actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Oak Park, Illinois Category:Women comedians Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners

bg:Бети Уайт cy:Betty White da:Betty White de:Betty White et:Betty White es:Betty White fr:Betty White hr:Betty White id:Betty White it:Betty White he:בטי וייט nl:Betty White ja:ベティ・ホワイト pl:Betty White pt:Betty White ro:Betty White ru:Уайт, Бетти simple:Betty White sr:Бети Вајт sh:Betty White fi:Betty White sv:Betty White tl:Betty White th:เบ็ตตี ไวต์ uk:Бетті Вайт

Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
name	Dorothy Loudon
birth date	September 17, 1933
birth place	Boston, Massachusetts, USA
death date	November 15, 2003
death place	New York City, New York, USA
occupation	Actor
spouse	Norman Paris (1971-1977)
tonyawards	1977 Best Leading Actress in a Musical''Annie'' }}

Dorothy Loudon (September 17, 1933 – November 15, 2003) was an American comedy actress and singer. She won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in ''Annie''.

Early life and career

Loudon was born in Boston and raised in Indianapolis and Claremont, New Hampshire. She attended Syracuse University on a drama scholarship but did not graduate, and moved to New York City to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She began singing in night clubs, mingling song with ad-libbed comedy patter, and was featured on television on ''The Perry Como Show'' and ''The Ed Sullivan Show''.

Loudon made her stage debut in 1962 in ''The World of Jules Feiffer'', a play with incidental music by Stephen Sondheim, under the direction of Mike Nichols. That same year she made her Broadway debut in ''Nowhere to Go But Up'', which ran only two weeks but earned her good reviews and the Theatre World Award. In 1969, ''The Fig Leaves Are Falling'' ran for only four performances, although it won her the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. She followed this with a revival of ''Three Men on a Horse'' directed by George Abbott; ''Lolita, My Love'', which closed out-of-town during its pre-Broadway tryout; and a revival of the Clare Boothe Luce comedy ''The Women''.

Broadway fame

Loudon's performance as evil orphanage administrator Miss Hannigan in ''Annie'' won her the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical in 1977. In the show she introduced the seminal showtunes "Little Girls" and "Easy Street." Of her portrayal, Clive Barnes wrote, "As the wicked Miss Hannigan, Dorothy Loudon, eyes bulging with envy, face sagging with hatred, is deliciously and deliriously horrid. She never puts a sneer, a leer, or even a scream in the wrong place, and her singing has just the right brassy bounce to it." Loudon later revisited the character of Miss Hannigan in the ill-fated 1990 sequel, ''Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge'', which closed quickly after a dismal pre-Broadway engagement in Washington DC.

In 1979, Michael Bennett cast Loudon as Bea Asher, a widow who becomes romantically involved with a mail carrier she meets at the local dance hall, in ''Ballroom''. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She performed the number "Fifty Percent" from the musical during that year's Tony Awards ceremony. During her rendition of George Gershwin's "Vodka" at the 1983 Tony Awards ceremony, she ad-libbed, "I'm too good for this room...I'm too good for this song!" At the 38th Annual Tony Awards ceremony in 1984, Loudon performed "Broadway Baby" from ''Follies''. In ''The New York Times'', John O'Connor said of her performance, "Miss Loudon has developed the art of mugging into something of a hyperactive disease."

In 1980, Loudon replaced Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim's ''Sweeney Todd''. In reviewing her performance for the ''Christian Science Monitor'', David Sterritt said, "Her body sways like a reed in the emotional storms of her own scatter-brained creation, and her off-hand manner becomes still more off-handed when the most explosive matters are at stake... Miss Loudon gives a comic characterization in the most classical tradition." The following year she co-starred with Katharine Hepburn and Julia Barr in the play ''The West Side Waltz''. In 1982 she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. She appeared in the 1983 Jerry Herman revue ''Jerry's Girls''; that same year she created the role of the miserable middle-aged actress Dotty Otley on Broadway in Michael Frayn's farce ''Noises Off'', a huge hit.

Television and film

In 1979, Loudon starred in the television series ''Dorothy'', in which she portrayed a former showgirl teaching music and drama at a boarding school for girls. It lasted only one season. She appeared in only two films, playing an agent in the film ''Garbo Talks'' and a Southern eccentric in ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil''.

Coincidentally, two roles Loudon created for the Broadway stage - Miss Hannigan in ''Annie'' and Dotty Otley, a washed-up actress struggling to succeed in a dreadful sex comedy in the 1983 farce ''Noises Off'' - were played by Carol Burnett on screen.

Personal life

Loudon was married to Norman Paris, a composer who wrote the theme song for the television game show ''I've Got a Secret'' and arranged the music for Stephen Sondheim's television musical ''Evening Primrose'', from 1971 until his death in 1977. She died in New York City of cancer at the age of 70, and was interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla in Westchester County. She left no survivors.

Theatre credits

''The World of Jules Feiffer'' (1962)

''Nowhere to Go But Up'' (1962)

''Noël Coward's Sweet Potato'' (1968)

''The Fig Leaves are Falling'' (1969)

''Three Men on a Horse'' (1969)

''Lolita, My Love'' (1971)

''The Women'' (1973)

''Annie'' (1977)

''Ballroom'' (1979)

''Sweeney Todd'' (1980)

''The West Side Waltz'' (1981)

''Noises Off'' (1983)

''Jerry's Girls'' (1985)

''Comedy Tonight'' (1994)

Television credits

''It's a Business'' (1952)

''The Garry Moore Show'' (1962–1964)

''Dorothy'' (1979)

''Magnum, P.I.'' (1986)

''Murder, She Wrote'' (1986)

''Performance at the White House: Showstoppers'' (1988)

''A Salute to Broadway: Showstoppers'' (1988)

''All My Children'' (1993)

''Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall'' (1993)

''My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies'' (1999)

Film credits

''Garbo Talks'' (1984)

''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' (1997)

References

External links

Filmreference.com

Dorothy Loudon papers, 1885-2003. Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library

Category:1933 births Category:2003 deaths Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American female singers Category:Tony Award winners Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:American Theatre Hall of Fame inductees Category:RCA Victor artists Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:Cancer deaths in New York

es:Dorothy Loudon fr:Dorothy Loudon