Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Bruce Willis
birth name	Walter Bruce Willis
birth date	March 19, 1955
birth place	Idar-Oberstein, West Germany
occupation	Actor, Comedian, Producer, Musician
genres	Jazz, Rock
years active	1980–present
other names	W.B. WillisBruno
spouse	Demi Moore (1987–2000)Emma Heming (2009–present)
children	Rumer, Scout, Tallulah
partner	Brooke Burns (2004) }}

Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955), better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles. He is well known for the role of John McClane in the ''Die Hard'' series, which were mostly critical and uniformly financial successes. He has also appeared in over sixty films, including box office successes like ''Pulp Fiction'', ''Sin City'', ''12 Monkeys'', ''The Fifth Element'', ''Armageddon'', and ''The Sixth Sense''.

Motion pictures featuring Willis have grossed US$2.64 billion to 3.05 billion at North American box offices, making him the ninth highest-grossing actor in a leading role and twelfth highest including supporting roles. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winning, Golden Globe Award-winning and four-time Saturn Award-nominated actor. Willis was married to actress Demi Moore and they had three daughters before their divorce in 2000, following thirteen years of marriage.

Early life

Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. His mother, Marlene K., was German and born in Kassel, and his father, David Willis, was an American soldier of German descent. Willis is the eldest of four children: he has a sister, Florence, and a brother, David. His brother Robert died of pancreatic cancer in 2001, aged 42. After being discharged from the military in 1957, Willis's father took his family back to Carneys Point, New Jersey. Willis has described himself as having come from a "long line of blue collar people"; his mother worked in a bank and his father was a welder, master mechanic, and factory worker. Willis attended Penns Grove High School in his hometown, where he encountered issues with a stutter. He was nicknamed ''Buck-Buck'' by his schoolmates. Finding it easy to express himself on stage and losing his stutter in the process, Willis began performing on stage and his high school activities were marked by such things as the drama club and student council president.

After high school, Willis took a job as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and also transported work crews at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, New Jersey.

After working as a private investigator (a role he would play in the television series ''Moonlighting'' as well as in the 1991 film, ''The Last Boy Scout''), Willis returned to acting. He enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State University, where he was cast in the class production of ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof''. Willis left school in his junior year and moved to New York City.

After multiple auditions, Willis made his theater debut in the off-Broadway production of ''Heaven and Earth''. He gained more experience and exposure in ''Fool for Love'', and in a Levi's commercial.

Career

Early career

Willis left New York City and headed to California to audition for several television shows. In 1984, he appeared in an episode of the TV series Miami Vice, titled "No Exit." He auditioned for the role of David Addison Jr. of the television series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–89), competing against 3,000 other actors for the position. The starring role, opposite Cybill Shepherd, helped to establish him as a comedic actor, with the show lasting five seasons. During the height of the show's success, beverage maker Seagram hired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden Wine Cooler products. The advertising campaign paid the rising star between $5–7 million over two years. In spite of that, Willis chose not to renew his contract with the company when he decided to stop drinking alcohol in 1988.

One of his first major film roles was in the 1987 Blake Edwards film ''Blind Date'', with Kim Basinger and John Larroquette. Edwards would cast him again to play the real-life cowboy actor Tom Mix in ''Sunset'' (1988). However, it was his then-unexpected turn in the film ''Die Hard'' that catapulted him to movie star status. He performed most of his own stunts in the film, and the film grossed $138,708,852 worldwide. Following his success with ''Die Hard'', he had a supporting role in the drama ''In Country'' as Vietnam veteran Emmett Smith and also provided the voice for a talking baby in ''Look Who's Talking'', as well as its sequel ''Look Who's Talking Too''.

In the late 1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a recording artist, recording an album of pop-blues titled ''The Return of Bruno'', which included the hit single "Respect Yourself", promoted by a Spinal Tap-like rockumentary parody featuring scenes of him performing at famous events including Woodstock. Follow-up recordings were not as successful, though Willis has returned to the recording studio several times. See Discography below.

1990s

Willis acquired major personal success and pop culture influence playing John McClane in 1988's ''Die Hard''. This film was followed up by ''Die Hard 2: Die Harder'' in 1990 and ''Die Hard With a Vengeance'' in 1995. These first three installments in the ''Die Hard'' series grossed over US$700 million internationally and propelled Willis to the first rank of Hollywood action stars.

In the early 1990s, Willis's career suffered a moderate slump starring in flops such as ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'', ''Striking Distance'', and a film he co-wrote titled ''Hudson Hawk'', among others. He starred in a leading role in the highly sexualized thriller ''Color of Night'' (1994), which was very poorly received by critics, but did well in the home video market and became one of the Top 20 most-rented films in the United States in 1995. However, in 1994, he had a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed ''Pulp Fiction'', which gave a new boost to his career. In 1996, he was the executive producer of the cartoon ''Bruno the Kid'' which featured a CGI representation of himself.

He went on to play the lead roles in ''Twelve Monkeys'' (1995) and ''The Fifth Element'' (1997). However, by the end of the 1990s, his career had fallen into another slump with critically panned films like ''The Jackal'', ''Mercury Rising'', and ''Breakfast of Champions'', saved only by the success of the Michael Bay-directed ''Armageddon'' which was the highest grossing film of 1998 worldwide. The same year his voice and likeness were featured in the PlayStation video game ''Apocalypse''. In 1999, Willis then went on to the starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's film, ''The Sixth Sense''. The film was both a commercial and critical success and helped to increase interest in his acting career.

2000s - 2010s

In 2000, Willis won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on ''Friends'' (in which he played the father of Ross Geller's much-younger girlfriend). He was also nominated for a 2001 American Comedy Award (in the Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series category) for his work on ''Friends''. Also in 2000, Willis played Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski in ''The Whole Nine Yards'' alongside Matthew Perry. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedict in ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001) but dropped out to work on recording an album. In ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004), he makes a cameo appearance as himself. In 2007, he appeared in the ''Planet Terror'' half of the double feature ''Grindhouse'' as the villain, a mutant soldier. This marks Willis's second collaboration with director Robert Rodriguez, following ''Sin City''.

Willis has appeared on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' several times throughout his career. He filled in for an ill David Letterman on his show February 26, 2003, when he was supposed to be a guest. On many of his appearances on the show, Willis stages elaborate jokes, such as wearing a day-glo orange suit in honor of the Central Park gates, having one side of his face made up with simulated buckshot wounds after the Harry Whittington shooting, or trying to break a record (parody of David Blaine) of staying underwater for only twenty seconds.

On April 12, 2007, he appeared again, this time wearing a Sanjaya Malakar wig. His most recent appearance was on June 25, 2007 when he appeared wearing a mini-turbine strapped to his head to accompany a joke about his own fictional documentary titled ''An Unappealing Hunch'' (a wordplay of ''An Inconvenient Truth''). Willis also appeared on Japanese Subaru Legacy television commercials. Tying in with this, Subaru did a limited run of Legacys, badged "Subaru Legacy Touring Bruce", in honor of Willis.

Willis has appeared in four films with Samuel L. Jackson (National Lampoon's ''Loaded Weapon 1'', ''Pulp Fiction'', ''Die Hard with a Vengeance'', and ''Unbreakable'') and both actors were slated to work together in ''Black Water Transit'', before dropping out. Willis also worked with his eldest daughter, Rumer, in the 2005 film ''Hostage''. In 2007, he appeared in the thriller ''Perfect Stranger'', opposite Halle Berry, the crime/drama film ''Alpha Dog'', opposite Sharon Stone, and marked his return to the role of John McClane in ''Live Free or Die Hard''. Recently he appeared in the films ''What Just Happened'' and ''Surrogates'', based on the comic book of the same name.

Willis was slated to play U.S. Army general William R. Peers in director Oliver Stone's ''Pinkville'', a drama about the investigation of the 1968 My Lai Massacre. However, due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, the film was cancelled. Willis appeared on the 2008 Blues Traveler album ''North Hollywood Shootout'', giving a spoken word performance over an instrumental blues-rock jam on the track "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)". In early 2009, he appeared in an advertising campaign to publicize the insurance company Norwich Union's change of name to Aviva. He also appeared in the music video for the song "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin. The song is from his 2009 science fiction film ''Surrogates''.

Willis starred with Tracy Morgan in the comedy ''Cop Out'', directed by Kevin Smith and about two police detectives investigating the theft of a baseball card. The film was released in February 2010. Willis appeared in the music video for the song "Stylo" by Gorillaz. Also in 2010, he appeared in a cameo with former Planet Hollywood co-owners and '80s action stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film ''The Expendables''. Bruce Willis played the role of "Mr. Church". This was the first time these three legendary action stars appeared on screen together. Although the scene featuring the three was short, it was one of the most highly anticipated scenes in the film. The trio filmed their scene in an empty church on October 24, 2009. His most recent project was ''Red'', an adaptation of the comic book mini-series of the same name, in which he portrayed Frank Moses. The film was released on October 15, 2010.

Upcoming films

Willis will star in the movie adaptation of the video game ''Kane & Lynch: Dead Men'', named ''Kane & Lynch''. He will also star in the upcoming movies ''Catch .44'', ''The Cold Light of Day'', ''Moonrise Kingdom'', and ''Looper''.

On May 5, 2010, it was announced that ''Die Hard 5'' would be made and that Willis was on board to play his most famous role of John McClane for a fifth time.

Sylvester Stallone revealed that he is talking to Willis about returning for ''The Expendables'' sequel. Stallone has said that he wants to expand Willis' role and that he wants Willis to play the villain in the next Expendables. They have talked about Willis' schedule and possible actors that could join the sequel.

Filming for a new movie, ''Moonrise Kingdom'', starring Bruce Willis alongside Bill Murray, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand, is expected to begin in the first half of 2011. Filming will take place in Rhode Island under the direction of Wes Anderson.

Willis will team up with 50 Cent in a new film directed by David Barrett called ''Fire with Fire'', about a fireman who must save the love of his life. Willis will also join Vince Vaughn and Catherine Zeta-Jones in ''Lay the Favorite'', directed by Stephen Frears, about a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who becomes an elite professional gambler. The two films will be distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment.

Business activities

Willis owns property in Los Angeles, rents an apartment in the Trump Tower in New York City, and Trump Place, as well as a home in Malibu, California, a ranch in Montana, a beach home on Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos, and multiple properties in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Willis started his own motion picture production company called Cheyenne Enterprises, which he started with his business partner Arnold Rifkin in 2000. He left the company to be run solely by Rifkin in 2007 after Live Free or Die Hard. He also owns several small businesses in Hailey, Idaho, including The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater and is a co-founder of Planet Hollywood, with actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. In 2009 Willis signed a contract to become the international face of Belvedere SA's Sobieski Vodka in exchange for 3.3% ownership in the company.

Personal life

Willis' acting role models are Gary Cooper, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne.

Marriages and family

At the premiere for the film ''Stakeout'', Willis met actress Demi Moore. Willis married Moore on November 21, 1987 and had three daughters: Rumer Willis (b. August 16, 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (b. July 20, 1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (b. February 3, 1994) before the couple divorced on October 18, 2000. The couple gave no public reason for their breakup. Regarding the divorce, Willis stated, "I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work." He credited actor Will Smith for helping him cope with the situation. After their breakup, rumors persisted that the couple planned to re-marry, until Moore married the actor Ashton Kutcher. Willis has maintained a close relationship with both Moore and Kutcher, even attending their wedding. Willis and Moore currently share custody of their daughters.

Willis was engaged to Brooke Burns until they broke up in 2004 after ten months together. He married Emma Heming in Turks and Caicos on March 21, 2009; guests included his three daughters, Moore, and Kutcher. The ceremony was not legally binding, so the couple wed again in a civil ceremony in Beverly Hills six days later. Willis has expressed interest in having more children.

Political views

In 1988, he and Moore actively campaigned for Massachusetts Governor Michael S. Dukakis's Presidential bid. Four years later, he supported President George H.W. Bush for reelection and he was a vocal critic of Bill Clinton. However, in 1996, he declined to endorse Clinton's Republican opponent Bob Dole, because Dole had criticized Moore for her role in the film ''Striptease''. Willis was an invited speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention, and actively supported George W. Bush that year. He did not make any contributions or public endorsements in the 2008 presidential campaign. In several June 2007 interviews, he declared that he still maintains some Republican ideologies.

In 2006, he proposed that the United States should invade Colombia, in order to end the drug trafficking. In several interviews Willis has said that he supports large salaries for teachers and police officers, and says that he is disappointed in the United States' foster care and treatment of Native Americans. Willis also stated that he is a big supporter of gun rights:

}}

In February 2006, Willis appeared in Manhattan to talk about ''16 Blocks'' with reporters. One reporter attempted to ask Willis about his opinion on current events, but was interrupted by Willis in mid-sentence: "I'm sick of answering this fucking question. I'm a Republican only as far as I want a smaller government, I want less government intrusion. I want them to stop shitting on my money and your money and tax dollars that we give 50 percent of... every year. I want them to be fiscally responsible and I want these goddamn lobbyists out of Washington. Do that and I'll say I'm a Republican... I hate the government, OK? I'm apolitical. Write that down. I'm not a Republican."

Willis's name was in an advertisement in the ''Los Angeles Times'' on August 17, 2006, that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Military pursuits

Throughout his film career, Willis has depicted several military characters in films such as ''The Siege'', ''Hart's War'', ''Tears of the Sun'', and ''Grindhouse''. Growing up in a military family, Willis has publicly sold Girl Scout cookies for the United States armed forces. In 2002, Willis's youngest daughter, Tallulah, suggested that he purchase Girl Scout cookies to send to troops. Willis purchased 12,000 boxes of cookies, and they were distributed to sailors aboard USS ''John F. Kennedy'' and other troops stationed throughout the Middle East at the time. In 2003, Willis visited Iraq as part of the USO tour, singing to the troops with his band, The Accelerators. Willis considered joining the military to help fight the second Iraq war, but was deterred by his age. It was believed he offered US$1 million to any non combatant who turns in terrorist leaders Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi; in the June 2007 issue of ''Vanity Fair'', however, he clarified that the statement was made hypothetically and not meant to be taken literally. Willis has also criticized the media for its coverage of the war, complaining that the press were more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the war:

}}

Willis stated in 2005 that he wanted to "make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy." The film would follow members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, who spent considerable time in Mosul and were decorated heavily for it. The film is to be based on the writings of blogger Michael Yon, a former United States Army Special Forces soldier who was embedded with Deuce Four and sent regular dispatches about their activities. Willis described the plot of the film as "these guys who do what they are asked for very little money to defend and fight for what they consider to be freedom."

Controversy

Comments at playoffs

Willis, an avid New Jersey Nets fan, made controversial comments on April 29, 2007 during a live broadcast of a Nets home playoff game on TSN by saying a catch phrase from his ''Die Hard'' films, "Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker", at the end of the interview. Reacting to the backlash, he later blamed his actions on jet lag, stating: "Sometimes I overestimate my ability to function under duress with less than enough sleep".

"Walter_B"

On May 5, 2007, someone using the screen name "Walter_B" started posting detailed responses onto Ain't it Cool News, where people were discussing the fact that ''Live Free or Die Hard'' received a PG-13 rating, instead of an R rating like the earlier three ''Die Hard'' films. The responses included detailed information on ''Live Free or Die Hard'', which was yet to be released; the theme of the ''Die Hard'' film series, direct criticisms of other film crews and casts, and many film trivia answers. Many people were skeptical that "Walter_B" was indeed Willis, but on May 9, Willis revealed his identity on a video chat session (using iChat).

Cultural references

In 1996, Roger Director, a writer and producer from ''Moonlighting'' wrote a roman à clef on Willis titled ''A Place to Fall''. Cybill Shepherd wrote in her 2000 autobiography, ''Cybill Disobedience'', that Willis was angry at Director, because the character was written as a "neurotic, petulant actor."

In 1998, Willis participated in ''Apocalypse'', a PlayStation video game. The game was originally announced to feature Willis as a sidekick, not as the main character. The company reworked the game using Willis's likeness and voice and changed the game to use him as the main character.

In an early episode of ''Code Lyoko'' season one episode "Holiday in the Fog" aired in 2003, Jim Morales assures Sissi that Jeremie will come to their aide when the two are trapped in an air-tight closet with toxic smoke outside. Sissi sarcastically remarks how nice it is that "the closest thing to Bruce Willis is coming to rescue" them.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1980	''''	Man Entering Diner	(uncredited)
1982	''''	Courtroom Observer	(uncredited)
1985	''''	Extra	(uncredited)
1987		Walter Davis
1988	''''	Bruno Radolini
1988		Tom Mix
1988	''Die Hard''	John McClane
1989	''That's Adequate''	Himself
1989	''In Country''	Emmett Smith	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1989	''Look Who's Talking''	Mikey	Voice Only
1990	''Die Hard 2''	John McClane
1990	''Look Who's Talking Too''	Mikey	Voice Only
1990	''''	Peter Fallow
1991	''Mortal Thoughts''	James Urbanski
1991	''Hudson Hawk''	Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' Hawkins	Writer
1991		Bo Weinberg
1991	''''	Joseph Cornelius 'Joe' Hallenbeck
1992	''''	Himself
1992	''Death Becomes Her''	Dr. Ernest Menville	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1993	''Loaded Weapon 1''	John McClane	Uncredited
1993	''Striking Distance''	Tom 'Tommy' Hardy
1994		Narrator
1994	''Color of Night''	Dr. Bill Capa
1994			Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
1994		Carl Roebuck	Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
1995	''Die Hard with a Vengeance''	John McClane
1995	''Four Rooms''	Leo	Uncredited
1995	''Twelve Monkeys''	James Cole	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
1996		John Smith
1996	''Beavis and Butt-Head Do America''	Muddy Grimes	Voice Only
1997	''''	Korben Dallas
1997	''''	The Jackal
1998	''Mercury Rising''	Art Jeffries
1998		Harry S. Stamper	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
1998	''''	Major General William Devereaux
1999	""	Himself	Short subject
1999		Dwayne Hoover
1999	''''	Dr. Malcolm Crowe	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1999	''''	Ben Jordan
2000	''''	Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski
2000	''Disney's The Kid''	Russell 'Russ' Duritz
2000		David Dunn
2001	''Bandits''	Joe Blake
2002	''Hart's War''	Col. William A. McNamara
2002	''Grand Champion''	Mr. Blandford
2003	''Tears of the Sun''	Lieutenant A.K. Waters
2003	''Rugrats Go Wild''	Spike	Voice Only
2003	''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle''	William Rose Bailey	Uncredited
2004	''''	Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski
2004	''Ocean's Twelve''	Himself
2005		Jeff Talley	Also Producer
2005		John Hartigan
2006	''Alpha Dog''	Sonny Truelove
2006	''16 Blocks''	Jack Mosley	Also Producer
2006		Harry Rydell
2006	''Lucky Number Slevin''	Mr. Goodkat
2006		RJ	Voice Only
2007	''''	Colonel Doug Masterson	Uncredited
2007		Harrison Hill
2007		Lt. Muldoon
2007		Himself	Uncredited
2007	''Live Free or Die Hard''	John McClane	Also Producer. Named 'Die Hard 4.0' outside North America
2008	''What Just Happened''	Himself
2008	''Assassination of a High School President''	Principal Kirkpatrick
2009		Agent Tom Greer
2010		Jimmy Monroe
2010	''''	Mr. Church	Cameo
2010		Frank Moses
2011	''Catch .44''	Mel	''post-production''
2011		Biggs	''in production''
2012	''''	Martin	''filming''
2012	''Lay the Favorite''	Dink Heimowitz	''filming''
2012	''G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation''	General Joseph Colton	''in production''
2012		Older Joe	''in production''
2012		Kane	''in production''

+ Television
Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1984	''Miami Vice''	Tony Amato
1985	''''	Peter Jay Novins	Episode: "Shatterday"
1985–89		David Addison Jr.	67 episodes
1996–97	''Bruno the Kid''	Bruno the Kid	Voice
1997	''Mad About You''	Amnesia patient	Episode: "The Birth Part 2"
1999	''Ally McBeal''	Dr. Nickle	Episode: "Love Unlimited"
2000	''Friends''	Paul Stevens	Three episodes
2002		Lee	Television film
2005	''That '70s Show''	Vic	Episode: "Misfire"

+ Late Show with David Letterman Appearances
! Date	! Costume, Product, or Skit
Feb 2006	Coffee (Starbruce)
Sept 2006	Robotic Mop (Robo Bruce)
Sept 2007	Wind-powered Turbine Helmet, Illegal Fireworks (Ka-Bruce), "Roof Jump" skit
Nov 2008	Sarah Palin wig, Turkey Deep Fryer (Fry Hard with a Vengeance)
May 2009	Rubber Band Helmet (Bruce Willis' Concussion-Buster), "'Obsessed' Movie Cameo" skit
Sept 2009	Blanket w/Hairpiece (Bruce Willis' Skanket)
Dec 2009	"Bruce the Late Show Intern" skit
Feb 2010	Jets Fan outfit, "Olympic Skier" skit, Underwear (Bruce Willis' Amazing Exploding Underpants)
Oct 2010	Meat Hairpiece

+ Producer
! Year	! Title	Notes
1988		Co-executive producer
2002	''''	Producer
2007	''''	Executive producer

Discography

Solo albums ''The Return of Bruno'', 1987, Motown, ''If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger'', 1989, Motown / Pgd, . ''Classic Bruce Willis: The Universal Masters Collection'', 2001, Polygram Int'l, .

Compilations / Guest appearances

''Moonlighting'' soundtrack, 1986; track "Good Lovin'"

''Hudson Hawk'' soundtrack, 1991; tracks "Swinging on a Star" and "Side by Side", both duets with Danny Aiello

''Rugrats Go Wild'' soundtrack, 2003; "Big Bad Cat" with Chrissie Hynde and "Lust for Life"

Blues Traveler, ''North Hollywood Shootout'', 2008; track "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)"

Singles Chart

In 1987, Bruce Willis released sang a number of tracks on the soundtrack of the film "The Return of Bruno" including:

''Respect Yourself'', reached number 5 in the US and number 7 in the UK

''Under The Boardwalk'', reached number 59 in the US and number 2 in the UK

''Young Blood'', reached number 62 in the US

In the UK the following singles also charted:

"Secret Agent Man - James Bond is Back", number 43 (September 1987)

"Comin' Right Up", number 73 (January 1988)

Awards and honors

Willis has won a variety of awards and has received various honors throughout his career in television and film.

For his work on the television show ''Moonlighting'' he won an Emmy ("Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series") and a Golden Globe ("Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series — Comedy/Musical") plus received additional nominations for the show.

He was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in the film ''In Country''

Maxim magazine had named his sex scenes in ''Color of Night'' (1994) as the best sex scenes ever in film history. In the 1999 drama/thriller film, ''The Sixth Sense'', Willis won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award ("Favorite Actor — Suspense") and the People's Choice Award ("Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Drama"). He was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actor and received two nominations for the MTV Movie Awards for "Best Male Performance" and "Best On-Screen Duo".

In 2000, Willis won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends.

In February 2002, Willis was awarded the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals. According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment. Also in 2002, Willis was appointed as national spokesman for Children in Foster Care by President George W. Bush. Willis wrote online: "I saw Foster Care as a way for me to serve my country in a system by which shining a little bit of light could benefit a great deal by helping kids who were literally wards of the government." In April 2006, he was honored by French government for his contributions to the film industry. Willis was named "Officier Dans L'ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres" (Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters) in a ceremony in Paris. The French Prime Minister stated "This is France's way of paying tribute to an actor who epitomizes the strength of American cinema, the power of the emotions that he invites us to share on the world's screens and the sturdy personalities of his legendary characters." On October 16, 2006, Willis was honored with a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard and it was the 2,321st star awarded in its history. Willis, reacting to his reception of the star, stated "I used to come down here and look at these stars and I could never quite figure out what you were supposed to do to get one...time has passed and now here I am doing this, and I'm still excited. I'm still excited to be an actor."

References

External links

BruceWillis.com (Way Back Machine) Official website – shutdown since Thanksgiving 2005. Link refers to the cached homepages of the site at Archive.org.

Bruce Willis interview on ''The Tavis Smiley Show''

Category:1955 births Category:Actors from Idaho Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American bloggers Category:American film actors Category:American people of German descent Category:American television actors Category:American video game actors Category:American voice actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:Montclair State University alumni Category:People from Salem County, New Jersey Category:People from the District of Birkenfeld

ar:بروس ويليس an:Bruce Willis az:Brüs Uillis bs:Bruce Willis br:Bruce Willis bg:Брус Уилис ca:Bruce Willis cs:Bruce Willis cy:Bruce Willis da:Bruce Willis de:Bruce Willis et:Bruce Willis el:Μπρους Γουίλις es:Bruce Willis eo:Bruce Willis eu:Bruce Willis fa:بروس ویلیس fr:Bruce Willis ga:Bruce Willis gd:Bruce Willis gl:Bruce Willis ko:브루스 윌리스 hi:ब्रूस विलिस hr:Bruce Willis io:Bruce Willis id:Bruce Willis is:Bruce Willis it:Bruce Willis he:ברוס ויליס jv:Bruce Willis kn:ಬ್ರೂಸ್ ವಿಲ್ಲೀಸ್ ka:ბრიუს უილისი sw:Bruce Willis la:Bruce Willis lv:Brūss Viliss lt:Bruce Willis hu:Bruce Willis ml:ബ്രൂസ് വില്ലിസ് mr:ब्रुस विलिस nah:Bruce Willis nl:Bruce Willis ja:ブルース・ウィリス no:Bruce Willis nn:Bruce Willis uz:Bruce Willis nds:Bruce Willis pl:Bruce Willis pt:Bruce Willis ro:Bruce Willis ru:Уиллис, Брюс sq:Bruce Willis simple:Bruce Willis sk:Bruce Willis sl:Bruce Willis sr:Брус Вилис sh:Bruce Willis fi:Bruce Willis sv:Bruce Willis tl:Bruce Willis te:బ్రూస్ విల్లీస్ th:บรูซ วิลลิส tg:Брюс Уиллис tr:Bruce Willis uk:Брюс Вілліс yi:ברוס וויליס zh:布鲁斯·威利斯

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″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	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

In spite of Johnny Carson's clear intention to pass his title to Letterman, NBC selected Jay Leno to host ''The Tonight Show'' after Carson's departure. 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.

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

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Jonathan Ross
birth name	Jonathan Stephen Ross
birth date	November 17, 1960
birth place	Camden, London, England
nationality	British
occupation	Broadcaster, film critic
years active	1987–present
spouse
children	2 daughters, 1 son
parents	Martha Ross }}

Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE (born 17 November 1960) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011. Ross also hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and acted as a film critic and presenter of the ''Film'' programme. Other regular roles have included being a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz ''They Think It's All Over'' from 1999 to 2006, and presenting the annual British Comedy Awards from 1991 to 2007, and 2009 onwards.

Ross began his television career as a programme researcher, before débuting as a television presenter for ''The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross'' on Channel 4 in 1987. Over the next decade he had several radio and television roles, many through his own production company, Channel X. In 1995 he sold his stake in Channel X, and embarked on a career with the BBC. In 1999, Ross took over presenting the ''Film'' programme from Barry Norman, and also began presenting his own radio show, while two years later he began hosting ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross''. For the chat show, Ross won three British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Entertainment Performance, in 2004, 2006 and 2007. By 2006 Ross was believed to be the BBC's highest paid star. In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting. Ross has been involved in controversies throughout his broadcasting career. As a result, in 2008 he wrote a semi-autobiographical work titled ''Why Do I Say These Things?'', detailing some of his life experiences.

Ross has been married to the author, journalist and broadcaster Jane Goldman since 1988; they have three children. Ross and Goldman have together established the television production company Hotsauce TV. Ross is known as an avid fan and collector of comic books and memorabilia, and has written his own comic book, ''Turf''. Ross is known for his distinctive voice, flamboyant style of dress, and his light-hearted banter. He is also known for his characteristic difficulty in pronouncing the sound 'r'.

Personal

Ross was born in Camden, London, England on 17 November 1960, a son of British actress and radio presenter Martha Ross. He grew up in Leytonstone and is the brother of journalist, television editor, and media personality Paul Ross; TV producer/actor Miles Ross; TV producer Simon Ross, and music industry professional Adam Ross. He was educated at Norlington School for Boys, a comprehensive school at the same time as his elder brother Paul, and at Leyton County High School for Boys, a comprehensive school. He also attended Southampton College of Art, now known as Southampton Solent University. He then studied Modern European History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University of London.

Ross married author/journalist/broadcaster Jane Goldman, nine years his junior, in 1988, when Goldman was 18. They have since had three children: Betty Kitten (named after Bettie Page), Harvey Kirby (named after Jack Kirby, a comic book creator whom Ross especially admires), and Honey Kinney. The family lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb.

Ross and others have used his rhotacism for comic effect and he is sometimes known as "Wossy," including on his Twitter feed (@wossy).

Ross is known for owning exotic pets. He is a big music fan and the first band he saw live was punk rockers X-Ray Spex at Islington's Hope and Anchor pub in North London. He is a big fan of David Bowie, Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, Queen (he was in the audience for Queen at Wembley), British punk rock, Spandau Ballet, Sparks, ''Star Trek'', ''Doctor Who'' (his favourite Doctor was Jon Pertwee), and comic books. Ross has even co-owned a comic shop in London with Paul Gambaccini and released ''Turf'', his first comic book, in 2010, with American artist Tommy Lee Edwards. He was also the visual inspiration for the main character in the comic book ''Saviour''. Ross is also greatly interested in Japan, presenting a BBC-TV series on many different aspects of Japanese culture, ''Japanorama'', for three series between 2002–07. He was a regular at London's ''Blitz'' club during the early 1980s (famous for the Blitz Kids). He is a fan and friend of the singers Morrissey and George Michael.

He is a close friend of comedian Ricky Gervais and bought him a kitten after Gervais' previous cat, Colin, had died. The cat's name is Ollie and was presented to him on an episode of Ross' talk show ''Friday Night With Jonathan Ross''. He was one of the special celebrity guests in the final episode of Gervais's second season of ''Extras'', in which Gervais's character, Andy Millman, and Ross were shown to be the best of friends after a fictional appearance on ''Friday Night With Jonathan Ross''.

He is also a friend of author Neil Gaiman, and he and his wife appear in Gaiman's short story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch", collected in ''Fragile Things''.

In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols on his Radio 2 show.

When talking to Colin Farrell on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' on 19 February 2010, Ross claimed not to have consumed alcohol for ten years.

Ross has attended a fund raiser for the James Randi Educational Foundation called ''The Amazing Meeting'' in London in 2009 and 2010. Interviewed by Rebecca Watson, Ross described himself as a big fan of James Randi and the other speakers – who were mainly prominent sceptics – and said that he and his wife had come to have a sceptical view of the world. Ross has been supportive of Simon Singh's efforts to defend an accusation of libel by the British Chiropractic Association and Ross has posed for the ''Geek Calendar 2011'', a fund raiser for the libel reform in the UK.

At a book signing event in Central London in September 2010, Ross stated that as a youngster he went to school in Leyton (Leyton Senior High School) and supports Leyton Orient F.C.

On 6 June 2011, it was announced that Ross' beloved pug Mr Pickle had been killed in an accident on board a train while Ross was filming a new travelogue show for ITV. Mr Pickle was well known to both viewers and listeners of Ross' TV and radio shows.

Career

Child actor

Following the acting lead of his mother, who appeared as an extra on television shows such as ''East Enders'', Ross appeared in television ads as a child actor. His first, for the breakfast cereal Kellogg's Rice Krispies, gave him his television debut in 1970, when he was 10 years old. He also appeared in an ad for the laundry detergent Persil.

Early career

Ross began his adult career as a researcher on the Channel 4 show ''Loose Talk''. After leaving this, he worked on various other shows before beginning another research job on ''Soul Train'', which became ''Solid Soul''. It is believed his first appearance on television was as an extra in the 1981 ''It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'' episode, ''The Last Roll Call''.

Channel X: 1987–95

Whilst on ''Solid Soul'', he met fellow researcher Alan Marke, and the two devised what would prove to be a breakthrough hit for Ross in 1987, ''The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross''.

The pair based their concept on the successful American show ''Late Night with David Letterman'', and formed a new production company called Channel X, to produce a pilot. Ross was not originally slated as the show's host, but with little time to find one Jonathan Ross stepped in and made his television debut on the show in January 1987.

While the series was initially a co-production with Colin Calendar, ownership transferred to Marke and Ross, meaning that the latter retained a great deal of control as well as being presenter. The show proved popular for both Ross and for Channel 4, making him one of the major personalities on the channel.

A year later, his documentary series ''The Incredibly Strange Film Show'' introduced many to the works of cult filmmakers like Sam Raimi and Jackie Chan.

In 1989, he co-presented the biennial BBC charity telethon ''Comic Relief'', the same year he launched ''One Hour with Jonathan Ross'' a short lived chat show on Channel 4, most notable for the game show segment "Knock down ginger" which introduced comedians such as Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson to television.

In 1991, he presented the annual ''British Comedy Awards'' on ITV. He has presented the event each year since, but in 2008 announced he would be stepping down from the role following his suspension from the BBC. In 1992 he presented an interview with Madonna about her ''Erotica'' album and ''Sex Book'' promotion.

In 1993, he was the narrator for ''FIA Formula One 1993 Season Review'' video.

Ross has appeared in numerous television entertainment programmes on several channels throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He was a regular panellist on the sports quiz ''They Think It's All Over'', and hosted the panel game ''It's Only TV...But I Like It''. Other projects include the BBC joke-quiz ''Gagtag'', the Channel 4 variety show ''Saturday Zoo'', new-acts showcase ''The Big Big Talent Show'', and the ITV programme ''Fantastic Facts''.

In 1995 he left Channel X, despite its profitable nature. He was quoted in a 1998 article as stating:

Television 1995–2006

In 1995 he presented ''Mondo Rosso'', a programme about old ''cult'' films. He took over presenting of the Film programme, the BBC's long-running cinema review series, in 1999 after Barry Norman left the show. Ross himself has made a number of cameo appearances in films, playing himself in the Spice Girls' film ''Spice World'' (1997) and voicing the character of Doris in the UK version of ''Shrek 2'' (2004). He also played himself in ''Only Fools and Horses'', presenting ''Goldrush'', a fictional television quiz on which the main character, Del, was a contestant. In 2001 he voiced characters in two episodes of the animated comedy series ''Rex the Runt''. In the 30 October episode of ''Film 2006'', Ross also claimed that he had appeared as an extra in the 1981 film 'The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin', as an Israeli soldier raiding Entebbe Airport. He also appeared on the first pilot show for ''Shooting Stars'', acting as a team captain.

BBC Radio: 1999–2010

Ross began presenting a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 in 1999. He has also presented radio shows for BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio (having previously worked on Richard Branson's earlier venture, ''Radio Radio''), as well as the now-defunct commercial radio network service ''The Superstation'', where his producer was Chris Evans.

From 23 May 2009, Ross' BBC Radio 2 show was pre-recorded 24 hours before broadcast. This decision was made to make the show more watertight and, according to the press, to make sure any of Ross's off-the-cuff comments might be edited out.

Ross' show on Radio 2 last aired on 17 July 2010 when his contract at the BBC ended.

''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'': 2001–10

On 2 November 2001, Ross began presenting his chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross''.

In 2005, Ross anchored the BBC television coverage of the Live 8 concerts. Later that year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols (which was banned by the BBC when released in 1977) on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show. On 21 June 2006 Ross was made a Fellow of University College London, where he studied.

In early 2006, Ross announced that after eight years he was quitting his regular panellist seat on the sport/comedy quiz show ''They Think It's All Over'', stating:

However, after Ross' departure, only two more episodes of the show were made before it was cancelled.

In January 2006 he presented ''Jonathan Ross' Asian Invasion'', broadcast on BBC Four. The three-part documentary followed Ross as he explored the film industry in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, interviewing directors and showcasing clips. His interest in Asian culture and his self confessed love for anime and video games led him to making three series of BBC Three show ''Japanorama'', as well as producing another series for the same channel called ''Adam and Joe Go Tokyo'', starring Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish. He produced the latter programme through his own production company Hot Sauce.

In June 2006, a bidding war was sparked between BBC and other broadcasters for Ross' services. Although other broadcasters were unsuccessful in poaching Ross, it is believed that their bids were higher than the BBC during negotiations. ITV, who bid for Ross, poached chat host Michael Parkinson around the same time. Ross became the highest paid television personality in Britain, when a new BBC contract secured his services until 2010, for a reported £18 million (£6 million per year).

On 25 June 2006, he performed at the Children's Party at the Palace for the Queen's 80th birthday. In August 2006, Ross was enlisted to ask the first question since the transition from beta for the Yahoo Answers in UK and Ireland. On 16 March 2007, Ross hosted Comic Relief 2007 alongside Fearne Cotton and Lenny Henry. On 7 July 2007 Ross presented at the Live Earth concert.

Starting on 10 September 2007 he presented the BBC Four series ''Comics Britannia'', about the history of the British comic. This forms the core of a Comics Britannia season, which includes another documentary, ''In Search of Steve Ditko'', by Ross.

In May 2008, Ross won the Sony Gold Award "Music Radio Personality of the Year".

On 3 August 2008, on BBC1, he hosted ''Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army''.

In 2010, Ross took part in ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

On 7 April 2010, Ross' first comic book was published. Turf was written by Jonathan himself and drawn by artist Tommy Lee Edwards. In 2011, Ross wrote an introduction for ''The Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 1'', a collection of work by the American comics artist featured in Ross' 2007 documentary.

In one of his last appearances on the show, Ross was bundled on repeatedly by Gary Lineker, Ross Noble, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett & Tinie Tempah, after a performance of Gorillaz' iconic song "Clint Eastwood" & "On Melancholy Hill".

Leaving the BBC (2010)

On 7 January 2010, Ross confirmed that he would leave the BBC in July 2010, having decided not to renegotiate his contract. This would see him leave all his regular BBC roles, namely his Friday night chat show, Radio 2 show and a film review programme, although he would be continuing with some specials, such as Comic Relief and the BAFTA Awards.

Explaining the decision, Ross said:

Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated

The decision came a day after it was announced that Graham Norton had signed a two year deal with the BBC, and the BBC's media correspondent Torin Douglas speculated Norton would be a ready-made replacement for Ross's chat show role, while Mark Kermode of BBC Radio 5 Live was a potential successor in the film review role, but that "replacing Ross on radio will be harder". Ross last appeared on the film programme in Episode 10 of ''Film 2010 with Jonathan Ross'' aired on 17 March 2010. After Kermode publicly ruled himself out on 26 March, Claudia Winkleman was announced 30 March 2010 as his replacement as host of ''the Film programme'', who was to host Film 2010 from September 2010.

Ross's final ''Friday Night'' chat show episode aired on 16 July 2010, with David Beckham, Jackie Chan, Mickey Rourke and Roxy Music as guests. Ross ended the show with an affectionate tribute to his guests and to the audience, while mentioning that he had promised his friend Morrissey that he would remain composed and "wouldn't cry". His final Radio 2 show was broadcast the following day. Patrick Kielty initially took over Ross' Radio 2 slot from 24 July 2010 after which Graham Norton took over permanently.

2010 onwards (ITV and Cinemoi)

On 14 December 2010, Jonathan Ross announced his creative partnership with CineMoi, the UK's first and only independent French film channel. His deal with the company gives him a multi-faceted role as presenter, producer, creative director and shareholder in the company. A life long cinephile Ross has a unique perspective on French film and hopes to encourage 'first-timers' to explore a world of film that differs slightly from that of the regular Hollywood fare.

On 19 December 2010, Ross presented a three hour Channel 4 list show, ''100 Greatest Toys'', with the broadcaster describing Ross as a "huge toy enthusiast with a private collection that would rival any museum's."

In 2011, he presented ''Penn & Teller: Fool Us'' on ITV, a collaboration with magicians Penn & Teller.

Ross's new chat show ''The Jonathan Ross Show'' began on 3 September 2011 on ITV1, drawing an audience of 4.3m viewers, compared to the 4.6m for his finale on the BBC show. The first series will run for thirteen weeks. Speaking about the new show, Ross said: "I am thrilled and excited that after a short break I will be rolling up my sleeves and creating a brand new show for ITV1."

Controversies

BBC contract

In April 2006, Ross, along with other BBC personalities, had details of his fees leaked to the tabloid press. It was claimed at the time, by a then unidentified BBC mole, that Ross earned £530,000 (equivalent to £10,000 per show) per year for hosting his Radio 2 show. While refusing to comment specifically on the leak in line with the BBC policy on the matter, Ross did hint during his radio show that the figure was exaggerated; in addition to this, any pay highlighted as being 'his' would actually be split between himself and his producer/co-presenter on the show, Andy Davies.

David Cameron interview

In June 2006, when Conservative Party leader David Cameron appeared on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'', Ross began a line of questioning relating to Conservative ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, culminating in the question "Did you or did you not have a wank thinking of Margaret Thatcher?". Ross was defended by the BBC publicly, but repeat showings of the interview have been banned.

Heather Mills comment

In 2006, Ross was criticised when he made a joke against Heather Mills, soon after she and Paul McCartney announced they were to divorce. He branded Mills, who only has one leg, a "fucking liar" and that he "wouldn't be surprised if we found out she's actually got two legs".

"1,000 journalists" comment

On 5 December 2007, Ross joked at the ''British Comedy Awards'' that his salary meant that he was "apparently worth 1,000 BBC journalists". His quip came shortly after the BBC had announced plans for more than 2,000 jobs cuts, and was condemned as "obscene" by the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists. Ross has denied this saying that he was commenting on a piece that was written in a newspaper about his salary being that of 1,000 journalists:

"You know where that came from? The newspapers. After the fee was announced, they said, 'The BBC says he's worth 1,000 journalists', so on the Comedy Awards I made a joke that began, 'Apparently I'm worth 1,000 journalists according to the newspapers.' Every time it's quoted, is the word 'apparently' ever used? Which does change the meaning somewhat."

The Russell Brand Show and Andrew Sachs

Following a guest appearance by Ross on ''The Russell Brand Show'' broadcast on 18 October 2008, Ross was suspended for 12 weeks without pay by the BBC on 29 October, after a series of answer phone messages were left for 79-year-old actor Andrew Sachs regarding Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie, by Russell Brand and Ross, which were broadcast on the pre-recorded show. After little initial interest, a media story about the calls generated a high number of complaints. Brand resigned from the BBC, while Ross was suspended without pay. BBC director general Mark Thompson stated that Ross should take the disciplinary action as a "final warning". The BBC was later fined £150,000 by Britain's broadcast regulator for airing the calls.

On 21 November 2008, the BBC Trust said that the phone calls were a "deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification". The trust gave its backing to Ross's 12 week suspension but recommended that no further action be taken against him. He returned to work in January, and the first episode of a new series of ''Friday Night With Jonathan Ross'' with guests Tom Cruise, Stephen Fry and Lee Evans, and music from Franz Ferdinand, was broadcast on 23 January 2009.

Gwyneth Paltrow interview

The BBC Trust ruled that Ross’ interview with Gwyneth Paltrow, broadcast on 2 May 2008, breached editorial guidelines. They ruled that bad language in an episode of Ross's pre-recorded BBC1 chat show, ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'', in which the presenter told Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow he "would fuck her" was "gratuitous and unnecessarily offensive". The trust said it disagreed with the judgement made by BBC management that the episode should be broadcast uncensored, adding that the comment was made in an "overly sexual way" and that it had upheld a number of complaints made about the edition of ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross''. The trust reminded BBC staff that "the casual gratuitous use of the most offensive language is not acceptable on the BBC in accordance with the BBC's existing guidelines and practices", adding that "this particularly applies in entertainment programmes".

''Hannah Montana'' comment

On 13 May 2009, Ross was accused of homophobia after a comment he made on his radio show. In which he said,

If your son asks for a ''Hannah Montana'' MP3 player, then you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption in later life, when they settle down with their partner.

An incorrect version of this quote was also circulated, in which Ross was accused of saying:

If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption before he brings his … erm … partner home.

Ofcom received 61 complaints following the comment. A representative from the BBC defended Ross saying the comment was made "purely in jest" and that "Jonathan is not homophobic in any sense and never meant for his comments to be taken seriously." On 7 July 2009, Ofcom ruled that Ross did not breach the broadcasting code. They wrote in their opinion that "the comment was clearly presented as a joke intended to make light of the reactions that some parents may have if their child chooses a toy that is very widely recognised to be designed and marketed for the opposite sex" and that the nature of the joke and tone and manner in which it was presented "made clear that it was not intended to be hostile or pejorative towards the gay community in general." Stonewall criticised the ruling; saying "the fact that a comment is light-hearted does not absolve it from perpetuating the stereotypes that lead to homophobic bullying."

Video games

''Fable III''

Year	! Video game	! Role	! Notes
2007	''Halo 3''	UNSC Marine
2010	|	Barry Hatch

Honours and Awards

2006, made a Fellow of University College, London (UCL), into which his alma mater, SSEES, had been absorbed.

2012, Special Recognition award at the National Television Awards.

References

Further reading

''Jonathan Ross: The Biography'', Neil Simpson, John Blake Publishing Ltd (31 July 2007), ISBN 184454432X

''Why Do I Say These Things?'', Jonathan Ross, Bantam Press (16 October 2008), ISBN 0593060822

External links

''The Jonathan Ross Show'' on itv.com

Interactive video talk by Jonathan Ross on Ealing studios for the British Film Institute

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:20th-century writers Category:21st-century actors Category:21st-century writers Category:Alumni of Southampton Solent University Category:Alumni of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:English film actors Category:English film critics Category:English radio DJs Category:English television actors Category:English television presenters Category:English television producers Category:English television talk show hosts Category:English television writers Category:English voice actors Category:Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Camden Town Category:People from Leytonstone

cy:Jonathan Ross de:Jonathan Ross (Moderator) es:Jonathan Ross fr:Jonathan Ross nl:Jonathan Ross pl:Jonathan Ross pt:Jonathan Ross simple:Jonathan Ross sv:Jonathan Ross

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	B.B. King
background	solo_singer
birth name	Riley King
alias	B.B. King
birth date	September 16, 1925
origin	Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States
instrument	Guitar, vocals, piano
genre	Blues, soul blues, jazz, blues rock, electric blues, rhythm and blues, soul
Occupation	Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1949–present
Label	Geffen/Interscope/Universal, Bullet Records, RPM Records, Crown, ABC, MCA, Reprise/Warner Bros., Virgin/EMI
Associated acts	Bobby Bland, Eric Clapton, Pappo
Website	www.bbking.com, www.bbkingmuseum.org
Notable instruments	Lucille }}

Riley B. King (born September 16, 1925), known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.

''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M. Komara, King "introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." King has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Early life

King was born in a small cabin on a cotton plantation outside of Berclair, near Indianola, Mississippi, to Albert King and Nora Ella Farr on September 16, 1925.

In 1930, when King was four years old, his father abandoned the family, and his mother married another man. Because Nora Ella was too poor to raise her son, King was raised by his maternal grandmother Elnora Farr in Kilmichael, Mississippi. Over the years, B.B. has developed one of the world's most identifiable guitar styles. He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string bends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have become indispensable components of rock guitarist's vocabulary. His economy and phrasing has been a model for thousands of players, from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck. B.B. has mixed traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound. In B.B.'s words, "When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille." King grew up singing in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. At age 12, he purchased his first guitar for $15.00 although another reference indicates he was given his first guitar by his cousin, Bukka White. In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. John's Quartet of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches and on WGRM in Greenwood, Mississippi.

In 1946, King followed his cousin Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months. However, King shortly returned to Mississippi, where he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit, and returned to West Memphis, Arkansas, two years later in 1948. He performed on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas where he began to develop a local audience for his sound. King's appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten-minute spot on the legendary Memphis radio station WDIA. "King's Spot," became so popular, it was expanded and became the "Sepia Swing Club."

Initially he worked at the local R&B; radio station WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, where he gained the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to "B.B." It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. ''"Once I'd heard him for the first time, I knew I'd have to have [an electric guitar] myself. 'Had' to have one, short of stealing!"'', he said.

Career

1949–2005

In 1949, King began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles-based RPM Records. Many of King's early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which did not chart well. "My very first recordings [in 1949] were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company," King recalls. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis." King assembled his own band; the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands (trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone), Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano), George Joyner (bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry (drums). Onzie Horne was a trained musician elicited as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his own admission, he cannot play chords well and always relies on improvisation. This was followed by tours across the USA with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke joints of the southern US states.

In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. In order to heat the hall, a barrel half-filled with kerosene was lit, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, which triggered an evacuation. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside the burning building. He entered the blaze to retrieve his beloved guitar, a Gibson semi-hollow electric. Two people died in the fire. The next day, King learned that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille, as well as every one he owned since that near-fatal experience, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.

King meanwhile toured the entire "Chitlin' circuit" and 1956 became a record-breaking year, with 342 concerts booked. The same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he produced artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury.

In the 1950s, B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B; music, amassing an impressive list of hits including "3 O'Clock Blues", "You Know I Love You," "Woke Up This Morning," "Please Love Me," "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta Love," "You Upset Me Baby," "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around," "Ten Long Years," "Bad Luck," "Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor," and "Please Accept My Love." In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and then his current label, Geffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded the ''Live at the Regal'' album at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

King won a Grammy Award for a tune called "The Thrill Is Gone"; his version became a hit on both the pop and R&B; charts, which was rare during that time for an R&B; artist. It also gained the number 183 spot in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time''. He gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on The Rolling Stones' 1969 American Tour. King's mainstream success continued throughout the 1970s with songs like "To Know You is to Love You" and "I Like to Live the Love".

King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. In 2004 he was awarded the international Polar Music Prize, given to artists "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music."

From the 1980s onward he has continued to maintain a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the single "When Love Comes to Town", a collaborative effort between King and the Irish band U2 on their ''Rattle and Hum'' album. In 2000, King teamed up with guitarist Eric Clapton to record ''Riding With the King''. In 1998, King appeared in ''The Blues Brothers 2000'', playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley.

2006–present: farewell tour and later activities

Aged 80 at the time, on March 29, 2006, King played at Hallam Arena in Sheffield, England. This was the first date of his United Kingdom and European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song "Since I Met You Baby". The British leg of the tour ended on April 4 with a concert at Wembley Arena. And on June 28, 2009 King returned to Wembley arena to end a tour around Great Britain with British blues icon John Mayall. When questioned as to why he was embarking on another tour after already completing his farewell stint, King jokingly remarked that he had never actually said the farewell tour would be his last.

In July King went back to Europe, playing twice (July 2 and 3) in the 40th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival and also in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset on July 14. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Lella James, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. The European leg of the Farewell Tour ended in Luxembourg on September 19, 2006, at the D'Coque Arena (support act: Todd Sharpville).

In November and December, King played six times in Brazil. During a press conference on November 29 in São Paulo, a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: "One of my favorite actors is a man from Scotland named Sean Connery. Most of you know him as James Bond, 007. He made a movie called ''Never Say Never Again''."

In June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King. in Indianola, Mississippi. The museum opened on September 13, 2008.

In late October 2006, he recorded a concert CD and DVD entitled ''B.B. King: Live'' at his B.B. King Blues Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The four night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performs it nightly around the world. It was his first live performance recording in 14 years.

On July 28, 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for the Crossroads Centre for addictive disorders. Performing in Chicago, he played "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss", "Rock Me Baby" and "Thrill is Gone" (although the latter was not published on the DVD release) with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and Hubert Sumlin. In a poignant moment during the live broadcast, he offered a toast to the concert's host, Eric Clapton, and also reflected upon his own life and seniority. Adding to the poignancy, the four-minute speech — which had been underlaid with a mellow chord progression by Robert Cray throughout — made a transition to an emotional rendition of "Thrill is Gone". Parts of this performance were subsequently aired in a PBS broadcast and released on the ''Crossroads II'' DVD.

Also in 2007, King accepted an invitation to contribute to ''Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'' (Vanguard Records). With Ivan Neville's DumpstaPhunk, King contributed his version of the title song, "Goin' Home".

In 2007 King performed "One Shoe Blues" on the Sandra Boynton children's album ''Blue Moo'', accompanied by a pair of sock puppets in the video.

In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee; he was also the final performer at the 25th annual Chicago Blues Festival on June 8, 2008, and at the Monterey Blues Festival, following Taj Mahal. Another June 2008 event was King's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Liza Minnelli and Sir James Galway.

In July 2008, Sirius XM Radio's Bluesville channel was re-named B.B. King's Bluesville.

On December 1, 2008, King performed at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland. On December 3, King and John Mayer were the closing act at the 51st Grammy Nomination Concert, playing "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan. On December 30, 2008, King played at The Kennedy Center Honors Awards Show; his performance was in honor of actor Morgan Freeman.

thumb|European Tour 2009, Vienna, July 2009In Summer 2009 B.B. King started a European Tour with concerts in France, Germany, Belgium, Finland and Denmark.

In March 2010, King contributed to Cyndi Lauper's album ''Memphis Blues'', which was released on June 22, 2010.

King performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco, on May 27, 2010.

On June 25, 2011 BB King played the pyramid stage at The Glastonbury Music Festival. On the June 28 he opened his new European tour at The Royal Albert Hall, London, supported by Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood, Mick Hucknall and Slash.

On December 30, 2011, B.B. King played the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Over a period of 62 years, B.B. King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.

B.B. King's Blues Club

In 1991, B.B. King's Blues Club opened on Beale Street in Memphis, and in 1994, a second club was launched at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. A third club in New York City's Times Square opened in June 2000. Two further clubs opened at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut in January 2002 and another in Nashville in 2003. A club in West Palm Beach opened in the fall of 2009 and an additional one, based in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, is due to open in the winter of 2009. In 2007, a B.B. King's Blues Club in Orlando opened on International Drive. The Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Las Vegas stores are all the same Company.

Legacy

King is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, inspiring countless other electric blues and blues-rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Peter Green, Derek Trucks, Duane Allman, Elmore James and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Philanthropy

In 2001, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underprivileged public schools throughout the US. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.

TV appearances

B.B. King has made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows, including ''The Cosby Show'', ''The Young and the Restless'', ''General Hospital'', ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', ''Sesame Street'', ''Married... with Children'', ''Sanford and Son'', and ''Touched by an Angel''. He has also made a cameo in the movie ''Spies Like Us''.

Personal life

King has been married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, 1946 to 1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. Both marriages ended because of the heavy demands made on the marriage by King's 250 performances a year. It is reported that he has fathered 15 children and as of 2004 is the grandfather to fifty grandchildren. He has lived with Type II diabetes for over twenty years and is a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management products along with American Idol season 9 contestant Crystal Bowersox.

King is an FAA licensed Private Pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at Chicago Hammond Airport in Lansing, IL (now Lansing Municipal Airport – KIGQ). He frequently flew to gigs, but under the advice of his insurance company and manager in 1995, King was asked to fly only with another licensed pilot; and as a result, King stopped flying around age 70.

His favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography King speaks about how he was, and is, a "Sinatra nut" and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album ''In the Wee Small Hours''. King has credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in "white-dominated" venues; Sinatra got B.B. King into the main clubs in Las Vegas during the 1960s.

Discography

Honors and awards

In 1980, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 1991, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA. King was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995. This is given to recognize "the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nation's most prestigious artists." In 2004, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music awarded him the Polar Music Prize for his "significant contributions to the blues". On December 15, 2006, President George W. Bush awarded King the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On May 27, 2007, King was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Brown University. On May 14, 2008, King was presented with the keys to the city of Utica, New York; and on May 18, 2008, the mayor of Portland, Maine, Edward Suslovic, declared the day "B.B. King Day" in the city. Prior to King's performance at the Merrill Auditorium, Suslovic presented King with the keys to the city. In 2009, ''TIME'' named B.B. King No.3 on its list of the 10 best electric guitarists of all time. Each year during the first week in June, a B.B. King Homecoming Festival is held in Indianola, Mississippi. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker was added for B.B. King, commemorating his birthplace.

On May 29, 2010, Sabrosa Park (at the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he played before 20,000 people.

Grammy Awards

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy was awarded, for music released in the previous year.

1971: Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance for "The Thrill Is Gone".

1982: Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording for "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere".

1984: Best Traditional Blues Recording for "Blues 'n Jazz".

1986: Best Traditional Blues Recording for "My Guitar Sings the Blues".

1991: Best Traditional Blues Recording for "Live at San Quentin".

1992: Best Traditional Blues Album for "Live at the Apollo".

1994: Best Traditional Blues Album for "Blues Summit".

1997: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "SRV Shuffle".

2000: Best Traditional Blues Album for "Blues on the Bayou".

2001: Best Traditional Blues Album for "Riding with the King".

2001: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Is You or Is You Ain't (Baby)".

2003: Best Traditional Blues Album for "A Christmas Celebration of Hope".

2003: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Auld Lang Syne".

2006: Best Traditional Blues Album for "80".

2009: Best Traditional Blues Album for "One Kind Favor".

King was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.

A Grammy Hall of Fame Award was given to "The Thrill is Gone" in 1998, an award given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."

See also

List of honorific titles in popular music

List of nicknames of blues musicians

References

External links

Official B. B. King-website

Official B. B. King Museum website

Tickets Portal of BB King

1980 Blues Foundation Hall of Fame induction

Live Photos 1 2

B. B. King's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project

B. B. King biographer Charlie Sawyer writes about returning to the Delta and a "charette" on the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi

Harvard University pays tribute to B.B. King with multiple web pages and a video of a 2-hour concert honoring B.B. King at Harvard University in 2007, featuring "Monster Mike" Welch and J. Geils performing with the blues band "2120 South Michigan Avenue"

B. B. King: Number 1 Bluesman (November 22, 1969) KPFA audio documentary at archive.org.

Category:1925 births Category:African American guitarists Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American blues guitarists Category:American blues singers Category:American blues singer-songwriters Category:American buskers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:Songwriters from Mississippi Category:Blues Hall of Fame inductees Category:Blues musicians from Mississippi Category:Electric blues musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Jammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Kent Records artists Category:Lead guitarists Category:Living people Category:Memphis blues musicians Category:Mississippi Blues Trail Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners Category:People from Leflore County, Mississippi Category:People from Sunflower County, Mississippi Category:People from Memphis, Tennessee Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees‎ Category:RPM Records artists Category:MCA Records artists Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Soul-blues musicians Category:Sun Records artists Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients

bg:Би Би Кинг bs:B.B. King ca:B.B. King cs:B. B. King da:B.B. King de:B. B. King el:B. B. King es:B. B. King eo:B.B. King eu:B. B. King fa:بی.بی. کینگ fr:B. B. King ko:비비 킹 hr:B. B. King it:B.B. King he:בי בי קינג ka:ბი ბი კინგი lv:B. B. Kings hu:B. B. King mk:Би Би Кинг nl:B.B. King ja:B.B.キング no:B.B. King nn:B.B. King pl:B.B. King pt:B. B. King ro:B.B. King ru:Би Би Кинг simple:B. B. King sk:B. B. King fi:B. B. King sv:B.B. King tr:B.B. King uk:Бі Бі Кінг zh-yue:B. B. King zh:B·B·金

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Billy Preston
background	solo_singer
birth name	William Everett Preston
born	September 02, 1946Houston, Texas,United States
died	June 06, 2006Scottsdale, Arizona,United States
instrument	Keyboards, organ, piano, electric piano, vocals, harpsichord, accordion, drums
genre	R&B;, rock, soul, funk, gospel
occupation	Musician, songwriter, bandleader, actor
years active	1956–2005
label	Derby, Vee-Jay, Apple Records, Capitol, Buddah, A&M;, Motown
associated acts	Sam Cooke, The Beatles, Sly & the Family Stone, King Curtis, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton
website	Billy Preston.net
notable instruments	Hammond B3 organ }}

William Everett "Billy" Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from Nothing".

Alongside Tony Sheridan, Billy Preston was the only other musician to be credited on a Beatles recording after he was credited on the group's number-one hit, "Get Back", with the record title listed as ''The Beatles with Billy Preston''.

Early life and career

William Everett Preston was born on September 6, 1946 in Houston, Texas. At the age of three, the family moved to Los Angeles where Preston began playing piano while sitting on his mother Robbie's lap. Noted as a child prodigy, by the age of ten, Preston was playing organ onstage backing several gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland and Andrae Crouch. At twelve, he appeared in the Nat King Cole-starring W.C. Handy biopic, ''St. Louis Blues'', playing Handy at a younger age, a year prior, he appeared on Cole's national TV show singing the Fats Domino hit, "Blueberry Hill".

In 1962, he joined Little Richard's band as an organist and it was while performing in Hamburg that Preston met The Beatles. In 1963, he performed organ on Sam Cooke's ''Night Beat'' album and released his first gospel album, ''16 Years Soul'', that same year. In 1965, he released his secular debut album, ''The Most Exciting Organ Ever'', and that same year played organ and performed on the rock and roll show, ''Shindig!''. In 1967, he joined Ray Charles' band. Following his exposure with Charles, several musicians began asking Preston to come to sessions, most notably The Beatles, who asked him to contribute to two of their albums, ''Abbey Road'' and ''Let It Be''.

Relationship with The Beatles

Preston is one of several people sometimes referred to by outsiders as a "Fifth Beatle." At one point during the Get Back sessions, John Lennon even proposed the idea of having him as the "Fifth Beatle" (to which Paul countered that it was bad enough with four). Preston first met The Beatles in 1962 while part of Little Richard's touring band, when their manager Brian Epstein organized a Liverpool show, at which The Beatles opened. The ''Washington Post'' explained their subsequent meeting: }}

Preston played with The Beatles for several of the ''Get Back'' sessions, some of the material from which would later be culled to make the film ''Let it Be'' and its companion album, during which he joined the band for its rooftop concert, its final public appearance. "Get Back", one of the album's singles, was credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston," the only time such a joint credit had been given on an official Beatles-sanctioned release (as distinct from an unsanctioned reissue of some Hamburg-era recordings on which they were the backing group for Tony Sheridan). The credit was bestowed by The Beatles to reflect the extent of Preston's presence on the track; his electric piano is prominent throughout and he plays an extended solo. Preston also worked (in a more limited role) on the ''Abbey Road'' album, contributing to the tracks "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Something."

In 1978, he appeared as Sgt. Pepper in Robert Stigwood's film ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,'' which was very loosely based on The Beatles' album of the same name.

Post-Beatles solo career

Signed to The Beatles' Apple label, in 1969, Preston released the album ''That's the Way God Planned It'' and a single of the same name (produced by George Harrison). His relationship with Harrison continued after the breakup of The Beatles; he was the first artist to record "My Sweet Lord", in his album ''Encouraging Words'' (Harrison's own version of the single hit number one in the U.S. and the UK and was the first number one by a former Beatle after they disbanded) and he was on several of Harrison's 1970s solo albums. Preston also made notable contributions to The Concert for Bangladesh, the Harrison-organized charity concert, toured with Harrison on his 1974 tour of North America and, after Harrison's death, The Concert for George. Preston also worked on solo recordings by two other ex-Beatles, John Lennon and Ringo Starr.

His solo career also peaked at this time, beginning with 1972's "Outa-Space", an instrumental track that further popularized the sound of the clavinet in funk music. The song reached #2 on the U.S. Hot 100, #1 on the R&B; chart, and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1972.

Over the next two years, he followed up with the #1 hits "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing", and the #4 hit "Space Race." All three releases each sold in excess of one million copies. ''American Bandstand'' host and executive producer Dick Clark enjoyed "Space Race" so much that he used the instrumental for the mid-show break for virtually the remainder of its run.

After The Beatles, Preston played keyboards for The Rolling Stones, alongside pianists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart. Preston appears on the Stones' albums ''Sticky Fingers'', ''Exile on Main Street'', ''Goats Head Soup'', ''It's Only Rock'n Roll'' and ''Black and Blue''. He toured as a support act on their 1973 European Tour and recorded his live album ''Live European Tour 1973'' in Munich with Mick Taylor on guitar. In 1974 he composed one of Joe Cocker's biggest hits, "You Are So Beautiful". On October 11, 1975, he was the first musical guest on ''Saturday Night Live'''s series premiere episode (along with Janis Ian). Also in that year, and in 1976, he again toured with the Stones. This time he played two of his own songs, backed by the Stones, in the middle of every concert. Preston's 1973 ''Do You Love Me'' was the basis for the Stones' ''Melody'' on their 1976 ''Black and Blue'' album. The Stones and Preston parted company in 1977, mainly due to a row over money. He continued to play on solo records by Stones members and made appearances again on the Stones' 1981 ''Tattoo You'' and 1997 ''Bridges to Babylon'' albums.

Preston's solo career began a decline in 1976. After years with A&M; Records, Preston switched labels, moving to Motown Records where, in 1980, Preston had a top ten hit duet with Syreeta Wright with the ballad "With You I'm Born Again" that reached number four on the charts in the US. When Preston failed to match its success, the musician left the label in 1984 and promptly settled on session work from then on.

Legal troubles and struggles

In 1991 he was arrested and convicted for insurance fraud after setting fire to his own house in Los Angeles, and he was treated for alcohol and cocaine addictions. He also was arrested in 1991 for sexually assaulting a 16 year-old Mexican boy, after picking him up at a gathering point for day laborers. After submitting to a drug test, he tested positive for cocaine. That year, he entered no-contest pleas to the cocaine and assault charges. He was sentenced to nine months at a drug rehabilitation center and three months of house arrest.

Preston overcame his problems in the early 1990s, toured with Eric Clapton, recorded with Gary Walker, one of the vocalists in his Los Angeles based band, and worked with a wide range of other artists. He also toured with Ringo Starr and appeared on the 1990 live album ''Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band''. He was also invited to become a member of The Band in 1991, after the death of their piano player, Stan Szelest. He completed a tour, but his above-mentioned legal problems put an end to the collaboration before they had a chance to record together in the studio.

In 1997-1998, Billy Preston played organ during the choir numbers on the UPN comedy show ''Good News''.

While touring and fighting his own health problems, Preston received the news that on 29 November 2001, his old friend George Harrison had died after a long battle with throat cancer. Preston, among many of Harrison's longtime friends, performed in the 2002 Concert for George in London, England, to play a tribute song. Preston participated in the concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and his performance of "My Sweet Lord" has received critical acclaim. Preston played the Hammond organ for the show and sang "Isn't It a Pity" and "My Sweet Lord" plus backing vocals on most of the other songs. Ringo Starr called him one of the greatest Hammond players of all time (in the theatrical version of the concert).

In 2002, he appeared on the Johnny Cash album ''American IV: The Man Comes Around'', playing piano on "Personal Jesus" and "Tear Stained Letter".

He toured with The Funk Brothers and Steve Winwood in Europe in early 2004 and then with his friend Eric Clapton in Europe and North America.

In 2004, Preston performed as a jazz organist with a solo on Ray Charles' ''Genius Loves Company'' duets album teaming up with Charles and Norah Jones on the song "Here We Go Again"

In 2005, he recorded "Go Where No One's Gone Before", the main title song for the anime series ''L/R: Licensed by Royalty''.

Preston played clavinet on the song "Warlocks" for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album ''Stadium Arcadium'' released in 2006. Although very ill by this point, he jumped out of his bed after hearing a tape of the song given to him by the band, recorded his part, and went back to bed. Preston's final contributions were the gospel-tinged organ on the Neil Diamond album ''12 Songs'', and his keyboard work on ''The Road to Escondido'' by Eric Clapton and J. J. Cale, and some of the first tracks on the ''Reach'' album by Is'real Benton.

In March 2005, Preston appeared on the ''American Idol'''s fourth season finale. Playing piano, he performed "With You I'm Born Again" with Vonzell Solomon, who finished in third place.

Preston made his last public appearance in late 2005 at the Los Angeles press junket for the re-release of the ''Concert for Bangla Desh'' movie. He was in good spirits and talked to many in the press. Afterwards he played a three song set of "Give Me Love", "My Sweet Lord" and "Isn't It a Pity", featuring Dhani Harrison on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums for the final song only.

There still remains an unreleased CD of Beatles covers that he had been working on for several years before his death. Many tracks from this CD were previewed by him at The Fest for Beatles Fans shows in the years before his death.

Jazz musician Miles Davis was heavily influenced by Preston's music during his funk rock period of the early 1970s. The 1972 album ''Get Up With It'' features a track called "Billy Preston" in his honor.

Death

Preston had battled kidney disease in his later years, brought on by his hypertension. He received a kidney transplant in 2002, but his health continued to deteriorate. He died on June 6, 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications of malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications. He had voluntarily entered a drug rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, CA, at the suggestion of guitarist Is'real Benton and suffered pericarditis there, leading to respiratory failure that left him in a coma from November 21, 2005. Shortly before he entered rehab, he told his manager, Joyce Moore, that he was gay. This claim was later supported by Keith Richards in his 2010 autobiography ''Life'' and was further supported during a recent televised documentary that focused on him. His funeral was held on June 20 at the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California, where his remains were interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Discography

Albums

(1965) ''The Most Exciting Organ Ever''

(1965) ''Early Hits of '65''

(1966) ''Wildest Organ in Town!''

(1967) ''Club Meeting''

(1969) ''That's The Way God Planned It''

(1970) ''Encouraging Words''

(1971) ''I Wrote a Simple Song''

(1972) ''Music Is My Life''

(1973) ''Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music''

(1974) ''Live European Tour 1973'' featuring Mick Taylor on guitar (CD release A&M;, 2002)

(1974) ''The Kids & Me''

(1975) ''It's My Pleasure''

(1976) ''Billy Preston''

(1977) ''A Whole New Thing''

(1979) ''Late At Night''

(1981) ''Billy Preston & Syreeta'' (with Syreeta Wright)

(1981) ''The Way I Am''

(1982) ''Pressin' On''

(1984) ''On the Air''

(1986) ''You Can't Keep a Good Man Down''

(2001) ''You and I'' (featuring the Italian band 'Novecento')

Gospel albums

(1962) ''Sixteen Years Old Soul''

(1965) ''Hymns Speak from the Organ''

(1973) ''Gospel In My Soul'' (Re-edition of Hymns Speak from the organ)

(1978) ''Behold!''

(1980) ''Universal Love''

(1994) ''Ministry of Music''

(1995) ''Minister of Music''

(1996) ''Words and Music''

(2001) ''Music From My Heart''

Singles

1969: "That's the Way God Planned It" - US Pop #62, UK #11

1971: "My Sweet Lord" - US Pop #90, US R&B; #23

1972: "I Wrote a Simple Song" - US Pop #77

1972: "Outa-Space" - US Pop #2, US R&B; #1, UK #44

1972: "That's the Way God Planned It" (re-release) - US Pop #65

1972: "Slaughter" - US Pop #50, US R&B; #17

1973: "Will It Go Round in Circles" - US Pop #1, US R&B; #10

1973: "How Long Has The Train Been Gone"

1973: "Space Race" - US Pop #4, US R&B; #1

1974: "You're So Unique" - US Pop #48, US R&B; #11

1974: "Nothing from Nothing" US Pop #1, US R&B; #8

1974" "Struttin'" - US Pop #22, US R&B; #11

1975: "Fancy Lady" - US Pop #71, US R&B; #23

1977: "Wide Stride" - US R&B; #33

1978: "Get Back" - US Pop #86

1979: "With You I'm Born Again" (with Syreeta Wright) - US Pop #4, UK #2

1980: "It Will Come in Time" (with Syreeta Wright) - UK #47

1980: "One More Time for Love" (with Syreeta Wright) - US Pop #52

1982: "I'm Never Gonna Say Goodbye" - US Pop #88

1986: "So Good, So Fine" (with Ann-Louise Hanson)

2003: "Go Where No One's Gone Before"

As a guest/session performer

(1963) ''Night Beat'' (Sam Cooke)

(1969) "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" (The Beatles)

(1969) ''Abbey Road'' (The Beatles)

(1970) ''Let It Be'' (The Beatles)

(1970) ''All Things Must Pass'' (George Harrison)

(1970) ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band'' (John Lennon) - piano on "God"

(1971) ''Sticky Fingers'' (Rolling Stones)

(1971) ''The Concert for Bangla Desh'' (George Harrison and Friends)

(1971) ''There's a Riot Goin' On'' (Sly & the Family Stone)

(1971) ''Live at Fillmore West'' (King Curtis & Aretha Franklin)

(1971) ''Barbra Joan Streisand'' - Keyboards and Drums

(1972) ''Exile on Main Street'' (Rolling Stones)

(1972) ''Wind of Change'' (Peter Frampton) - Plays piano, keyboards, harpsichord, accordion

(1973) ''Ringo'' (Ringo Starr) - Organ on "I'm The Greatest" and "Oh My My"

(1973) ''Goats Head Soup'' (Rolling Stones)

(1974) ''Dark Horse'' (George Harrison) - Electric piano

(1974) ''Goodnight Vienna'' (Ringo Starr) - clavinet on the title track, electric piano on "Only You (And You Alone)"

(1974) ''It's Only Rock 'n' Roll'' (Rolling Stones)

(1975) "You Are So Beautiful" (Joe Cocker)

(1975) ''Extra Texture (Read All About It)'' (George Harrison) - Electric piano on "His Name Is Legs (Ladies And Gentlemen)"

(1976) ''Thirty Three & 1/3'' (George Harrison)

(1976) ''Black and Blue'' (Rolling Stones)

(1976) ''Love You Live'' (Rolling Stones)

(1978) ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' - Also acted the part "Sgt. Pepper" in the film

(1981) ''Tattoo You'' (Rolling Stones)

(1985) "Till My Baby Comes Home" (Luther Vandross) - Plays organ

(1986) "Great Gosh A'Mighty (Been A Long Time Comin')" - Co-written with Little Richard - from the hit motion picture ''Down and Out in Beverly Hills''. Little Richard - vocal.

(1990) ''Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band'' - Plays keyboards and vocals

(1990) ''Giovani Jovanotti'' (Jovanotti) - Plays keyboards & Fender Rhodes

(1991) ''...E La Vita Continua'' (Nino D'Angelo)

(1993) ''Wandering Spirit'' (Mick Jagger) - "Sweet Thing", "Out of Focus", "Use Me", "Wandering Spirit" and "I've Been Lonely for So Long".

(1996) ''Voyage of Dreams'' - Jephté Guillaume and the Tet Kale Orkestra - Plays Organ, Strings on "Al Di Yo", "Go Tell Them", "Kanpe", "Get Up")

(1996) ''Donnie McClurkin'' (Donnie McClurkin) - Organ

(1996) ''El Equilibiro de los Jaguares'' (Jaguares) - Organ/Hammond B3 on "Detrás de los Cerros"

(1996) ''Peace Beyond Passion'' (Me'shell Ndegeocello) - Keyboards on "Deuteronomy: Niggerman"

(1997) ''Bridges to Babylon'' (Rolling Stones) - Organ on "Saint of Me"

(1998) ''Undiscovered Soul'' (Richie Sambora)

(2000) ''The Harsh Light of Day'' (Fastball) - Plays keyboards on "You're An Ocean"

(2001) ''Songs From The West Coast'' (Elton John) - "Electric organ" on "I Want Love", "The Wasteland", "Love Her Like Me"

(2001) ''Reptile'' (Eric Clapton)

(2001) ''One More Car, One More Rider'' (Eric Clapton, live) - DVD includes live performance of ''Will It Go Round in Circles''

(2002) ''Travelogue'' (Joni Mitchell) - Plays Hammond B3 on the track "You Dream Flat Tires"

(2002) "American IV:The Man Comes Around"(Johnny Cash) - Piano on "Tear Stained Letter" and "Personal Jesus"

(2003) ''The Colored Section'' (Donnie) - Plays Hammond B3 on the last track: "The Colored Section"

(2003) ''Concert for George'' - Including "Isn't It a Pity" and "My Sweet Lord"

(2003) ''Get Born'' (Jet)

(2004) ''Me and Mr. Johnson'' (Eric Clapton) - Also appears in the DVD companion ''Sessions for Robert J''

(2004) ''Crossroads Guitar Festival'' (Eric Clapton)

(2004) ''Genius Loves Company'' (Ray Charles)

(2005) ''12 Songs'' (Neil Diamond)

(2005) ''Back Home'' (Eric Clapton)

(2005) ''Choose Love'' (Ringo Starr)

(2005) ''The Concert for Bangladesh'' (George Harrison and Friends) (Re-mastered version & video)

(2005) ''Tough on Crime'' (Rebecca Pidgeon) - Plays Keyboards

(2006) ''Stadium Arcadium'' (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - Plays on "Warlocks"

(2006) ''The Road to Escondido'' (Eric Clapton, J. J. Cale)

(2007) ''Reach'' (Is'real Benton) - Plays organ on "Have A Good Time"

References

External links

Billy Preston's official site

Fox News "'Fifth Beatle' Billy Preston Dies at 59" June 6, 2006

The Complete Apple Records

[ Allmusic.com "Billy Preston"]

In-depth biographical obituary about Preston and his work from NewYorkNightTrain.com

}}

Category:1946 births Category:2006 deaths Category:African American rock musicians Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American Christians Category:American composers Category:American keyboardists Category:American organists Category:American film actors Category:American funk musicians Category:American funk keyboardists Category:American Pentecostals Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American rock keyboardists Category:American rock musicians Category:American soul keyboardists Category:American soul musicians Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American session musicians Category:A&M; Records artists Category:Apple Records artists Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Category:Deaths from renal failure Category:Grammy Award winners Category:LGBT musicians from the United States Category:LGBT African Americans Category:Members of the Church of God in Christ Category:Motown artists Category:Organ transplant recipients Category:Pop pianists Category:People associated with The Beatles Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Musicians from California Category:Plastic Ono Band members Category:Rhythm and blues pianists Category:Vee-Jay Records artists Category:Sue Records artists Category:The Rolling Stones

ca:Billy Preston da:Billy Preston de:Billy Preston es:Billy Preston fr:Billy Preston hr:Billy Preston it:Billy Preston he:בילי פרסטון nl:Billy Preston ja:ビリー・プレストン no:Billy Preston pl:Billy Preston pt:Billy Preston ro:Billy Preston ru:Престон, Билли simple:Billy Preston fi:Billy Preston sv:Billy Preston tr:Billy Preston uk:Біллі Престон