Events

254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I as the 23rd pope.

303 – Roman Emperor Diocletian orders the beheading of the 14-year-old Pancras of Rome.

922 – After much hardship, Abbasid envoy Ahmad ibn Fadlan arrived in the lands of Volga Bulgars.

1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre who is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.

1264 – The Battle of Lewes, between King Henry III of England and the rebel Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, begins.

1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.

1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków, Poland.

1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.

1588 – French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry of Guise enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs.

1689 – King William's War: William III of England joins the League of Augsburg starting a war with France.

1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.

1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.

1797 – First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.

1821 – The first big battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks occurs in Valtetsi.

1862 – U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: two divisions of James B. McPherson's XVII Corps (ACW) turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton's defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.

1864 – American Civil War: the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers die in "the Bloody Angle".

1865 – American Civil War: the Battle of Palmito Ranch: the first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.

1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.

1873 – Oscar II is crowned King of Sweden.

1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.

1885 – North-West Rebellion: the four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.

1916 – James Connolly was sat on a chair and shot dead in Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, after his role in the Easter Uprising

1926 – UK General Strike 1926: In the United Kingdom, a nine-day general strike by trade unions ends.

1932 – Ten weeks after his abduction Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs' home.

1935 – Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith (founders of Alcoholics Anonymous) meet for the first time in Akron, Ohio, at the home of Henrietta Siberling.

1937 – George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.

1942 – World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: in eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.

1942 – Holocaust: 1,500 Jews are sent to gas chambers in Auschwitz.

1945 – Argentinian labour leader José Peter declares the ''Federación Obrera de la Industria de la Carne'' dissolved.

1949 – The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.

1949 – The western occupying powers approve the Basic Law for the new German state: the Federal Republic of Germany.

1952 – Gaj Singh is crowned Maharaja of Jodhpur.

1955 – Nineteen days after bus workers went on strike in Singapore, rioting breaks out and seriously impacts Singapore's bid for independence.

1958 – A formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement is signed between the United States and Canada.

1962 – Douglas MacArthur delivers his ''Duty, Honor, Country'' valedictory speech at the United States Military Academy.

1965 – The Soviet spacecraft ''Luna 5'' crashes on the Moon.

1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral, east of Lai Khe in South Vietnam on the night of 12/13 May, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides and beginning the Battle of Coral-Balmoral.

1975 – Mayagüez incident: the Cambodian navy seizes the American merchant ship in international waters.

1978 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga). The local government asks the U.S.A., France and Belgium to restore order.

1981 – Francis Hughes starves to death in the Maze Prison in a Republican campaign for political prisoner status to be granted to Provisional IRA prisoners.

1982 – During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan Fernandez Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet. Krohn, an ultraconservative Spanish priest opposed to the Vatican II reforms, believed that the Pope had to be killed for being an "agent of Moscow".

2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.

2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by Al Qaeda, kill 26 people.

2003 – Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers bring the Texas Legislature to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan.

2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.

2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.

2007 – Riots in which over 50 people are killed and over 100 are injured take place in Karachi upon the arrival in town of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.

2008 – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of workplace and arrests nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.

2010 – An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashes and kills everyone but one person on board.

Births

1401 – Emperor Shōkō, 101^st Japanese Emperor (d. 1428)

1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)

1590 – Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)

1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, Governor General of New France (d. 1698)

1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish missionary (d. 1705)

1670 – King Augustus II of Poland (d. 1733)

1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (d. 1773)

1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)

1767 – Manuel de Godoy, Spanish statesman (d. 1851)

1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist (d. 1873)

1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian politician (d. 1858)

1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (d. 1881)

1812 – Edward Lear, British author and poet (d. 1888)

1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German composer and pianist (d. 1889)

1820 – Florence Nightingale, British nurse (d. 1910)

1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French adventurer in Araucania and Patagonia (d. 1878)

1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, British painter (d. 1882)

1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer (d. 1896)

1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, the leading mandarin of Vietnam's Nguyễn Dynasty (d. 1913)

1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean military, participated on Battle of Huamachuco (d. 1912)

1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)

1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French composer (d. 1924)

1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, U.S. statesman (d. 1924)

1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)

1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician (d. 1929)

1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)

1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Russian-born Israeli jurist (d. 1969)

1889 – Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank (d. 1980)

1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-born director (d. 1970)

1895 – William Giauque, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1982)

1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (d. 1986)

1899 – Indra Devi, Latvian Yoga Instructor (d. 2002)

1900 – Helene Weigel, German actress (d. 1971)

1900 – Joseph Rochefort, American naval officer and cryptanalyst (d. 1976)

1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, British actor (d. 1991)

1907 – Leslie Charteris, British author and screenwriter (d. 1993)

1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)

1910 – Charles B. Fulton, American jurist (d. 1996)

1910 – Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)

1912 – Archibald Cox, U.S. Solicitor General (d. 2004)

1914 – Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet (d. 1993)

1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist (d. 2002)

1914 – James Bacon, American entertainment columnist and reporter (d. 2010)

1916 – Albert Murray, American writer

1917 – Frank Clair, American-born Canadian football coach (d. 2005)

1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American-born spy for the Soviet Union (d. 1953)

1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman (d. 2001)

1921 – Joseph Beuys, German artist (d. 1986)

1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian writer and naturalist

1922 – Marco Denevi, Argentine writer (d. 1998)

1924 – Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian mathematician

1924 – Tony Hancock, British comedian (d. 1968)

1924 – Maxine Cooper Gomberg, American actress (d. 2009)

1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player

1928 – Burt Bacharach, American composer

1928 – Henry Cosby, American songwriter (d. 2002)

1929 – Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player

1929 – Sam Nujoma, first President of Namibia

1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish film director

1933 – Andrey Voznesensky, Russian poet

1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican baseball player and manager

1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player

1936 – Guillermo Endara, President of Panama (d. 2009)

1936 – Tom Snyder, American television personality (d. 2007)

1936 – Frank Stella, American painter

1937 – Beryl Burton, British cyclist (d. 1996)

1937 – George Carlin, American comedian (d. 2008)

1937 – Susan Hampshire, British actress

1938 – Millie Perkins, American film actress

1939 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek politician

1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian Rugby League footballer

1939 – Ron Ziegler, U.S. White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)

1939 – Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish politician

1942 – Ian Dury, British musician (d. 2000)

1942 – Michel Fugain, French singer and songwriter

1942 – Billy Swan, American songwriter and singer

1943 – Linda Dano, American Actress

1944 – Chris Patten, British politician

1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer (d. 2007)

1945 – Nicky Henson, British actor

1945 – Ian McLagan, British keyboardist (Small Faces)

1945 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman

1946 – L. Neil Smith, American science fiction author

1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect

1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian politician

1947 – Micheline Lanctôt, American film actor, director and screenwriter

1947 – Catherine Yronwode, American writer and editor

1948 – David Heineman, American politician, current governor of Nebraska

1948 – Joe Tasker, British mountaineer (d. 1982)

1948 – Steve Winwood, British musician (The Spencer Davis Group; Traffic)

1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor

1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor

1950 – Billy Squier, American singer and musician

1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and head coach

1952 – Norbert Stolzenburg, German footballer

1953 – Kevin Grevey, American basketball player

1955 – Kix Brooks, American country singer (Brooks & Dunn)

1956 – Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player

1956 – Glenn Robbins, Australian comedian

1956 – Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricket umpire

1957 – Lou Whitaker, American baseball player

1958 – Andreas Petroulakis, Greek political caricaturist

1958 – Eric Singer, American drummer

1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor

1959 – Ray Gillen, American singer (d. 1993)

1960 – Paul Arcand, Quebec radio host, journalist and film director

1960 – Ian Khan, British racing driver

1961 – Paul Begala, American political commentator

1961 – Billy Duffy, British guitarist (The Cult)

1961 – Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player

1961 – Lar Park Lincoln, American actress

1961 – Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor

1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor

1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American songwriter (Bad Religion) and record producer (Epitaph Records)

1963 – Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player, Mayor of Piraeus

1963 – Gavin Hood, South African film director

1963 – Stefano Modena, Italian racing driver

1963 – Charles Pettigrew, American singer (Charles and Eddie) (d. 2001)

1963 – Jerry Trimble, American actor

1963 – Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress

1963 – Vanessa A. Williams, American actress

1964 – Pierre Morel, French film director

1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor

1966 – Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian singer

1967 – Paul D'Amour, American bass guitarist (Tool)

1967 – Joe McKinney, Irish actor

1968 – Mark Clark, American baseball player

1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder

1968 – Scott Schwartz, American actor

1968 – Catherine Tate, British comedian

1969 – Kim Fields, American actress

1969 – Kevin Nalty, American YouTube personality

1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer

1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer

1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress

1970 – Steve Palframan, South African cricketer

1970 – Mark Foster, British swimmer

1971 – Doug Basham, American professional wrestler

1971 – Jamie Luner, American actress

1973 – Kendra Kassebaum, American stage actress

1973 – Travis Lutter, American mixed martial arts fighter

1973 – Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer

1973 – Robert Tinkler, Canadian voice actor

1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby union footballer

1975 – Lawrence Phillips, American football player

1976 – Kardinal Offishall, Canadian rapper

1977 – Lorena Bernal, Argentine/Spanish model and actress

1977 – Graeme Dott, British snooker player

1977 – Rebecca Herbst, American actress

1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor

1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress and model

1978 – Wilfred Le Bouthillier, Canadian singer

1978 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)

1978 – Josh Phelps, American baseball player

1978 – Hossein Reza Zadeh, Iranian weightlifter

1979 – Andre Carter, American football player

1979 – Callum Chambers, Australian rules footballer

1979 – Robert Key, English cricketer

1979 – Erdinç Saçan, Turkish-Dutch politician

1979 – Steve Smith, American football player

1979 – Aaron Yoo, Korean-American actor

1979 – Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer

1980 – Keith Bogans, American basketball player

1980 – Felipe Lopez, Puerto Rican baseball player

1981 – Kentaro Sato, Japanese composer

1981 – Rami Malek, American actor

1982 – David Thaxton, British stage actor and singer

1982 – Darren Williams, American Basketball Player and Business Professional

1983 – Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer

1983 – Alina Kabayeva, Russian gymnast

1983 – Virginie Razzano, French tennis player

1984 – Tommaso Reato, Italian rugby player

1985 – Tally Hall, American footballer

1985 – Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer

1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress

1986 – Mouhamed Sene, Senegalese basketball player

1987 – Gianluca Sansone, Italian footballer

1987 – Kieron Pollard, West Indies Cricketer

1988 – Marky Cielo, Filipino dancer and actor (d. 2008)

1988 – Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, Brazilian footballer

1989 – Matthew Hann, American basketball player

1990 – Jacory Harris, American football player

1992 – Malcolm David Kelley, American actor

1995 – Luke Benward, American actor

1995 – Kenton Duty, American actor on Disney's Shake It Up

Deaths

1003 – Pope Silvester II

1012 – Pope Sergius IV

1382 – Queen Joan I of Naples (b. 1327)

1465 – Thomas Palaeologus, Titular Byzantine emperor, Despot of the Morea (b. 1409)

1634 – George Chapman, English writer

1641 – Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, English statesman (b. 1593)

1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest

1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)

1700 – John Dryden, English writer (b. 1631)

1708 – Adolf Friedrich II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)

1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer (b. 1692)

1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)

1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss naturalist (b. 1710)

1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French dramatist (b. 1710)

1796 – Johann Peter Uz, German poet (b. 1720)

1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian statesman (b. 1734)

1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter (b. 1799)

1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet (b. 1763)

1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician (b. 1786)

1859 – Sergei Aksakov, Russian writer (b. 1791)

1860 – Charles Barry, English architect (b. 1795)

1864 – James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general (b. 1833)

1867 – Friedrich William Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist (b. 1795)

1871 – Anselme Payen, French physicist (b. 1795)

1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1843)

1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer (b. 1824)

1889 – John Cadbury, English chocolate entrepreneur (b. 1801)

1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author (b. 1848)

1916 – James Connolly, Irish socialist and leader of the Easter Rising (b. 1868)

1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet (b. 1874)

1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist (b. 1858)

1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish statesman (b. 1867)

1944 – Max Brand, American author (b. 1892)

1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English writer (b. 1863)

1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor (b. 1895)

1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and race car driver (b. 1928)

1957 – Erich von Stroheim, film director and actor (b. 1885)

1963 – Richard Girulatis, German football manager (b. 1878)

1963 – Robert Kerr, Canadian sprinter (b. 1882)

1966 – Felix Martin Julius Steiner, German Heer and Waffen-SS officer (b. 1896)

1967 – John Masefield, British writer (b. 1878)

1970 – Nelly Sachs, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)

1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player (b. 1901)

1973 – Art Pollard, American racecar driver (b. 1927)

1978 – Robert Coogan, American actor (b. 1924)

1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter (b. 1901)

1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, Austrian actress (b. 1897)

1986 – Alicia Moreau de Justo, Argentine physician, politician, pacifist and human rights activist (b. 1885).

1990 – Chen Kenmin, Japanese chef (b. 1912)

1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)

1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and lyricist (b. 1911)

1992 – Lenny Montana, American actor (b. 1926)

1994 – Erik Erikson, German psychoanalyst (b. 1902)

1994 – John Smith, British politician (b. 1938)

1995 – Mia Martini, Italian singer and songwriter (b. 1947)

1999 – Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia 1993-1999 (b. 1910)

1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist (b. 1914)

2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)

2001 – Perry Como, American singer (b. 1912)

2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1925)

2002 – Joseph Bonanno, Italian-born gangster (b. 1905)

2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1933)

2005 – Martin Lings, English Islamic scholar (b. 1909)

2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress and singer (b. 1937)

2006 – Hussein Maziq, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)

2006 – Gillespie V. Montgomery, U.S. representative from Mississippi (b. 1920)

2007 – Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Afghani Taliban military leader

2007 – Teddy Infuhr, American former child actor (b. 1936)

2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American artist (b. 1925)

2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish social worker, WWII heroine (b. 1910)

2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish pop singer-songwriter (b. 1957)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

*Blessed Imelda

*Blessed Joan of Portugal

*Crispoldus

*Dominic de la Calzada

*Epiphanius of Salamis

*Modoald

*Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras

*Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)

*Philip of Agira

*May 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

J.V. Snellman’s Day, also Day of Finnishness. (Finland)

International Nurses Day (International)

International Awareness Day for Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases - ME, FM, MCS, GWS

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

www.may12th.org

----

Category:Days of the year Category:May

af:12 Mei ang:12 Þrimilcemōnaþ ar:ملحق:12 مايو an:12 de mayo frp:12 mê ast:12 de mayu az:12 may bn:মে ১২ zh-min-nan:5 goe̍h 12 ji̍t be:12 мая be-x-old:12 траўня bcl:Mayo 12 bs:12. maj br:12 Mae bg:12 май ca:12 de maig cv:Çу, 12 ceb:Mayo 12 cs:12. květen co:12 di maghju cy:12 Mai da:12. maj de:12. Mai dv:މެއި 12 et:12. mai el:12 Μαΐου myv:Панжиковонь 12 чи es:12 de mayo eo:12-a de majo eu:Maiatzaren 12 fa:۱۲ مه hif:12 May fo:12. mai fr:12 mai fy:12 maaie fur:12 di Mai ga:12 Bealtaine gv:12 Boaldyn gd:12 an Cèitean gl:12 de maio gan:5月12號 gu:મે ૧૨ xal:Хөн сарин 12 ko:5월 12일 hy:Մայիսի 12 hr:12. svibnja io:12 di mayo ig:May 12 ilo:Mayo 12 bpy:মে ১২ id:12 Mei ia:12 de maio ie:12 may os:12 майы is:12. maí it:12 maggio he:12 במאי jv:12 Mei kl:Maaji 12 kn:ಮೇ ೧೨ pam:Mayu 12 krc:12 май ka:12 მაისი csb:12 môja kk:Мамырдың 12 sw:12 Mei kv:12 ода кора ht:12 me ku:12'ê gulanê la:12 Maii lv:12. maijs lb:12. Mee lt:Gegužės 12 li:12 mei lmo:12 05 hu:Május 12. mk:12 мај ml:മേയ് 12 mr:मे १२ xmf:12 მესი arz:12 مايو ms:12 Mei mn:5 сарын 12 nah:Tlamācuīlti 12 nl:12 mei nds-nl:12 meie ne:१२ मे new:मे १२ ja:5月12日 nap:12 'e maggio no:12. mai nn:12. mai nrm:12 Mai nov:12 de maye oc:12 de mai mhr:12 Ага uz:12-may pa:੧੨ ਮਈ nds:12. Mai pl:12 maja pt:12 de maio ksh:12. Meij ro:12 mai qu:12 ñiqin aymuray killapi rue:12. май ru:12 мая sah:Ыам ыйын 12 se:Miessemánu 12. sco:12 Mey sq:12 Maj scn:12 di maiu simple:May 12 sk:12. máj sl:12. maj ckb:١٢ی ئایار sr:12. мај sh:12.5. su:12 Méi fi:12. toukokuuta sv:12 maj tl:Mayo 12 ta:மே 12 tt:12 май te:మే 12 th:12 พฤษภาคม tr:12 Mayıs tk:12 maý uk:12 травня ur:12 مئی vec:12 de majo vi:12 tháng 5 vo:Mayul 12 fiu-vro:12. lehekuu päiv wa:12 di may vls:12 meie war:Mayo 12 yi:12טן מיי yo:12 May zh-yue:5月12號 bat-smg:Gegožė 12 zh:5月12日

name	Nick Mason
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Nicholas Berkeley Mason
born	January 27, 1944Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
instrument	Drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, vocals
genre	Progressive rock, psychedelic rock, instrumental rock
occupation	Musician, drummer, record producer, author, composer
years active	1964–present
label	Capitol, Columbia, Sony, EMI, Harvest
associated acts	Pink Floyd Sigma 6The Screaming AbdabsThe Tea SetMason & FennRobert WyattCarla BleyMichael Mantler }}

Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965. Despite solely writing only a few Pink Floyd songs, Mason has contributed to some of Pink Floyd's most popular songs such as "Interstellar Overdrive", "A Saucerful Of Secrets" and "Echoes". He also competes in auto racing events, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Early life

The son of the documentary film maker Bill Mason, he was born in Birmingham but brought up in Hampstead, London (many online biographies mistakenly cite the street address Downshire Hill – sometimes as "the Downshire Hills" – as a district of Birmingham) and attended Frensham Heights School, Surrey. He later studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster), where he teamed up with Roger Waters, Bob Klose and Richard Wright in 1964 to form Pink Floyd's predecessor, Sigma 6.

Musical career

Mason has been the drummer on every Pink Floyd album (but not on every song; some session drummers have been used).

Despite legal conflicts over ownership of the name 'Pink Floyd', Roger Waters and Nick Mason are now on good terms. Mason joined Waters on the last two nights of his 2002 world tour to play drums on the Pink Floyd song "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", and he also played drums on some concerts of Waters' European tour in 2006, and during performances in Los Angeles and New York City in the United States. On 12 May 2007, Mason joined Waters again on stage at Earls Court to play ''The Dark Side of the Moon''. Again on 12 May 2011 Mason was featured, along with David Gilmour, on the encore Outside the Wall at Waters´ concert who was performing The Wall it its entity. Gilmour also performed on Comfortably Numb that night.

In July 2005, Mason, Gilmour, Wright, and Waters played together on stage for the first time in 24 years. A four song set was played at the Live 8 concert in London. Mason also joined David Gilmour and Richard Wright for the encore during Gilmour's show at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 31 May 2006, reuniting the post-Waters Pink Floyd. Mason has also claimed to be the link between Gilmour and Waters, and believes the band will play live again. His answers have ranged from "playing again for a charitable cause" to "a tour" given in various interviews in the last few years. He also stated in 2006 that Pink Floyd have not officially disbanded yet.

The only Pink Floyd songs that are solely credited to Mason are "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party Parts 1-3" (from ''Ummagumma'') and "Speak to Me" (from ''The Dark Side of the Moon''). The one-off song by the band entitled "Nick's Boogie" was named after him.

The only times Mason's voice has been included on Pink Floyd's albums are "Corporal Clegg", the single spoken line in "One of These Days" and spoken parts of "Signs of Life" and "Learning to Fly" (the latter taken from actual recording of Mason's first solo flight) from ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason''. He does, however, sing lead vocals on two unreleased but heavily bootlegged tracks, "Scream Thy Last Scream" (1967) and "The Merry Xmas Song" (1975–76). In live performances of the song "Sheep", he did the spoken section.

Unlike the other members of Pink Floyd, Mason has rarely played an instrument other than his usual one (drums), although he has contributed sound effects to many Pink Floyd albums. He has only ever played non-percussive instruments on "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party", his personal composition from ''Ummagumma'', where he provided some keyboard, guitar and bass noises, and on live versions of "Outside the Wall", where he played acoustic guitar along with the rest of the band. He has claimed that he took some failed violin and piano lessons as a child. However, on the ''Profiles'' album Nick released with Rick Fenn in 1985, he is also credited with keyboards. He can be seen playing a synthesizer in the promo video for "Lie for a Lie", but it is unknown if he actually played on the recording.

Mason has done some work with other people, notably as a drummer and producer for Steve Hillage, Robert Wyatt, The Damned and Gong. He also drummed for Michael Mantler.

Nick Mason used Premier drums in the 1960s and occasionally in the 1970s (mainly on recordings up to Wish You Were Here). After that, he used Ludwig drums from 1970 until 1992. He currently uses Drum Workshop (DW) drums, pedals and hardware. His kit is a DW double bass kit with the ''Dark Side of the Moon'' logo on the drums. He has also used Paiste cymbals during his entire career with Pink Floyd. He currently uses a mixture of Paiste Traditional, Signature and 2002 cymbals.

Nick Mason's book, ''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', was published in the UK in October 2004. It is also available, abridged, as a 3CD audio book, read by Mason.

Notable Pink Floyd songs co-written by Mason

Interstellar Overdrive (1967) (''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'')

A Saucerful Of Secrets (1968) (''A Saucerful of Secrets'')

Atom Heart Mother (1970) (''Atom Heart Mother'')

One of These Days (1971) (''Meddle'')

Echoes (1971) (''Meddle'')

Time (1973) (''The Dark Side of the Moon'')

Non-musical ventures

name	Nick Mason
nationality	British
years	1979–80, 1982–84
team(s)	Dorset Racing AssociatesEMKA ProductionsDome RacingGTi Engineering
best finish	18th (1979)
class wins	0 }}

Mason is married (to his second wife, Nettie) and has four children; two daughters (Holly and Chloe) from his first marriage and two sons (Guy and Cary) from his second. They live in Hampstead, London; however they often stay in the Wiltshire town of Corsham in the former home of Camilla Parker Bowles.

As Floyd's recording and touring schedule grew more sporadic, Mason was left with more time to pursue his favourite hobby: car racing. He owns (through his company Ten Tenths) and races several classic cars, and has competed successfully at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His collection has been a subject of his 1998 book, ''Into the Red'' in which he documents his experience with his cars, along with some histories. He is also a qualified pilot, and flies an Aerospatiale AS 350 Squirrel helicopter in specially painted colours.

Mason was invited by Ferrari to purchase one of their 400 Enzos, which Jeremy Clarkson pleaded with him to borrow for reviewing purposes on the BBC motoring programme ''Top Gear''. Mason agreed, on the sole condition that throughout the review, Clarkson promoted the release of the book ''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd''. This led to Clarkson using Pink Floyd album titles in his description of the Enzo and The Stig driving round the track with "Another Brick in the Wall" playing (despite the fact that the Enzo does not come equipped with a stereo). Mason says that his favourite car of all time is the Ferrari 250 GTO, and owns one of the 39 built (which is valued at between £16,000,000 and £20,000,000).

His wealth amounts to £55 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2006–07. (although this figure is believed to be inaccurate as his car collection alone would be worth a substantial part of this figure).

Views and advocacy

Mason is a supporter of the Countryside Alliance and has played concerts to raise funds for the organisation. He is a board member and co-chairman of the Featured Artists' Coalition.

Discography

With Pink Floyd

With Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports

''Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports'' – 3 May 1981

With Rick Fenn

''Profiles'' – 29 July 1985

''White of the Eye'' – 1987 (soundtrack)

''Tank Malling'' – 1988 (soundtrack)

With Michael Mantler

''The Hapless Child'' - 1976

''Something There'' – 1982

''Live'' – 1987

''Review'' - 2000

''Concertos'' – 2008

As a producer

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – ''The Asmoto Running Band'' (1971)

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – ''Round One'' (1974)

Robert Wyatt – ''Rock Bottom'' (1974)

Gong – ''Shamal'' (1976)

The Damned – ''Music for Pleasure'' (1977)

Steve Hillage – ''Green'' (1978); Co-produced with Steve Hillage. Mason also plays a drum on "Leylines to Glassdom"

Books

''Into the Red: 22 Classic Cars That Shaped a Century of Motor Sport'' (with Mark Hales) – 3 September 1998 (first edition), 9 September 2004 (second edition)

''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'' – 28 October 2004

References

External links

Nick Mason's Drummerworld profile

Nick Mason Interviews

Ten Tenths official site

Inside Out book page from Pink Floyd official site

Pink Floyd Drums: The Division Bell Tour Drums

Nick Mason's interview for Hit Channel website

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:People from Edgbaston Category:Old Frenshamians Category:Alumni of the University of Westminster Category:English drummers Category:English rock drummers Category:Pink Floyd members Category:English record producers Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers

bs:Nick Mason bg:Ник Мейсън ca:Nick Mason cs:Nick Mason da:Nick Mason de:Nick Mason el:Νικ Μέισον es:Nick Mason eo:Nick Mason fa:نیک میسن fr:Nick Mason ko:닉 메이슨 hr:Nick Mason id:Nick Mason it:Nick Mason he:ניק מייסון ka:ნიკ მეისონი lt:Nick Mason hu:Nick Mason nl:Nick Mason ja:ニック・メイスン no:Nick Mason nn:Nick Mason pl:Nick Mason pt:Nick Mason ro:Nick Mason ru:Мейсон, Ник sk:Nick Mason sl:Nick Mason sr:Ник Мејсон fi:Nick Mason sv:Nick Mason tr:Nick Mason uk:Нік Мейсон

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	Jimmy Kimmel, Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon
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. Letterman recently surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson for having the longest 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 from the time that Hugh Grant came on Leno's show after Grant's arrest for soliciting a prostitute. ; 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 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. 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 incident

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 television talk show hosts Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Indianapolis, Indiana television anchors Category:IndyCar Series team owners Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Weather presenters

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

James Joseph "Jim" Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'', with his performance often cited as a significant reason for the program's success. He has received several awards for his performance, including the Television Critics Association award for the highest individual achievements in comedy, the National Association of Broadcasters Television Chairman's Award for a significant breakthrough in a specific art discipline, the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Early life

Parsons was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the older of two children. After playing the role of the Kola-Kola bird in a school production of ''The Elephant's Child'' at age six, Parsons was determined to become an actor. The young Parsons was heavily influenced by sitcoms, particularly ''Three's Company'', ''Family Ties'', and ''The Cosby Show''. He attended Klein Oak High School in Spring, Texas, a northern suburb of Houston. Parsons points to a role in ''Noises Off'' during his junior year as the first time "I fully connected with the role I was playing and started to truly understand what it meant to be honest on stage".

After graduating from high school, Parsons received an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston. He was prolific during this time, appearing in 17 plays in 3 years. He was a founding member of Infernal Bridegroom Productions, and regularly appeared at the Stages Repertory Theatre. Parsons enrolled in graduate school at the University of San Diego in 1999. He was one of seven students accepted into a special two-year course in classical theater, taught in partnership with the Old Globe Theater. Program director Rick Seer recalled having reservations about admitting Parsons, saying, "Jim is a very specific personality. He's thoroughly original, which is one reason he's been so successful. But we worried, ‘Does that adapt itself to classical theater, does that adapt itself to the kind of training that we're doing?' But we decided that he was so talented that we would give him a try and see how it worked out." Parsons enjoyed school, and told an interviewer that he would have pursued a doctorate in acting if possible: "school was so safe!...you frequently would surprise yourself by what you were capable of, and you were not surprised by some things." Parsons graduated in 2001 and moved to New York.

Career

In New York Parsons worked in off Broadway productions and made several television appearances. In a much-discussed 2003 Quiznos commercial, Parsons played a man who had been raised by wolves and continued to nurse from his wolf "mother". He had a recurring role on the television show ''Judging Amy'' and appeared on the television series ''Ed''. Parsons also had minor roles in several movies, including ''Garden State'' and ''School for Scoundrels''.

Parsons has estimated that he auditioned for between 15 and 30 television pilots. On the rare occasions when he was cast in the role, the show generally failed to be purchased by a television network. The exception came with ''The Big Bang Theory''. After reading the pilot script, Parsons felt that the role of Sheldon Cooper would be a very good fit for him. Although Parsons did not feel any sort of relationship with the character, he was enchanted by the dialogue structure, the way the writers "brilliantly use those words that most of us don't recognize to create that rhythm. And the rhythm got me. It was the chance to dance through that dialogue, and in a lot of ways still is."

In his audition, Parsons so impressed series creator Chuck Lorre that Lorre insisted on a second audition to see if Parsons could replicate the performance. Parsons was given the role, a genius physicist with nonexistent social skills who interacts with his other nerdy friends and the attractive waitress who lives across the hall. The role requires Parsons to "rattle off line after line of tightly composed, rhythmic dialogue, and then do something with his face or body during the silence that follows." Parsons credits his University of San Diego training with giving him the tools to break down Sheldon's lines.

Television critic Andrew Dansby compares Parsons' physical comedy to that of Buster Keaton and other silent film stars. Lorre praises Parsons' instincts, saying that "You can't teach that." Lorre describes Parsons' "great sense of control over every part of his body, the way he walks, holds his hands, cocks his head, the facial tics" as "inspired". Reviewer Lewis Beale describes Parsons' performance as "so spot-on, it seems as if the character and the actor are the same person." Parsons admits that the work is "more effort than I ever thought a sitcom would take. And that's really the fun of it."

In August 2009 Parsons won the Television Critics Association award for individual achievement in comedy, beating Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, and Neil Patrick Harris. He was nominated for Emmy awards in 2009 and 2010, winning in 2010 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. In September 2010 Parsons and costars Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco signed new contracts, guaranteeing each of them $200,000 per episode for the fourth season of ''The Big Bang Theory'', with substantial raises for each of the next three seasons. The three were also promised a percentage of the show's earnings. In January 2011 he won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy (the award was presented by co-star Cuoco).

In 2011 Parsons is set to appear alongside Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Rashida Jones in the comedy film ''The Big Year''. It is scheduled for release in October.

Personal life

Parsons lives in Los Angeles. His hobbies include playing the piano and watching sports, especially tennis, baseball, and basketball.

Stage appearances

''The Balcony''

''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' (1994) .... Rosencrantz

''La Ronde'' (1995)

''Endgame'' (1995) .... Clov (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Marat/Sade'' (1995) (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Guys and Dolls'' (1996) .... Rusty Charlie (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre)

''Eddie Goes to Poetry City'' (1996) .... Eddie (New York Theatre)

''Jack and the Future Is In Eggs'' (1996) .... Father Jack

''Othello'' (1996) (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Suicide in B-flat'' (1996) (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Woyzeck'' (1996) .... Doctor / Horse's Head (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''The Cherry Orchard'' (1997) .... Yasha, a young man servant (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Chili Queen'' (1997) .... Buddy (Stages Repertory Theatre, World Premiere) ''Camino Real'' (1997) .... Baron (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Last Rites'' (1997) .... Tiger Clean (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre, World Premiere) ''Threepenny Opera'' (1998) .... MacHeath (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre)

''Below the Belt'' (1998) .... Dobbitt

''In the Jungle of the Cities'' (1998) .... J. Finnay (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Tamalalia 3: The Cocktail Party'' (1998) .... Psychotic psychiatrist (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre, World Premiere) ''King Ubu is King'' (1998) .... Tom, Mister Nice Guy (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre, World Premiere)

''The Pitchfork Disney'' (1998) .... Presley Stray (Stages Repertory Theatre)

''Marie and Bruce'' (1999) .... Herb / Fred / Waiter (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre) ''Tamalalia 4: The Camp-Out'' (1999) (Infernal Bridegroom Theatre, World Premiere)

''What Happened Was'' (2002) .... Jackie (The Paradise Theatre)

''The Castle'' (2002) .... Jeremiah (Manhattan Ensemble Theatre) ''Tartuffe'' (2002) .... Valère (La Jolla Playhouse) ''The Love for Three Oranges (Gozzi)'' (2004) .... Prince Tartaglia (La Jolla Playhouse) ''The Normal Heart'' (2011) .... Tommy Boatwright (John Golden Theatre)

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2003	''Nowhere to Go But Up''	Casting assistant
2004		Tim
		Sidney
''The Great New Wonderful''	Justin
	Oliver
		Receptionist
	Classmate	Cameo
	''On the Road with Judas''	Jimmy Pea
''Gardener of Eden''	Spim
2011	''The Big Year''	Crane	Post-Production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002		Chet	Episode: "The Road"
2003	''Why Blitt?''	Mike	TV Pilot
2004		Kris	TV Pilot
2004–2005	''Judging Amy''	Rob Holbrook	7 episodes
2007–present	''The Big Bang Theory''	Sheldon Cooper
2009	''Family Guy''	Sheldon Cooper	Episode: "Business Guy"
2010	''Glenn Martin, DDS''	Draven	Episode: "Jackie's Get-Witch-Quick Scheme"
2011	''The Super Hero Squad Show''		Episode: "Blind Rage Knows No Color"
2011	''iCarly''	Caleb	Episode: "iLost My Mind"

Music videos

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	"Up 2 You + Me" Featuring Jim Parsons (Music Video)	Himself	Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Initiative

Awards and nominations

Year	Result	Category	Award Show
2008	|	Best Actor in a Comedy Series	Ewwy Award#1st Ewwy Awards (2008)>Ewwy Awards
rowspan="3"	2009	|	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	61st Primetime Emmy Awards>Emmy Awards
	Individual Achievement in Comedy
	Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Series
rowspan="4"	2010	|	Favorite TV Comedy Actor	36th People's Choice Awards>People's Choice Awards
	Individual Achievement in Comedy
	Choice TV Actor: Comedy
rowspan="2"	2011	|	Best Actor - Television Series - Musical or Comedy	68th Golden Globe Awards>Golden Globe Awards

References

External links

CBS Biography

Movieline interviews Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons On Learning Lines, Emmy Nods and Cast Ping Pong Deathmatches

Fresh Air Interview: Jim Parsons On The Science Of Sheldon, 'Big Bang'

Category:1973 births Category:American actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Actors from Houston, Texas Category:University of Houston alumni Category:University of San Diego alumni

ca:Jim Parsons cs:Jim Parsons da:Jim Parsons de:Jim Parsons et:Jim Parsons es:Jim Parsons fa:جیمز پارسونز fr:Jim Parsons ko:짐 파슨스 it:Jim Parsons he:ג'ים פרסונס hu:Jim Parsons ro:Jim Parsons nl:Jim Parsons no:Jim Parsons pl:Jim Parsons pt:Jim Parsons ru:Парсонс, Джим sq:Jim Parsons simple:Jim Parsons sk:Jim Parsons fi:Jim Parsons sv:Jim Parsons tr:Jim Parsons uk:Джим Парсонс zh:吉姆·帕森斯