Coordinates	53°25′″N18°26′″N
name	Tobey Maguire
birth name	Tobias Vincent Maguire
birth date	June 27, 1975
birth place	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor
years active	1988–present
spouse	2 children
children	Ruby Sweetheart Maguire (b. 2006) Otis Tobias Maguire (b. 2009) }}

Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has since become famous for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' films.

Early life

Maguire was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Wendy (née Brown), a secretary turned screenwriter and producer, and Vincent Maguire, a construction worker and cook. He has four half-brothers. His parents, 18 and 20 years old, were unmarried at the time of his birth; the two married and subsequently divorced when Maguire was two. Maguire spent much of his childhood moving from town to town, living with each parent and other family members. During his childhood, Maguire entertained the idea of becoming a chef and to that end wanted to enroll in a home economics class as a sixth grader. His mother offered him US$100 to take a drama class instead, and Tobey agreed.

The nomadic nature of his school-age years began to take a toll on Maguire emotionally, and finally, after a relocation to yet another school, Maguire dropped out of high school his freshman year and never returned so he could focus on his acting career. By 2000, Maguire had obtained his GED to officially graduate from high school, noting that during his school days as a child, he'd reached a point where "I wasn't doing school. I was showing up, but...not really giving myself."

Career

Early career

Maguire's first appearance in a feature film was in 1989's ''The Wizard''. He plays one of Lucas Barton's goons (one of three competitors at a video game competition) and had no lines. Maguire initially worked as a child actor in the early 1990s, often playing roles much younger than his chronological age; as late as 2002, Maguire was still playing teenagers while in his mid-20s. He appeared in a variety of commercials and TV and movie roles, working opposite such actors as Chuck Norris (''Walker, Texas Ranger''), Roseanne Barr (''Roseanne''), and Tracey Ullman (''Tracey Takes On...''). Eventually, Maguire was cast as the lead in the FOX TV series ''Great Scott'', which was cancelled five weeks later.

During many of his auditions, Maguire found himself auditioning for roles opposite another rising actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. The pair struck up a fast friendship and made an informal pact to help each other get parts in their movies/TV shows/other projects. For example, both auditioned for the same part in the 1990 TV series based on the 1989 comedy ''Parenthood''. DiCaprio got the part, and Maguire later got a guest role at least partially due to DiCaprio's recommendation. The same scenario played itself out during casting for the 1993 movie ''This Boy's Life'' (featuring Robert De Niro as the lead); DiCaprio got the main teen role (coincidentally, the character was named "Toby") and Maguire got a part as one of Toby's friends.

By the mid 1990s, Maguire was steadily working but becoming involved in the hard-partying lifestyle of some of his fellow teen actors. In 1995, Maguire requested director Allan Moyle to release him from his part in the movie ''Empire Records''. Moyle agreed, and all of Maguire's scenes were deleted from the final film. Maguire then sought help for an underaged drinking problem from Alcoholics Anonymous; he has been sober ever since.

As part of his recovery from alcohol and learning to deal with his self-described "addictive and compulsive nature", Maguire changed his career path slightly in order to obtain roles where he and DiCaprio would not always be in competition for the same part, and the move paid off when he got the role of Paul Hood, a teenage boarding school student whose narration anchors the action in Ang Lee's 1997 film, ''The Ice Storm.'' This soon led to a variety of lead roles where he played a thoughtful boy coming of age, in films such as ''Pleasantville'', ''The Cider House Rules'', and ''Wonder Boys''.

In the 1998 film ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' he portrayed a hitchhiker who met Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo during their drive to Las Vegas.

In ''Ride with the Devil'' (1999), Maguire performed as Jakob Roedel, opposite Jewel Kilcher. Here he played the son of a unionist German immigrant who joins his southern friends in the Missouri riders, avenging the atrocities committed against Missourians by Kansas Jayhawkers and redleggers.

In 2001, Maguire took a role that featured his youthful-sounding voice, a beagle puppy named Lou, in the family movie ''Cats & Dogs''.

Spider-Man

In 2002, Maguire starred in ''Spider-Man'', based on the popular Marvel Comics superhero. The film was a major success and quickly shot Maguire to stardom. He reprised his role in the sequels ''Spider-Man 2'' (2004) and ''Spider-Man 3'' (2007), and has also provided the voice of Spider-Man for the video game adaptations of the films.

Maguire's performance as Spider-Man earned him some glowing reviews. For instance, Mark Caro of the ''Chicago Tribune'' felt that "with his big, round, soulful eyes, Maguire always has been able to convey a sense of wonder, and his instinct for understatement also serves him well here."

Due to script complications, and failure to comply with later release dates, a proposed third ''Spider-Man'' sequel was laid to rest as well as Maguire's involvement, along with director Sam Raimi. It has been confirmed by Sony executives that the franchise will be rebooted, and will focus on a younger Spider-Man (played by Andrew Garfield) as he is still in high school.

Later career

Maguire solidified his stardom in 2003 with a leading role as the jockey John M. "Red" Pollard in the acclaimed film ''Seabiscuit'', about the famous racehorse Seabiscuit. In 2006, Maguire starred in his first villainous role as Corporal Patrick Tully opposite George Clooney and Cate Blanchett in Steven Soderbergh's ''The Good German'', based on the Joseph Kanon novel of the same name.

Maguire had also moved into producing. His production credits include ''25th Hour'' (2002), ''Whatever We Do'' (2003), and ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), for which he served as executive producer.

As of November 2007, Warner Bros. has plans to fast-track a movie based on 1980s anime series, ''Robotech''. Maguire is producing the film through his Maguire Entertainment banner and is eying the lead role in what the studio plans on being a tentpole sci-fi franchise. "We are very excited to bring 'Robotech' to the big screen", Maguire said. "There is a rich mythology that will be a great foundation for a sophisticated, smart and entertaining film...". The decision was said to have been made due to the enormous success of the ''Transformers'' film adaptation, which grossed $690 million during the summer of 2007.

Maguire is attached to produce ''Afterburn'', a science fiction movie based on the ''Red 4'' comic book by Paul Ens and Scott Chitwood. Neal Moritz's ''Original Films'' is also producing and ''Relativity'' is in talks to board the post-apocalyptic project, whose story is set one year after a solar flare burns half of Earth, leaving what life remains mutated from radiation and nuclear fallout. Treasure hunters then go back to the scorched portion of the planet to retrieve valuable artifacts while facing rival hunters, mutants and pirates along the way. It has been announced that Gerard Butler is in negotiations to star in the film while Antoine Fuqua in talks to direct.

Maguire's company is also co-producing an adaptation of a mystery novel by Isaac Adamson called ''Tokyo Suckerpunch'' with Sony Pictures. The film, scheduled to be released in 2011, will star Maguire in the role of American reporter Billy Chaka, who investigates the murder of a Japanese friend in Tokyo.

In 2008, Maguire took on a cameo role in the action comedy film ''Tropic Thunder'' as a gay 18th century monk with his eye on Father O'Malley (Kirk Lazarus, the character played by Robert Downey, Jr. in ''Tropic Thunder'') in the faux trailer for ''Satan's Alley''. Near the end of the film, it is revealed that Maguire's character has been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, which he loses. Maguire did the role as a favor to his old friend Downey in what Downey describes as "a kind of a karmic payback for he and I in ''Wonder Boys''.

In 2009, he starred in the Jim Sheridan-directed ''Brothers'' as Sam Cahill, a prisoner of war who returns from Afghanistan to discover his wife has become romantically involved with his brother. He received a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Of the nomination, Tobey Maguire said "I had no expectation about getting a nomination, but I was watching nonetheless. My wife and my son got really excited. I was sort of surprised — I was like, 'Oh, wow.' And I couldn't hear the latter part of my name."

It is reported that Maguire is attached to star as Nick Carraway in an adaption of ''The Great Gatsby'' along with Leonardo Dicaprio to be directed by Baz Luhrmann.

Maguire will also provide voice acting for the character Grinch in the upcoming videogame ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3''.

Personal life

Maguire has been a vegetarian since 1992 and in 2009 became a vegan. He frequently makes changes in his diet to either gain or lose weight for movie roles; for example, he dramatically decreased his calorie intake for ''Seabiscuit'' followed by a rapid increase to regain weight for ''Spider-Man 2''.

In an article for ''Premiere'' magazine, Sam Raimi confirmed the long-standing rumor that Maguire and his ''Spider-Man'' co-star Kirsten Dunst had "a thing" going on during the 2001 shooting of the first film. As Raimi explained for the article, "I'm so dumb, because I met with them for dinner one night during the shooting to talk about the next day's scenes. And I go, 'Okay, well, that's it for the meeting.' And then I ask Kirsten, 'Can I drive you home?' And they look at each other and she goes, 'No, no, I'm going to play a game of Touch 10 with Tobey.' I don't know, it was some game. I thought, 'That's weird. She's got to work tomorrow.'"

Maguire met Jennifer Meyer in 2003 while he was shooting the movie ''Seabiscuit'' at Universal Studios, and became engaged in April 2006. Their daughter Ruby Sweetheart Maguire was born November 10, 2006. Ruby's middle name comes from a childhood nickname of Meyer's given to her by her grandmother, who died a few months before Ruby's birth. The couple married on September 3, 2007, in Kona, Hawaii. Their second child, son Otis Tobias Maguire, was born on May 8, 2009.

In 2004, Maguire took up tournament poker. He has finished in the money in several events and has been tutored by poker professional Daniel Negreanu. Maguire can be seen on ESPN's coverage of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship. Moreover, professional poker player Phil Hellmuth said during the June 28, 2007, episode of ''Poker After Dark'' that Tobey has won $10 million by playing poker in Hollywood. Maguire played in the 2007 World Series of Poker. He survived days 1a, 2a and 3 but was eliminated in 292nd place on the fourth day, taking $39,445 in prize money.

Maguire loves playing basketball; he often plays pick-up games with friends and organizes a weekly game on Saturdays when he is both in Los Angeles and not filming a movie that day. He also enjoys watching basketball games, especially the Los Angeles Lakers and can often be seen with wife Jennifer Meyer at courtside for Laker home games. As a baby gift, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres gave Maguire a special basketball motif stroller with Lexan dome to protect Ruby from errant basketballs so that the new family could enjoy the Lakers together.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1989	''Rodney Dangerfield: Opening Night at Rodney's Place''	Boy #3	Television film
1989	''''	Goon
1990	''Tales from the Whoop: Hot Rod Brown Class Clown''	Hot Rod Brown	Television film
1990		Chad	Television series; Episode: "If I Didn't Play Football"
1991	''Eerie, Indiana''	Tripp McConnell	Television series; Episode: "The Dead Letter"
1992	''Wild and Crazy Kids''	Himself	Television series
1992	''Great Scott!''	Scott Melrod
1993		Chuck Bolger
1994		Teenager
1994	''Revenge of the Red Baron''	Jimmy Spencer
1994	''Walker, Texas Ranger''	Duane Parsons	Television series; Episode: "The Prodigal Son"
1994	''Spoils of War''	Martin	Television film
1994	''S.F.W.''	Al
1994	''''	Peter Lively	Television film
1995	''Empire Records''	Andre	Scenes were deleted from the final film, but Maguire still remains in the closing credits.
1996		J.T.
1996	''Seduced by Madness''	Chuck Borchardt	Television film
1996	''Duke of Groove''	Rich Cooper	Television film
1997	''''	Paul Hood
1997	''Deconstructing Harry''	Harvey Stern / Harry's character
1998
1998		David	Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
1999		Jake Roedel
1999	''''	Homer Wells	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2000		James Leer
2001	''Don's Plum''	Ian
2001	''Cats & Dogs''	Lou the Beagle	Voice Only
2002
2003		Red Pollard
2004	''Spider-Man 2''	Peter Parker/Spider-Man	Saturn Award for Best Actor
2006	''''	Corporal Patrick Tully
2007	''Spider-Man 3''	Peter Parker/Spider-Man	Nominated - MTV Movie Awards
2008	''[[Tropic Thunder''	Himself	Uncredited
2009		Sam Cahill
2011	''''	Jeff
2011	''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3''	Grinch	Video Game Voice-over
2011	''The Hungry Rabbit Jumps''		Producer; filming
2012			Producer; filming
2012	''Life of Pi''	The Interviewer	Filming
2012		Nick Carraway	Pre-Production

References

External links

Category:1975 births Category:Actors from California Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American poker players Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:Living people Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:Saturn Award winners

ar:توبي ماغواير bg:Тоби Магуайър cs:Tobey Maguire cy:Tobey Maguire da:Tobey Maguire de:Tobey Maguire dv:ޓޯބީ މެގުއެއަރ et:Tobey Maguire el:Τόμπι Μαγκουάιρ es:Tobey Maguire fa:توبی مگوایر fr:Tobey Maguire hr:Tobey Maguire id:Tobey Maguire it:Tobey Maguire he:טובי מגווייר jv:Tobey Maguire lv:Tobijs Magvairs hu:Tobey Maguire ms:Tobey Maguire mn:Тоби Магуайр nl:Tobey Maguire ja:トビー・マグワイア no:Tobey Maguire pl:Tobey Maguire pt:Tobey Maguire ro:Tobey Maguire ru:Магуайр, Тоби sq:Tobey Maguire simple:Tobey Maguire sk:Tobey Maguire sr:Тоби Магвајер fi:Tobey Maguire sv:Tobey Maguire tl:Tobey Maguire th:โทบีย์ แมไกวร์ tr:Tobey Maguire uk:Тобі Магуайр zh:托比·马圭尔

Coordinates	53°25′″N18°26′″N
birth name	Andrew Russell Garfield
occupation	Actor
birth date	August 20, 1983
birth place	Los Angeles
years active	2004–present }}

Andrew Russell Garfield (born August 20, 1983) is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films ''Lions for Lambs'', ''The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'', and ''Boy A'', which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".

Garfield achieved wider recognition and critical acclaim for his role in the 2010 Academy Award-winning film ''The Social Network'', for which he received two BAFTA nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. He has been cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the franchise's reboot, ''The Amazing Spider-Man''. Garfield is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the UK

Early life

Garfield was born in Los Angeles, to an English mother from Essex and an American father from California. His family moved to England when he was three years old. Garfield is Jewish and was raised in a "middle class home". His parents ran a small interior design business; his father, Richard, later became head coach of the Guildford City Swimming Club, and his mother is a teaching assistant at a nursery school. He also has an older brother who is a doctor. Garfield was raised in Surrey, England and was a gymnast during his early years. He attended Priory Preparatory School in Banstead and later City of London Freemen's School in nearby Ashtead, before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, from which he graduated in 2004.

Career

Garfield started taking acting classes in Guildford when he was fifteen, and appeared in a youth theatre production of ''Bugsy Malone''. He also joined a small youth theatre workshop group in Epsom, and began working primarily as a stage actor. In 2004, he won a MEN Theatre Award for his performance in ''Kes'' at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre (where he also played Romeo the year after), and won the outstanding newcomer award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2006.

Garfield made his British television debut in 2005, appearing in the Channel 4 teenage drama ''Sugar Rush''. In October 2007, he was named one of ''Variety'''s "10 Actors to Watch", and in November 2007, appeared in the ensemble drama ''Lions for Lambs'', playing an American university student. Also that month, he starred in the Channel 4 drama ''Boy A'', for which he won the 2008 BAFTA for Best Actor. In 2008, he had a minor role in the film ''The Other Boleyn Girl'', and was named one of the shooting stars at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Garfield appeared in ''Vogue'''s December 2009 issue, modeling alongside Lily Cole, in a photographed retelling of ''Hansel and Gretel''. Also that year, Garfield had a supporting role in the Terry Gilliam film ''The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'' and the ''Red Riding'' television trilogy. In 2010 he co-starred in the British film based on the novel by Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro, ''Never Let Me Go'', as well as in David Fincher's ''The Social Network'', alongside Brenda Song, Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg, about the founders of Facebook. For the film, he received two BAFTA award nominations (for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" and the "BAFTA Rising Star"). On December 14, 2010, ''The Social Network'' received six nominations for the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards, four of which it won, including Best Motion Picture-Drama, on January 16, 2011. Garfield was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.

On August 5, 2010, Garfield appeared briefly as Terry Gilliam's assistant in the Arcade Fire webcast pre-show at Madison Square Garden. On September 12, 2010, he co-presented at the 2010 MTV VMAs with Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake.

Garfield has been chosen to play Spider-Man opposite Emma Stone in Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot. Filming began in December 2010, and the film is scheduled for a July 3, 2012 release date.

Filmography

Title	Year	Role	Notes
''Lions for Lambs''	2007	Todd Hayes
! scope="row"	2007	Jack Burridge / Eric Wilson	British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
''''	2008	Francis Weston	Credit only
''''	2009	Anton
! scope="row"	2010	Tommy
''''	2010	Eduardo Saverin	}}Nominated – Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Scene Stealer Male
! scope="row"	2010	Sheldon	Short film
''''	2012		''Post Production''

Television credits

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 | ''Swinging'' |Various roles | |- | ''Sugar Rush'' |Tom | |- |2006 | ''Simon Schama's Power of Art: Caravaggio'' |Boy | |- |rowspan="4"| 2007 | ''Doctor Who'' |Frank | Episode: "Daleks in Manhattan"Episode: "Evolution of the Daleks" |- | ''Freezing'' |Kit | |- | ''Bash'' | | |- | ''Trial & Retribution XI: Closure'' |Martin Douglas | |- | 2009 | ''Red Riding'' |Eddie Dunford | |}

Stage credits

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 2004 | ''Mercy'' |Deccy |Soho Theatre |- | ''Kes'' |Billy |Manchester Royal Exchange |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 | ''The Laramie Project'' |various characters |Sound Theatre |- | ''Romeo & Juliet'' |Romeo |Manchester Royal Exchange |- |rowspan="3"| 2006 | ''Beautiful Thing'' |Jamie |Sound Theatre |- | ''Burn / Chatroom / Citizenship'' |Birdman/Jim/Stephen |Royal National Theatre |- | ''The Overwhelming'' |Geoffrey |UK tour |- |2012 | ''Death of a Salesman'' |Biff Loman |Broadway Revival |}

Radio credits

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 | ''Church'' |Robert | |- | ''Caesar'' |Antinous |radio series; guest role |}

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:Alumni of the Central School of Speech and Drama Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American male models Category:American people of English descent Category:American radio actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:English film actors Category:English gymnasts Category:English Jews Category:English male models Category:English radio actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Shakespearean actors Category:People educated at City of London Freemen's School

da:Andrew Garfield de:Andrew Garfield es:Andrew Garfield fa:اندرو گارفیلد fr:Andrew Garfield ko:앤드루 가필드 id:Andrew Garfield it:Andrew Garfield he:אנדרו גארפילד nl:Andrew Garfield ja:アンドリュー・ガーフィールド no:Andrew Garfield pl:Andrew Garfield pt:Andrew Garfield ru:Гарфилд, Эндрю sr:Ендру Гарфилд fi:Andrew Garfield sv:Andrew Garfield th:แอนดรูว์ การ์ฟิลด์ uk:Ендрю Гарфілд zh:安德魯·加菲爾德

Coordinates	53°25′″N18°26′″N
name	The Details
background	group_or_band
origin	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
genre	Indie rock
years active	2006–present
label	Parliament of Trees
website	www.thedetails.ca
current members	Jon Plett Keli Martin Sean Vidal Shaun Gibson
notable instruments	}}

The Details are an indie rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The band, formed in late 2005, features vocalist and guitarist Jon Plett (The Home Team), bassist Keli Martin (Sixty Stories, The Western States, Rebel Yell), guitarist Sean Vidal (The Home Team) and drummer Shaun Gibson (Boats, Oldfolks Home, The Bonaduces). Sean and Jon were previously in the band The Home Team.

Within a year of playing around Winnipeg, the band released its debut EP, ''Marching Sound''. The band then embarked on several cross-Canada tours, establishing a hard reputation. In September 2007, the band released their debut full-length titled, ''Draw a Distance. Draw a Border.'' which was met with great enthusiasm from radio and bloggers. The Details announced in January 2010 that they had completed work on a yet to be titled full-length album, produced by The Weakerthans guitar player Stephen Carroll and Brandon Reid (The National (band)).

''The Original Mark EP'', a teaser for their upcoming full-length album, was announced for a November 16, 2010, release. It contains a pair of songs from Lost Art, as well as a couple of leftovers from the ''Draw a Distance. Draw a Border.'' sessions, and a remixed version of their song ''Floor Plans''.

''Draw a Distance. Draw a Border.'' included appearances by The Weakerthans' Stephen Carroll and Paper Moon's Allison Shevernoha.

The Details have shared the stage with bands such as Stars (Canadian band), The Constantines, Mother Mother and The Meligrove Band.

Discography

''Marching Sound EP'' (2006)

''Draw a Distance. Draw a Border.'' (2007)

''The Original Mark'' (2010)

''Lost Art'' (2011)

See also

Music of Canada

Music of Manitoba

Canadian rock

List of Canadian musicians

List of bands from Canada

:Category:Canadian musical groups

External links

Official Site

Myspace Music Page

Draw a Distance... review

Much Music Interview

Category:Musical groups established in 2005 Category:Canadian indie rock groups Category:Musical groups from Winnipeg

Coordinates	53°25′″N18°26′″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

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

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

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

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

Letterman and Oprah Winfrey

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

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

Response to Internet death threat

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

Appearances in other media

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

Letterman appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast", and he appears with a bag over his head as a guest on Bonnie Hunt's ca. 1993 sitcom ''The Building''. He also appears in The Simpsons, as himself in a couch gag when The Simpsons find themselves (and the couch) in "Late Night with David Letterman." He had a cameo in the feature film ''Cabin Boy'', with Chris Elliott, who worked as a writer on Letterman's show. In this and other appearances, Letterman is listed in the credits as "Earl Hofert", the name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. He also appeared as himself in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts as well as the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic ''Man on the Moon'', in a few episodes of Garry Shandling's 1990s TV series ''The Larry Sanders Show'' and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. Letterman also made an uncredited appearance in the first episode of the third season of the sitcom The Nanny.

Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from ''My Ride's Here'', and provided the voice for Butt-head's father in the 1996 animated film ''Beavis and Butt-head Do America''.

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

Other projects

Worldwide Pants

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

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

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

Record company

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

Rahal Letterman Racing

Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series, and part-time in the Indy Racing League. It is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and Letterman himself, and is based in Hilliard, Ohio. The team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with driver Buddy Rice. Letterman was a pit reporter for ABC in the 1971 Indianapolis 500.

American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming

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

Personal life

Marriages and long-term relationships

In 1969, Letterman married Michelle Cook; the marriage ended by divorce in 1977. He also had a long-term relationship with former head writer and producer on ''Late Night'', Merrill Markoe. Markoe was the mind behind several ''Late Night'' staples, such as "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".

Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph Letterman (born on November 3, 2003), with Regina Lasko. Harry is named after Letterman's father. In 2005, police discovered a plot to kidnap Harry Letterman and ransom him for $5 million. Kelly Frank, a house painter who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.

Letterman and Lasko, who had been together since 1986, wed on March 19, 2009, during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, where he purchased a ranch in 1999. Letterman announced the marriage during the taping of his March 23 show, shortly after congratulating Bruce Willis for getting married the previous week. Letterman told the audience he nearly missed the ceremony because his truck became stuck in mud two miles from their house. The family resides in North Salem, New York, on a estate.

Stalking incident

Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Mary Ray, a woman suffering from schizophrenia. She once stole his Porsche, repeatedly broke into his house, and camped out on his tennis court. Her exploits drew national attention, and Letterman occasionally joked about her behavior in his show, although never mentioning her name. After she committed suicide in 1998, Letterman told the ''New York Times'' that he had had great compassion for her, and publicly expressed sympathy.

Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs

On his October 1, 2009, show, Letterman announced that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of his female employees, confirming the relationships. He stated that three weeks earlier (on September 9, 2009) someone had left a package in his car with material he said he would write into a screenplay and a book if Letterman did not pay him $2 million. Letterman said that he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's office, ultimately cooperating with them to conduct a sting operation involving giving the man a phony check. Subsequently, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series ''48 Hours'', was arrested after trying to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009. Eventually, on March 9, 2010, he pleaded guilty to this same felony and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.

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

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

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

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

Awards and honors

Awards

In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, Letterman is among the most nominated people in Emmy Award history with 52 nominations, winning two Daytime Emmys and five Primetime Emmys since 1981. His nomination record is second only to producer Jac Venza, who holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual (57). Letterman has been nominated every year since 1984, when he first appeared on late night television as the host of ''Late Night with David Letterman.'' Additionally, he has won four American Comedy Awards. Letterman was the first recipient of the Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence at The Comedy Awards in 2011.

David Letterman Communication and Media Building

On September 7, 2007, Letterman visited his alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for the dedication of a communications facility named in his honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. The $21 million, David Letterman Communication and Media Building opened for the 2007 fall semester. It features state-of-the-art recording equipment and facilities. Thousands of Ball State students, faculty, and local residents welcomed Letterman back to Indiana. Letterman's emotional speech touched on his struggles as a college student and his late father, and also included the "top ten good things about having your name on a building", finishing with, "if reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."

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

References

External links

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

Official ''Late Show'' biography

1999 article on Letterman from Salon.com

Tape of Letterman announcing affairs/extortion attempt on Late Show

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Indianapolis, Indiana television anchors Category:IndyCar Series team owners Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Weather presenters

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Coordinates	53°25′″N18°26′″N
birth name	Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal
birth date	December 19, 1980
birth place	Los Angeles, California
occupation	Actor
years active	1991–present
parents	Stephen GyllenhaalNaomi Foner Gyllenhaal
relatives	Maggie Gyllenhaal (sister) }}

Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal ( ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten. He has appeared in diverse roles since his first lead role in 1999's ''October Sky'', followed by the 2001 indie cult hit ''Donnie Darko'', in which he played a psychologically troubled teen and onscreen brother to his real-life sister, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. In the 2004 science-fiction film ''The Day After Tomorrow'' he portrayed a student caught in a cataclysmic global cooling event, alongside Dennis Quaid as his father. He then played against type as a frustrated Marine in ''Jarhead'' (2005). The same year, he garnered critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Jack Twist in the film ''Brokeback Mountain'' opposite Heath Ledger.

Gyllenhaal has promoted various political and social causes. He has appeared in Rock the Vote advertising, campaigned for the Democratic Party in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, promoted environmental causes, and campaigned on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Early life and education

Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and film producer and screenwriter Naomi Foner (née Achs). Maggie Gyllenhaal, his older sister and also an actress, appeared with Jake in the movie ''Donnie Darko''. Gyllenhaal's father was raised in the Swedenborgian religion and is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family. His last native Swedish ancestor was his great-great-grandfather, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal. Jake Gyllenhaal's mother is from a Jewish family from New York City, and Gyllenhaal has said that he considers himself "more Jewish than anything else." On his 13th birthday, Gyllenhaal performed a "barmitzvah-like act, without the typical trappings", volunteering at a homeless shelter, because his parents wanted to instill in him a sense of gratitude for his privileged lifestyle. His parents insisted that he have summer jobs to support himself, and he thus worked as a lifeguard and as a busboy at a restaurant operated by a family friend.

Acting career

Early career

During childhood, Gyllenhaal had regular exposure to filmmaking due to his family's deep ties to the industry. As an 11-year-old he made his acting debut as Billy Crystal's son in the 1991 comedy film ''City Slickers''. His parents did not allow him to appear in the 1992 film ''The Mighty Ducks'' because it would have required him leaving home for two months. In subsequent years, his parents allowed him to audition for parts, but regularly forbade him to take them if he were chosen. He was allowed to appear in his father's films several times. Gyllenhaal appeared in the 1993 film ''A Dangerous Woman'' (along with sister Maggie); in "Bop Gun" a 1994 episode of ''Homicide: Life on the Street''; and in the 1998 comedy ''Homegrown''. Along with their mother, Jake and Maggie appeared in two episodes of ''Molto Mario'', an Italian cooking show on the Food Network. Prior to his senior year in high school, the only other film not directed by his father in which Gyllenhaal was allowed to perform was the 1993 film ''Josh and S.A.M.'', a little-known children's adventure.

Gyllenhaal graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 1998, then attended Columbia University, where his sister was a senior and from which his mother had graduated, to study Eastern religions and philosophy. Gyllenhaal dropped out after two years to concentrate on acting, but has expressed intentions to eventually finish his degree. Gyllenhaal's first lead role was in ''October Sky'', Joe Johnston's 1999 adaptation of the Homer Hickam autobiography ''Rocket Boys'', in which he portrayed a young man from West Virginia striving to win a science scholarship to avoid becoming a coal miner. The film earned $32 million and was described in the ''Sacramento News and Review'' as Gyllenhaal's "breakout performance."

From ''Donnie Darko'' to the London stage

''Donnie Darko'', Gyllenhaal's second major film, was not a box office success upon its initial 2001 release, but eventually became a cult favorite. The film, directed by Richard Kelly, is set in 1988 and stars Gyllenhaal as a troubled teenager who, after narrowly escaping death, experiences visions of a 6 foot (1.8 m) tall rabbit named Frank who tells him that the world is coming to an end. Gyllenhaal's performance was well-received by critics; Gary Mairs of Culture Vulture wrote that "Gyllenhaal manages the difficult trick of seeming both blandly normal and profoundly disturbed, often within the same scene."

After the critical success of ''Donnie Darko'', Gyllenhaal's next role was as Pilot Kelston in 2002's ''Highway'' alongside Jared Leto. His performance was described by one critic as "silly, cliched and straight to video." Gyllenhaal had more success starring opposite Jennifer Aniston in ''The Good Girl'', which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; he also starred in ''Lovely & Amazing'' with Catherine Keener. In both films he plays an unstable character who begins a reckless affair with an older woman. Gyllenhaal later described these as "teenager in transition" roles. Gyllenhaal later starred in the Touchstone Pictures romantic comedy ''Bubble Boy'', which was loosely based on the story of David Vetter. The film portrays the title character's adventures as he pursues the love of his life before she marries the wrong man. The film was panned by critics, with one calling it an "empty-headed, chaotic, utterly tasteless atrocity".

Following ''Bubble Boy'', Gyllenhaal starred opposite Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Ellen Pompeo in ''Moonlight Mile'', as a young man coping with the death of his fiancée and the grief of her parents. The story, which received mixed reviews, is loosely based on writer/director Brad Silberling's personal experiences following the murder of girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer.

Gyllenhaal was almost cast as Spider-Man for ''Spider-Man 2'' due to director Sam Raimi's concerns about original ''Spider-Man'' star Tobey Maguire's health. Maguire recovered, however, and the sequel was shot without Gyllenhaal. Instead, Gyllenhaal starred in the blockbuster ''The Day After Tomorrow'' in 2004, co-starring Dennis Quaid as his father.

In his theatrical debut Gyllenhaal starred on the London stage in Kenneth Lonergan's revival of ''This is Our Youth''. Gyllenhaal said, "Every actor I look up to has done theatre work, so I knew I had to give it a try." The play, which had been a critical sensation on Broadway, ran for eight weeks in London's West End. Gyllenhaal received favorable critical reviews and an Evening Standard Theatre Award in the category "Outstanding Newcomer."

''Brokeback Mountain'' and subsequent roles

2005 was a prolific year for Gyllenhaal, who starred in the critically praised films ''Proof'', ''Jarhead'', and ''Brokeback Mountain''. In ''Proof'', featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, Gyllenhaal played a graduate student in mathematics who tries to convince Paltrow's character to publish a revolutionary proof to a problem puzzling the mathematicians' community. In ''Jarhead'', Gyllenhaal played against his usual "sensitive yet disturbed" type by displaying an aggressive masculinity as a violent U.S. Marine during the first Gulf War. He also auditioned to be Batman for one of the biggest blockbusters ''Batman Begins'' and came close to getting the role but Christian Bale was ultimately chosen for it.

In ''Brokeback Mountain'', Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play young men who meet as sheep herders and embark upon a sexual relationship that begins in the summer of 1963 and lasts for 20 years. The film was often referred to in the media with the shorthand phrase "the gay cowboy movie," though there was differing opinion on the sexual orientation of the characters. The film won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film went on to win four Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, and three Academy Awards. Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance, but lost to George Clooney for ''Syriana''. Gyllenhaal also won the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for the same role and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination and Best Film Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. Also for ''Brokeback Mountain'', he and Ledger won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Kiss" in 2006. Shortly after the 2006 Academy Awards, Gyllenhaal was invited to join the Academy in recognition of his acting career. Gyllenhaal was awarded the 2006 Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence by The Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards for his role.

Gyllenhaal expressed mixed feelings about the experience of being directed by Ang Lee in ''Brokeback Mountain'', but generally had more praise than criticism for Lee's directing style. While complaining of the way Lee tended to disconnect with his actors once filming began, Gyllenhaal praised his encouraging direction of the actors and sensitive approach to the material. At the Directors Guild of America Awards on January 28, 2006, Gyllenhaal also praised Lee for "his humbleness and his respect for everyone around him."

When asked about his kissing scenes with Heath Ledger in ''Brokeback Mountain'', Gyllenhaal said, "As an actor, I think we need to embrace the times we feel most uncomfortable." When asked about the more intimate scenes with Ledger, Gyllenhaal likened them to "doing a sex scene with a woman I'm not particularly attracted to."}}

Gyllenhaal narrated the 2005 short animated film ''The Man Who Walked Between the Towers'', based on Mordicai Gerstein's book of the same name about Philippe Petit's famous stunt. In January 2007, as host of ''Saturday Night Live'', he put on a sparkly evening dress and sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the musical ''Dreamgirls'' for his opening monologue, dedicating the song to his "unique fan base... the fans of ''Brokeback''."

In 2007, Gyllenhaal starred in David Fincher's ''Zodiac'', which was based on a true story. He played Robert Graysmith, a ''San Francisco Chronicle'' cartoonist and author of two books about the Zodiac serial killer. Gyllenhaal starred opposite Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, and Reese Witherspoon in the October 2007 release ''Rendition'', a Gavin Hood-directed political thriller about the U.S. policy of extraordinary rendition. In 2009, he appeared with Tobey Maguire in Jim Sheridan's remake of Susanne Bier's 2004 Danish language film ''Brothers''. The following year Gyllenhaal played the lead role in the movie adaptation of the video game ''Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'', produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and released by Disney on May 28, 2010.

His upcoming roles include the comedy ''Nailed'', which he filmed in South Carolina with Jessica Biel, and Doug Liman's as yet untitled film about the race for lunar colonization.

Personal life

Family and relationships

:''For more on Gyllenhaal's paternal ancestors, see Gyllenhaal family'' The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal's immediate family includes his sister, actress Maggie, who is married to actor Peter Sarsgaard, Gyllenhaal's co-star in ''Jarhead'' and ''Rendition''. In December 2006, Jake and his sister escaped a fire that destroyed Manka's, a famed lodge and restaurant in Inverness, California, at which they were vacationing. Gyllenhaal's niece, Ramona Sarsgaard, was born on October 3, 2006. Jamie Lee Curtis is Gyllenhaal's godmother, and he has repeatedly referred to his godfathers being a gay couple. Gyllenhaal himself is the godfather of Matilda Rose Ledger (born October 28, 2005), daughter of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, both of whom co-starred with him in ''Brokeback Mountain''.

Gyllenhaal dated actress Kirsten Dunst for nearly two years starting in 2002. He later dated his ''Rendition'' co-star Reese Witherspoon from about 2007 to 2009.

Politics and other interests

Gyllenhaal is politically active. He shot a commercial for Rock the Vote, and along with his sister, visited the University of Southern California to encourage students to vote during the 2004 U.S. Election. He also campaigned for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. He has said, however, that "it frustrates me when actors talk politics; I'm political and I make choices in my movies that I think are political. I try and say things with what I do. Rightly or wrongly, young actors have all the power." In an interview for ''Rendition'', he remarked that "it's a sad time when actors are politicians and politicians are actors."

Raised in a family concerned with social issues, in 2003 Gyllenhaal participated in an advertising campaign by the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization his entire family strongly supports. Environmentally conscious, he recycles regularly, and said in an interview that he spends $400 a year to have trees planted in a Mozambique forest, partly to promote the Future Forests program. After filming ''The Day After Tomorrow'', he flew to the Arctic to promote awareness of climate change.

In his spare time, Gyllenhaal enjoys woodworking and cooking. He has said, "I am not a card-carrying Buddhist, but I do try to practice mindfulness" and it is his goal to meditate every day.

Gyllenhaal has signed on to help the TV fundraiser Stand Up To Cancer.

Media image

Internationally viewed as a sex symbol, Gyllenhaal was named one of ''People'' magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2006. He was also listed in ''People's'' "Hottest Bachelors of 2006". In response to mainstream press lists like these, thousands of gay and bisexual men were polled for the 2007 and 2008 "AfterElton.com Hot 100 List." Gyllenhaal was ranked at No.1 in both consecutive years. He was ranked at No.2 on the ''Gay Wired Magazine'' poll of male actors who have played gay characters in movies.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1991	''City Slickers''	Danny Robbins
1993	''Josh and S.A.M.''	Leon
1993	''''	Edward	as Jacob Gyllenhaal
1998		Jake/Blue Kahan
1999	''October Sky''
2001	''Donnie Darko''	Donald J. "Donnie" Darko
2001	''Bubble Boy''	Jimmy Livingston
2001	''Lovely & Amazing''	Jordan
2002		Pilot Kelson
2002		Joe Nast
2002	''''	Thomas 'Holden' Worther
2003		Himself	Cameo
2004	''''	Sam Hall
2005	''Brokeback Mountain''	Jack Twist
2005
2005		Harold 'Hal' Dobbs
2007		Robert Graysmith
2007		Douglas Freeman
2009		Tommy Cahill
2010
2010	''Love and Other Drugs''	Jamie Randall
2011	''Source Code''	Colter Stevens

Accolades

! Year	! Group	! Award	! Result	! Work
2002	Young Hollywood Awards	Breakthrough Performance – Male		''Donnie Darko''
2002	Independent Spirit Awards			''Donnie Darko''
2003				''Donnie Darko''
2003	DVD Exclusive Awards	DVD Premiere Award – Best Actor
2003	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Breakout Star – Male		''The Good Girl''
2005	National Board of Review			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	MTV Movie Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	MTV Movie Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Screen Actors Guild Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Screen Actors Guild Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006				''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	BAFTA Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Palm Springs International Film Festival	Achievement – Actor Award		''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Academy Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Satellite Awards			''Brokeback Mountain''
2006	Satellite Awards
2006		Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence
2008	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor – Drama
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor – Fantasy
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor – Drama
2010	Golden Globe Award			''Love and Other Drugs''

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:California Democrats Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people

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