Events

1287 – St. Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people.

1542 – Princess Mary Stuart becomes Mary, Queen of Scots.

1751 – The Theresian Military Academy is founded as the first Military Academy in the world.

1782 – The Montgolfier brothers' first balloon lifts off on its first test flight.

1812 – The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia.

1819 – Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.

1825 – Advocates of Liberalism in Russia rise up against Tsar Nicholas I and are put down in the Decembrist Revolt in St. Petersburg.

1836 – The Toledo War unofficially ends.

1896 – The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company.

1900 – Quantum Mechanics: Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law.

1902 – The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii.

1903 – The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the ''Wright Flyer'' at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

1907 – The schooner ''Thomas W. Lawson'' runs aground and founders near the Hellweather's Reef within the Scilly Isles in a gale. The pilot and 15 seamen die.

1909 – New South Wales Premier Charles Wade signed the Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909, formally completing the transfer of State land to the Commonwealth to create the Australian Capital Territory.

1911 – Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.

1913 – Haruna, the fourth and last ship of the , launches, eventually becoming one of the Japanese workhorses during World War I and World War II.

1914 – Lisandro de la Torre and others found the Democratic Progressive Party (''Partido Demócrata Progresista'', PDP) at the Hotel Savoy, Buenos Aires.

1918 – Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the Parliament of Finland to become King Väinö I, renounces the Finnish throne.

1939 – Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.

1941 – World War II: Japan signs treaty of alliance with Thailand.

1946 – The United Nations General Assembly votes to establish its headquarters in New York City.

1947 – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded in Daytona Beach, Florida.

1955 – Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sri Lanka join the United Nations.

1958 – The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first expedition to reach The Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Antarctic.

1961 – The United Republic of Tanzania joins the United Nations.

1962 – NASA's ''Mariner 2'' becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.

1963 – Baldwin Hills Reservoir wall bursts, killing five people and damaging hundreds of homes in Los Angeles.

1964 – American Civil Rights Movement: ''Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States'' – The United States Supreme Court rules that the U.S. Congress can use the Constitution's Commerce Clause power to fight discrimination.

1972 – Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission. This is the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century.

1981 – Arab-Israeli conflict: Israel's Knesset passes ''The Golan Heights Law'', extending Israeli law to the area of the Golan Heights.

1983 – The 3rd Congress of the Communist Youth of Greece starts.

1994 – Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam in the Yangtze River.

1995 – Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by leaders of various governments.

1999 – Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations.

2003 – President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.

2004 – The Millau viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, near Millau, France is officially opened.

2004 – Cuba and Venezuela found the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas.

2006 – American spy satellite USA-193 is launched.

2008 – President George W. Bush makes his fourth and final (planned) trip to Iraq as president and is almost struck by two shoes thrown at him by Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi during a news conference in Baghdad.

Births

1009 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (d. 1045)

1503 – Nostradamus, French astrologer (d. 1566)

1546 – Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and alchemist (d. 1601)

1607 – János Kemény, Hungarian aristocrat, writer and prince of Transylvania (d. 1662)

1625 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot de Molainville, French orientalist (d. 1695)

1631 – Anne Conway, Viscountess Conway, English philosopher (d. 1679)

1640 – (baptism date) – Aphra Behn, English playwright and novelist (d. 1689)

1678 – Daniel Neal, English historian (d. 1743)

1720 – Justus Möser, German statesman (d. 1794)

1775 – Philander Chase, American founder of Kenyon College (d. 1852)

1775 – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, British admiral (d. 1860)

1784 – Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias (d. 1806)

1787 – Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria and queen of Hungary and Bohemia (d. 1816)

1791 – Charles Wolfe, Irish poet (d. 1823)

1794 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (d. 1872)

1824 – Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter (d. 1898)

1852 – Daniel De Leon, South American socialist (d. 1914)

1853 – Errico Malatesta, Italian anarcho-communist (d. 1932)

1866 – Roger Fry, English artist and art critic (d. 1934)

1870 – Karl Renner, President of Austria (d. 1950)

1881 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and film producer (d. 1956)

1883 – Manolis Kalomiris, Greek classical composer (d. 1962)

1884 – Jane Cowl, American actress and playwright (d. 1950)

1895 – Paul Eluard, French poet (d. 1952)

1895 – King George VI of the United Kingdom (d. 1952)

1896 – Jimmy Doolittle, American General (d. 1993)

1897 – Margaret Chase Smith, American politician (d. 1995)

1897 – Kurt Schuschnigg, Austrian politician (d. 1977)

1901 – Paul, king of Greece (d. 1964)

1902 – Frances Bavier, American actress (d. 1989)

1908 – Morey Amsterdam, American comedian and actor (d. 1996)

1908 – Claude Davey, Welsh rugby union footballer (d. 2001)

1908 – Mária Szepes, Hungarian authoress (d. 2007)

1909 – Edward Tatum, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 1975)

1911 – Spike Jones, American comedian and musician (d. 1965)

1911 – Hans von Ohain, German/American aerospace engineer (d. 1998)

1913 – Dan Dailey, American actor (d. 1978)

1914 – Karl Carstens, President of Germany (d. 1992)

1914 – Attila Petschauer, Hungarian fencer (d. 1943)

1914 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (d. 2003)

1916 – Shirley Jackson, American writer (d. 1965)

1917 – C.-H. Hermansson, Swedish communist leader

1917 – June Taylor, American choreographer (d. 2004)

1917 – Elyse Knox, American actress

1918 – James T. Aubrey, American television executive (d. 1994)

1918 – B.K.S. Iyengar, Indian yoga advocate

1920 – Clark Terry, American trumpeter

1922 – Nikolay Basov, Soviet physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2001)

1922 – Don Hewitt, American creator of ''60 Minutes'' (d. 2009)

1923 – Gerard Reve, Dutch writer (d. 2006)

1924 – Raj Kapoor, Indian actor (d. 1988)

1925 – Sam Jones, American baseball player (d. 1971)

1927 – Richard Cassilly, American tenor (d. 1998)

1931 – Jon Elia, Pakistani scholar, poet and philosopher (d. 2002)

1932 – Abbe Lane, American singer and actress

1932 – Charlie Rich, American musician (d. 1995)

1935 – Lewis Arquette, American film actor, writer and producer (d. 2001)

1935 – Lee Remick, American actress (d. 1991)

1938 – Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian

1938 – Hal Williams, American actor

1939 – Ernie Davis, American football player (d. 1963)

1940 – Lex Gold, Scottish football administrator

1941 – Karan Armstrong, American soprano

1941 – Ellen Willis, American journalist (d. 2006)

1942 – Zoe Laskari, Greek actress

1943 – R. Emmett Tyrrell, American magazine publisher

1946 – Jane Birkin, English-born French actress and singer

1946 – Patty Duke, American actress

1946 – Ruth Fuchs, East German athlete

1946 – Michael Ovitz, American film producer

1946 – Stan Smith, American tennis player

1946 – Joyce Vincent Wilson, American singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn)

1947 – Christopher Parkening, American guitarist

1947 – Linda Sutton, English artist

1947 – Dilma Rousseff, current President of Brazil

1948 – Kim Beazley, Australian politician

1948 – Dee Wallace, American actress

1949 – Bill Buckner, American baseball player

1949 – Cliff Williams, English bassist (AC/DC)

1951 – Jan Timman, Dutch chess grandmaster

1951 – Paul Zaloom, American actor and puppeteer

1952 – Germain Houde, French Canadian actor

1953 – Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player

1953 – René Eespere, Soviet-born Estonian composer

1953 – Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician

1953 – Mikael Odenberg, Swedish politician

1954 – James Horan, American actor

1954 – Alan Kulwicki, American NASCAR driver (d. 1993)

1954 – Steven MacLean, Canadian astronaut

1956 – Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein skier

1958 – Mike Scott, Scottish singer-songwriter (The Waterboys)

1958 – Spider Stacy, English musician (The Pogues)

1958 – François Zocchetto, French politician

1959 – Bob Paris, American bodybuilder and gay rights advocate

1959 – Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer

1960 – Don Franklin, American actor

1960 – Chris Waddle, English footballer

1962 – Ginger Lynn (Ginger Lynn Allen), American adult film actress

1963 – Greg Abbott, English former football player

1963 – Cynthia Gibb, American actress

1963 – Vytautas Juozapaitis, Lithuanian baritone, pedagogue (professor) and TV host

1963 – Michael Moloney, American television personality and interior designer

1963 – Alice Ripley American actress

1963 – Mario Yamasaki, Mixed martial arts referee

1965 – Craig Biggio, American baseball player

1965 – Ken Hill, American baseball player

1965 – Ted Raimi, an American actor

1966 – Fabrizio Giovanardi, Italian racecar driver

1966 – Anthony Mason, American basketball player

1966 – Bill Ranford, Canadian ice hockey player

1966 – Tim Sköld, Swedish/American musician

1967 – Ewa Białołęcka, Polish writer

1968 – Noelle Beck, American actress

1969 – Scott Hatteberg, American baseball player

1969 – Natascha McElhone, English actress

1970 – Nadine Garner, Australian actress

1970 – Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer

1970 – Beth Orton, English singer-songwriter

1971 – Brian Gay, professional golfer; three-time winner on the PGA Tour

1971 – Tia Texada, American actress and singer

1971 – Michaela Watkins, American comic actress (Saturday Night Live)

1972 – Eric Anderson, American musical theatre actor

1972 – Miranda Hart, British comedienne

1972 – Marcus Jensen, American baseball player

1973 – Pat Burke, Irish basketball player

1973 – Amanda Byram, Irish television presenter

1973 – Tomasz Radzinski, Polish-born Canadian soccer player

1973 – Thuy Trang, American actress (d. 2001)

1974 – Billy Koch, American baseball player

1975 – Justin Furstenfeld, American rock singer

1975 – KaDee Strickland, American actress

1976 – Tammy Blanchard, American actress

1976 – Leland Chapman, American bounty hunter

1976 – Sebastien Chaule, French-born German rugby player

1976 – André Couto, Portuguese racing driver

1976 – Santiago Ezquerro, Spanish footballer

1978 – Dean Brogan, Australian rules footballer

1978 – Kim St-Pierre, Canadian ice hockey player

1978 – Radu Sârbu, Moldovan singer (O-Zone)

1978 – Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player

1979 – Sophie Monk, Australian actress, singer, and model

1979 – Michael Owen, English footballer

1980 – Tata Young, Thai-American singer

1980 – Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer

1981 – Amber Chia, Malaysian model and actress

1981 – Émilie Heymans, Canadian diver

1981 – Johnny Jeter, American professional wrestler

1981 – Liam Lawrence, Irish footballer

1981 – Shaun Marcum, American baseball player

1982 – Josh Fields, American baseball player

1982 – Steve Sidwell, English footballer

1982 – Anthony Way, English singer and actor

1984 – Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer

1984 – Edward Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer

1985 – Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer

1985 – Julio Pimentel, Dominican baseball player

1985 – Paul Rabil, Professional lacrosse player

1985 – Tom Smith, Welsh rugby union footballer

1985 – Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress

1987 – Alexander Gaskarth, American singer (All Time Low)

1988 – Nicolas Batum, French basketball player

1988 – Vanessa Hudgens, American singer and actress

1988 – Hayato Sakamoto, Japanese baseball player

1989 – Pedro Silva, Brazilian footballer

1989 – Onew, South Korean singer (SHINee), musical actor and TV host

1992 – Ryo Miyaichi, Japanese footballer

1994 – Joshua Dionisio, Filipino actor

Deaths

1460 – Guarino da Verona (b. 1370)

1476 – Vlad III the Impaler (b. 1431)

1510 – Friedrich of Saxony (b. 1473)

1542 – King James V of Scotland (b. 1512)

1553 – Hanibal Lucić, Croatian writer (b. 1485)

1591 – Saint John of the Cross, Spanish friar and poet (b. 1542)

1624 – Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English statesman (b. 1536)

1651 – Pierre Dupuy, French scholar (b. 1582)

1713 – Thomas Rymer, English historian (b. 1641)

1715 – Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1636)

1735 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop and antiquarian (b. 1674)

1741 – Charles Rollin, French historian (b. 1661)

1788 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer (b. 1714)

1788 – King Charles III of Spain (b. 1716)

1799 – George Washington, First President of the United States (b. 1732)

1831 – Martin Baum, American businessman and politician (b. 1765)

1838 – Jean-Olivier Chénier, French Canadian physician (b. 1806)

1860 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, British statesman (b. 1784)

1861 – Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, consort of Queen Victoria (b. 1819)

1865 – Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist (b. 1794)

1873 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-born American zoologist and geologist (b. 1807)

1878 – Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse (b. 1843)

1902 – Julia Dent-Grant, wife of Ulysses S. Grant (b. 1826)

1912 – Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, British Army lieutenant (b. 1887)

1920 – George Gipp, American football player (b. 1895)

1927 – Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski, Russian mathematician (b. 1842)

1935 – Stanley G. Weinbaum, American science-fiction author (b. 1902)

1943 – John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon and breakfast food manufacturer (b. 1852)

1947 – Stanley Baldwin, British statesman (b. 1867)

1947 – Edward Higgins, American evangelical (b. 1864)

1956 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish politician (b. 1870)

1957 – Fred Chapman, American baseball player (b. 1872)

1963 – Dinah Washington, American singer (b. 1924)

1964 – William Bendix, American actor (b. 1906)

1966 – Shailendra, Indian lyricist (b. 1923)

1970 – Franz Schlegelberger, German Nazi politician (b. 1876)

1971 – Dick Tiger, Nigerian-born boxer (b. 1929)

1974 – Walter Lippmann, American journalist and political commentator (b. 1889)

1975 – Arthur Treacher, English actor (b. 1894)

1978 – Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish diplomat (b. 1886)

1984 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer and Nobel laureate (b. 1898)

1985 – Catherine Doherty, Russian-born Canadian social activist (b. 1896)

1985 – Roger Maris, American baseball player (b. 1934)

1989 – Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (b. 1919)

1989 – Andrei D. Sakharov, Russian physicist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1921)

1990 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer (b. 1921)

1993 – Jeff Alm, American football player (b. 1968)

1993 – Myrna Loy, American actress (b. 1905)

1994 – Orval Faubus, American politician (b. 1910)

1996 – Gaston Miron, French-Canadian poet and editor (b. 1928)

1997 – Stubby Kaye, American actor (b. 1918)

1997 – Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (The Guess Who) (b. 1946)

1998 – Norman Fell, American actor (b. 1924)

1998 – Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights activist and author (b. 1928)

1998 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist (b. 1924)

2001 – W. G. Sebald, German writer (b. 1944)

2003 – Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925)

2003 – Blas Ople, Filipino diplomat (b. 1927)

2003 – Frank Sheeran, American labor union official (b. 1920)

2004 – Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (b. 1934)

2004 – Fernando Poe, Jr., Filipino actor and politician (b. 1939)

2005 – Trevanian, American author (b. 1931)

2006 – Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan political strategist (b. 1938)

2006 – Ahmet Ertegün, Turkish-born America music executive (b. 1923)

2006 – Mike Evans, American actor (b. 1949)

2009 – Alan A'Court, English footballer (b. 1934)

2010 – Timothy Davlin, American politician (b. 1957)

2010 – Neva Patterson, American actress (b. 1920)

2010 – Dale Roberts, English footballer (b. 1986)

Holidays and observances

Alabama Day (Alabama)

Christian Feast Day:

* John of the Cross

* Spyridon (Western Church)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:December

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″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

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Rooney Mara
birth name	Patricia Rooney Mara
birth date
birth place	Bedford, New York
othername	Patricia MaraTricia Mara
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2005–present }}

Patricia Rooney Mara (born 1985) is an American film and television actress. Mara made her acting début in 2005 and has gone on to star in films including ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', the remake of the 1984 horror film, and ''The Social Network''. Mara will portray Lisbeth Salander, the title character in ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'', the first of three Sony Pictures films based on Stieg Larsson’s ''Millennium'' book series.

Mara is also known for her charity work. She oversees the charity Faces of Kibera, which benefits orphans from the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, one of the largest slums in Africa. She is also the younger sister of actress Kate Mara.

Early life

Mara was born and raised in Bedford, New York, a town in Westchester County, a suburb of New York City. She is the daughter of Timothy Christopher Mara, the vice president of player evaluation for the New York Giants, and Kathleen McNulty (née Rooney). She has three siblings: Daniel, Conor and Kate.

Mara is of Italian (from her maternal grandmother) and Irish descent; the Rooney family trace their Irish ancestry to County Down. Mara is the great-granddaughter of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Sr. and New York Giants founder Tim Mara. Her paternal grandfather, Wellington Mara, was the long-time co-owner of the Giants, succeeded by her uncle, John Mara. Her maternal grandfather, Tim Rooney, has run Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York since 1972. She is the grand-niece of Daniel Rooney, chairman of the Steelers, the United States Ambassador to Ireland, and the co-founder of The Ireland Funds charitable organization.

Mara graduated from Fox Lane High School in 2003, and then traveled to Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in South America for four months as part of the Traveling School, an open learning environment. She attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, where she studied psychology, international social policy, and nonprofits. She graduated in 2010.

Mara was inspired to act by going to see musical theatre and by watching old movies, like ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), ''Rebecca'' (1940), and ''Bringing Up Baby'' (1938), with her mother. She also wanted to be like her older sister, Kate Mara, a professional actress. Mara resisted pursuing acting as a child, stating to ''The Journal News'' that "it never seemed that honorable to me, and I guess I was always afraid that I might fail." She won the role of Juliet, in ''Romeo and Juliet'', after being signed up to audition by a friend, and acted in a few student films while at NYU. Mara then began pursuing a career in acting.

Acting career

Mara made her professional acting debut in a bit-part in the 2005 direct-to-video horror film ''Urban Legends: Bloody Mary'', which starred her sister. She found work in television, appearing on the New York City-based drama ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' in 2006, as a girl who dislikes fat people. She guest-starred on the legal drama ''Women's Murder Club'' in 2007, and played a drug addict in an episode of ''The Cleaner'' in 2008. Mara appeared in the feature films ''Dream Boy'' and ''Friends (With Benefits)'' that year, and guest-starred as Megan for two episodes of NBC's ''ER'' in 2009.

Mara landed her first lead role in the film ''Tanner Hall'', starring Amy Sedaris and Tom Everett Scott, a story of four teenage girls set in a New England boarding school. Mara played Fernanda, who has an affair with a married family friend (Tom Everett Scott). The coming-of-age film was the debut feature by filmmakers Tatiana von Fürstenberg and Francesca Gregorini. Mara dropped her first name, Patricia, to be known professionally by her middle name after working on the project. "I never really liked my first name," Mara stated to ''Paper'' magazine. "I never felt like a Tricia. And Rooney is more memorable".

Mara's experience lead to other film work. She appeared in the comedy ''Youth in Revolt'', starring Michael Cera and directed by Miguel Arteta, based on the 1993 cult novel of the same name by C.D. Payne. Mara played Taggarty, the love interest of Cera’s best friend. Her character tries to sleep with 50 guys before she goes to college. Mara had auditioned for the starring role, but was offered the smaller part when the lead went to Portia Doubleday.

Mara appeared in the 2009 independent film ''Dare'' as Courtney, the best friend of Alexa (Emmy Rossum), a high school student set on expanding her life experience. She also filmed ''The Winning Season'' that year, starring Emma Roberts and Sam Rockwell, playing a high school basketball player in a story similar to ''The Bad News Bears''. Her character has an affair with a 40-something year old shoe salesman (Kevin Breznahan). ''Dare'' and ''The Winning Season'' premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Mara was included on ''Filmmaker'' magazine's list of "25 New Faces of Independent Film" that year.

Mara starred in ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', a 2010 remake of the 1984 horror film of the same name. She played the protagonist Nancy Holbrook, based on the original film's Nancy Thompson, a teenage girl who is eager to leave town after graduating from high school. Mara began shooting the film in Chicago on May 5, 2009, directed by Samuel Bayer. Mara told ''Filmmaker'' that she felt that the remake's Nancy was "completely different from the original" and could be described as "the loneliest girl in the world". The film was released on April 30, 2010. Depending on its box office performance, Mara will appear in a sequel to the remake, continuing her role as Nancy.

Mara appeared at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October 2009 as part of its Breakthrough Performers Program, where she was tutored alongside Zach Gilford, Emmy Rossum and Emma Stone by Sharon Stone. She appeared in the 2010 film ''The Social Network'' by David Fincher, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Brenda Song and Justin Timberlake. Her character breaks up with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, which inspires him to start the social networking website.

In August 2010, Mara was cast as the lead in an upcoming film adaptation of the ''Millennium'' book series by Stieg Larsson. She won the role over several other actresses, including Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence and Katie Jarvis, after auditioning with a rape scene from the film, and performing multiple screen tests. David Fincher will direct the first of three films, based on the novel ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'', with Scott Rudin producing; ''The Girl Who Played with Fire'' and ''The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest'' will also be adapted. Fincher convinced executives at Columbia Pictures to cast Mara for the part. She plays Lisbeth Salander, a damaged bisexual computer hacker who helps journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) attempt to solve a series of murders.

''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' began shooting in Sweden in September 2010, and has a release date of December 21, 2011. Mara doesn't consider the film to be a remake, but an interpretation of the novel. "I plan on giving my interpretation of the character", she stated to ''Variety''. Mara's long brown hair was cut short and dyed black, in a style reminiscent of 1970s punk and 1980s goth fashions. She also had each of her ears pierced four times, and had her lip, brow, nose, and nipple pierced for the role. Her eyebrows were bleached, and she wears a temporary dragon tattoo.

Mara will work with filmmaker Francesca Gregorini again, the writer and director of ''Tanner Hall'', in the film ''Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes''. Mara will play a troubled teenager, hired to babysit a lifelike doll in the independent drama. The project will be Mara's first time co-producing a film, and will begin shooting in mid 2011.

Faces of Kibera

Mara oversees the charity Faces of Kibera, which provides housing, food, and medical care for orphans in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya where approximately 1 million people live in a single square mile. The charity's goal is to build an orphanage in the region, for which 6 acres of land have been purchased. The charity auctions memorabilia from the Steelers and Giants, as well as training camp events on eBay to raise money.

Mara visited the area as a volunteer in 2006, at age 21, and was moved to help the orphans, many whose parents have died from AIDS and HIV-related illnesses. She began the charity due to her frustration with, according to Mara, the growing number of nonprofits that are just business opportunities. "The people who need help aren’t really getting it. So I started my own", she told ''Interview'' magazine in 2009. Mara was not really working yet when she started the charity, so now finds it challenging to balance her charity work with her acting career. "I need to do both; I can't just do acting,“ she stated to ''The Journal News''.

Personal life

Mara moved to Los Angeles in early 2007, and lived with her sister temporarily. Although they do not live together anymore, Mara felt that the experience brought them closer together, and they still regularly discuss the film business and movie scripts. Mara described American football as "....the glue that holds our family together," to the ''New York Post''. She includes Gena Rowlands among the actors that inspire her, especially her performances in ''A Woman Under the Influence'' (1974) and ''Opening Night'' (1977).

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2005	''Urban Legends: Bloody Mary''	Classroom Girl #1	Video
2006	''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''	Jessica DeLay
2007	''Women's Murder Club''	Alexis Sherman
2008		Evelyn
2008		Rebecca Smith
2009		Courtney
2009	''The Winning Season''	Wendy
2009		Megan	Episode: "ER_(season_15)#Episodes
2009	''[[Friends (With Benefits)''	Tara
2009		Taggarty
2009		Fernanda
2010		Nancy Holbrook
2010	''The Social Network''	Erica Albright	Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble of the YearNominated – Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting EnsembleNominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting EnsemblePalm Springs International Film Festival Award for Ensemble Performance
2011		Lisbeth Salander

References

External links

Faces of Kibera website

Category:1985 births Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:New York University alumni Category:People from Westchester County, New York

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