name	Paul Shaffer
birth name	Paul Allen Wood Shaffer
birth date	November 28, 1949
birth place	Thunder Bay, Ontario
occupation	Musician, Actor, Comedian, Author
years active	1972–present
spouse	Cathy Vasapoli (1990-present) }}

Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM (Surname , born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian-American musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.

Early years

Shaffer was born and raised in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, Canada, the son of Shirley and Bernard Shaffer, a lawyer. Shaffer was raised in a Jewish family. As a child, Shaffer had lessons on the piano, and moved on to playing the organ by his teenage years, in a band (Fabulous Fugitives) with his schoolmates in Thunder Bay.

Educated at the University of Toronto, he began playing with jazz guitarist Tisziji Muñoz, performing in bands around the bars there, where he found an interest in musicals, and completed his studies, with a B.A. degree in Sociology in 1971.

Musical career

Shaffer began his music career in 1972 as the musical director for the Toronto production of ''Godspell'', starring Victor Garber, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin. He went on to play piano for a Broadway show called ''The Magic Show'' in 1974, then became a member of the house band on NBC's popular ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') television program from 1975 to 1980 (except for a brief departure in 1977). Though Shaffer was at the piano and appeared to be directing the band's actions, Howard Shore was credited as ''SNL'''s musical director, eventually turning the actual conducting of the band to sax player Howard Johnson. Shaffer also regularly appeared in the show's sketches, notably as the pianist for Bill Murray's Nick the Lounge Singer character, and as Don Kirshner.

Shaffer occasionally teamed up with the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players off the show as well, including work on Gilda Radner's highly successful Broadway show and as the musical director for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd whenever they recorded or performed as The Blues Brothers. Shaffer was to appear in the duo's 1980 film, but, as he revealed in October 2009 on ''CBS Sunday Morning'', Belushi dropped him from the project. In a nasty memo to fellow ''SNL'' colleagues, Belushi said that he was unhappy that Shaffer was spending so much time on a studio record for Radner. Belushi said that he had tried to talk Shaffer out of working on the album in the first place in order to avoid sharing Shaffer's talents with another ''SNL''-related project. Shaffer later reported that he was in (unrequited) love with Gilda Radner. He would go on to appear in 1998's ''Blues Brothers 2000''.

Since 1982, Shaffer has served as musical director for David Letterman's late night talk shows: as leader of "The World's Most Dangerous Band" for ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1993) on NBC, for which he also composed the theme song, and as leader of the CBS Orchestra for the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' (1993–present) on CBS. Letterman consistently maintains that the show's switch to CBS was because NBC "fired Paul for stealing pens" or some other facetious reason. Shaffer has also guest-hosted the show a few times when Letterman was unavailable, including during Letterman's January 2000 medical leave for quintuple heart bypass surgery, and during the birth of Letterman's son Harry in November 2003.

Shaffer has served as musical director and producer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony since its inception in 1986 and filled the same role for the 1996 Olympic Games closing ceremonies from Atlanta, Georgia. Shaffer also served as musical director for ''Fats Domino and Friends'', a Cinemax special that included Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ron Wood.

Shaffer has released two solo albums, 1989's Grammy-nominated ''Coast to Coast'', and 1993's ''The World's Most Dangerous Party'', produced by rock icon Todd Rundgren. Shaffer has also recorded with a wide range of artists, including Donald Fagen, Ronnie Wood, Grand Funk Railroad, Diana Ross, B.B. King, Asleep at the Wheel, Cyndi Lauper, Carl Perkins, Yoko Ono, Blues Traveler, Cher, Chicago, Robert Burns, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Nina Hagen, Robert Plant, Peter Criss, Scandal, ''Late Show'' regular Warren Zevon, jazz trumpeter Lew Soloff, jazz saxophonist Lou Marini and bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs. With Paul Jabara, he wrote and produced the song "It's Raining Men," which was a #2 hit in the UK for The Weather Girls in 1984 and a UK #1 remake for Geri Halliwell in 2001. Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band perform the Chuck Berry song "Roll over Beethoven" for the 1992 film ''Beethoven''.

Other activities

Shaffer has appeared in a number of motion pictures over the years, including a small role (Artie Fufkin) in Rob Reiner's ''This is Spinal Tap'', ''Blues Brothers 2000'', a scene with Miles Davis in the Bill Murray film ''Scrooged'' and as a passenger in John Travolta's taxicab in ''Look Who's Talking Too.'' In addition, Shaffer lent his voice to Disney's animated feature and television series ''Hercules,'' as the character Hermes.

In 1977, Shaffer left ''SNL'' for a few months to co-star with Greg Evigan in ''A Year at the Top'', a short-lived CBS sitcom in which Shaffer and Evigan play two musicians from Idaho who relocate to Hollywood where they are regularly tempted by a famous promoter (who is actually the devil's son), played by Gabriel Dell, to sell their souls in exchange for a year of stardom. Though the series only lasted a few episodes, a soundtrack album was released.

Following the series' cancellation, Shaffer returned to ''SNL''. In the fall of 1979, Shaffer became the first person to say "fuck" on ''SNL''. That year, ''SNL'' parodied the Troggs Tapes with a medieval musical sketch featuring Shaffer, Bill Murray, Harry Shearer, and a "special guest appearance" by John Belushi (who had left the show the previous spring). In the middle of a long tirade which featured repeated use of the word "flogging," Shaffer inadvertently uttered the forbidden word. It not only escaped the censors in the live broadcast and the West Coast taped airing, but also reappeared in the summer rerun, and even in the syndicated versions of the show for several years. Shaffer, at Letterman's urging, related the story on the very first episode of ''Late Night''.

In 1977, Shaffer played on the Mark & Clark Band's hit record ''Worn Down Piano''. In 1995, he appeared in Blues Traveler's video for the song "Hook".

Shaffer recorded the famous synthesizer solo in the 1982 hit "Goodbye to You" by the band Scandal. He used his trusty Oberheim OB-Xa to emulate a 1960s organ sound.

Around 1998 he was a square on ''Hollywood Squares''.

In 2001, Shaffer hosted the VH1 game show ''Cover Wars'' with DJ/model Sky Nellor. The show featured cover bands competing for the ultimate series win. Each week, Shaffer would sign off with, "Just because you're in a cover band, it doesn't mean you're not a star." The show lasted 13 episodes and featured celebrity judges including Kevin Bacon, Nile Rodgers, Cyndi Lauper and Ace Frehley.

Shaffer served as musical director for 2001's The Concert For New York City, and accompanied Adam Sandler's Opera Man sketch and the Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)".

In 2002, a street which surrounds the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium in his hometown was renamed "Paul Shaffer Drive." Shaffer has also received two honorary doctorates, including one from Lakehead University.

Since 2002, he has been the national spokesperson for Epilepsy Canada. On September 29, 2005, Shaffer made a major contribution to Lakehead University to dedicate the fifth floor ATAC boardroom to his father Bernard Shaffer, inaugural member of the Board of Governors. In June 2006, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

In 2005, along with Steve Van Zandt, he organized a benefit for Mike Smith (formerly of the Dave Clark 5), who had suffered a paralyzing fall at his home in Spain. Shaffer cites Mike Smith as an early influence.

In 2008, Shaffer made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' season 7 episode "Vanishing Act".

Shaffer's memoir, ''We'll be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-biz Saga'' (co-authored by David Ritz) was published by Flying Dolphin Press (an imprint of Random House Inc.'s Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group) on October 6, 2009. The same day, he made an appearance as a guest on ''The Late Show''.

Personal life

Shaffer has been married to Cathy Vasapoli since 1990, with whom he has two children — Victoria (born 1993) and Will (born 1999).

References

External links

Paul Shaffer Bio at CBS - Late Show

''Late Show'' UK fansite

Paul Shaffer at NNDB

Interview with the Archive of American Television

Paul Shaffer at Godspell.ca

JUF : Tweens : Celebrities : Paul Shaffer

Category:1949 births Category:American bandleaders Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American composers Category:American keyboardists Category:American male singers Category:American television personalities Category:American voice actors Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:Canadian composers Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States Category:Jewish Canadian writers Category:Jewish Canadian musicians Category:Canadian keyboardists Category:Canadian pianists Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian television personalities Category:Canadian voice actors Category:CBS Orchestra members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Musicians from Ontario Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Thunder Bay Category:Saturday Night Live Band members Category:Scandal (band) members Category:The Blues Brothers members Category:The World's Most Dangerous Band members Category:University of Toronto alumni Category:Canadian comedy musicians Category:Canadian memoirists

da:Paul Shaffer de:Paul Shaffer fr:Paul Shaffer it:Paul Shaffer no:Paul Shaffer pl:Paul Shaffer pt:Paul Shaffer fi:Paul Shaffer sv:Paul Shaffer

:''Not to be confused with Julie Roberts or Juliet Roberts. For the British Home Shopping host, see Julia Roberts (QVC presenter).''

birth date	October 28, 1967
birth name	Julia Fiona Roberts
birth place	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
occupation	Actress
years active	1987–present
spouse	Lyle Lovett(m. 1993–1995; divorced)Daniel Moder(m. 2002–present; 3 children)
family	Eric Roberts (brother)Lisa Roberts Gillan (sister)Emma Roberts (niece)
religion	Hindu }}

Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy ''Pretty Woman'' (1990), which grossed $464 million worldwide. After receiving Golden Globe Awards and Academy Award nominations for ''Steel Magnolias'' (1989) and ''Pretty Woman'', she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in ''Erin Brockovich'' (2000). Her films ''My Best Friend's Wedding'' (1997), ''Mystic Pizza'' (1988), ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Runaway Bride'' (1999), ''Valentine's Day'' (2010), ''The Pelican Brief'' (1993), ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), and ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004) have collectively brought box office receipts of over $2.4 billion, making her one of the most successful actresses in terms of box office receipts.

Roberts had become one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, topping the ''Hollywood Reporter'''s annual "power list" of top-earning female stars from 2005 to 2006. Her fee for 1990's ''Pretty Woman'' was $300,000; in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented $25 million for her role in ''Mona Lisa Smile'' (2003). As of 2010, Roberts's net worth was estimated to be $140 million.

Roberts has been named one of ''People'' magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2011, she was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by ''Men's Health''. In 2001, ''Ladies Home Journal'' ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in the United States, ahead of then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and former first lady Laura Bush. Roberts has a production company called Red Om Films.

Early life and family

Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital (now Emory University Hospital Midtown), to Betty Lou (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts. She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent. Her parents were Baptist and Catholic, and she was raised Catholic. Her older brother, Eric Roberts (from whom she was estranged until 2004), sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece, Emma Roberts, also are actors. Julia's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, off Juniper Street in Midtown. While her mother was pregnant with Julia, she and her husband ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when Julia's mother gave birth to Julia. Julia's mother filed for divorce in 1971 with the divorce being finalized early in 1972. Roberts lived in Smyrna, in 1972, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School. Her mother married Michael Motes and had a daughter, Nancy Motes, in 1976. Julia's father died of cancer when she was ten.

Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She played clarinet in the band in school. After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.

Career

1986–1989

Roberts made her first big screen appearance in the film ''Satisfaction'' (1988), released on February 12, 1988, alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman, as a band member looking for a summer gig. She had previously performed a small role opposite her brother, Eric, in ''Blood Red'' (1986) (she has two words of dialogue), filmed in 1987 and released in 1989. Her first television appearance was as a juvenile rape victim in the initial season of the series ''Crime Story'' with Dennis Farina, in the episode titled "The Survivor", broadcast on February 13, 1987. Her first critical success with moviegoers was her performance in the independent film ''Mystic Pizza'' in 1988; that same year, she had a role in the fourth season finale of ''Miami Vice''. In 1989, she was featured in ''Steel Magnolias'', as a young bride with diabetes, and received both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award win (Motion Picture Best Supporting Actress) for her performance.

1990–2000

Roberts became known to worldwide audiences when she co-starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story, ''Pretty Woman'', in 1990. Roberts won the role after Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen, and Daryl Hannah (her co-star in ''Steel Magnolias'') all turned it down. The role also earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress, and second Golden Globe Award win, as Motion Picture Best Actress (Musical or Comedy). Her next box office success was the thriller ''Sleeping with the Enemy'', playing a battered wife who escapes her abusive husband, played by Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. She played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'' in 1991, and also played a nurse in the 1991 film, ''Dying Young''. This work was followed by a two-year hiatus, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's ''The Player'' (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a ''People'' magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?" She was offered the role of Annie Reed in ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), but turned it down.

Roberts co-starred with Denzel Washington in ''The Pelican Brief'' (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name. In 1996, she appeared in season 2 of ''Friends'' (episode 13 "The One After the Superbowl"). Roberts recorded her scenes from January 6–8, 1996. She had a relationship with cast member Matthew Perry at the time, and an audience member said about their on-screen kiss, "Julia looked at Matt and said 'I'm glad we rehearsed this over the weekend'." She was offered the role of Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in ''While You Were Sleeping'' (1995), but also turned it down.

Roberts co-starred with Liam Neeson in ''Michael Collins'' (1996). Over the next few years, she starred in Stephen Frears' ''Mary Reilly'' (1996), followed by ''My Best Friend's Wedding'' in 1997. In 1998, she appeared on ''Sesame Street'' opposite the character Elmo, demonstrating her ability to change emotions. She was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in ''Shakespeare in Love'' (1998), but turned it down. She starred with Hugh Grant in ''Notting Hill'' (1999). That same year she also starred in ''Runaway Bride'', her second film with Richard Gere. Roberts was a guest star on the ''Law & Order'' television series episode "Empire" with series regular Benjamin Bratt (at that time her boyfriend). She earned an nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Also in 1999 she starred in the critically panned film ''Stepmom'' (1998) alongside Susan Sarandon.

2001–2005

In 2001 Roberts received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, who helped wage a successful lawsuit against energy giant Pacific Gas & Electric. While presenting the Best Actor Award to Denzel Washington the following year she made a gaffe, saying she was glad that Tom Conti wasn't there. She meant the conductor, Bill Conti, who had tried to hasten the conclusion of her Oscar speech the previous year, but instead named the Scottish actor. Roberts teamed with ''Erin Brockovich'' director Steven Soderbergh for three more films: ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), ''Full Frontal'' (2002), and ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004). Later in 2001 she starred in the road gangster comedy, ''The Mexican'', giving her a chance to work with long-time friend, Brad Pitt. In 2005 she was featured in the music video for the hit single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band; it was her first music video appearance.

2006–present

Roberts had two films released in 2006, ''The Ant Bully'' and ''Charlotte's Web''. Both films were animated features for which she provided voice acting. Her next film was ''Charlie Wilson's War'' (2007), with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols and based on the book by former CBS journalist George Crile; it was released on December 21, 2007. ''Fireflies in the Garden'' (2008), also starring Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe, was released at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2008 and was subsequently shown in European cinemas; it did not get a North American release until 2011. Roberts made her Broadway debut on April 19, 2006 as Nan in a revival of Richard Greenberg's 1997 play ''Three Days of Rain'' opposite Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Although the play grossed nearly US$1 million dollars in ticket sales during its first week and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, her performance drew criticism. ''New York Times''' critic Ben Brantly described her as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the first act) [and] only glancingly acquainted with the two characters she plays." Brantley also criticized the production of "Greenberg's slender, elegant play," writing that “it's almost impossible to discern its artistic virtues from this wooden and splintered interpretation, directed by Joe Mantello." Julia starred with Clive Owen in the comedy-thriller ''Duplicity'' for which she received her seventh Golden Globe nomination. In 2010, she appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy ''Valentine's Day'', with Cooper, and starred in the film adaptation of ''Eat Pray Love''. ''Eat Pray Love'' had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role since ''America's Sweethearts''. Later in the year, she signed a five-year extension with Lancôme for  million ( million). In 2011, she co-starred as Mercedes Tainot opposite Tom Hanks who directed and played the title role in the romantic comedy ''Larry Crowne''. The movie has received generally bad reviews with only 35% of the 175 Rotten Tomatoes reviews giving it high ratings, although Roberts' comedic performance was praised. Roberts appeared in the 2012 Tarsem Singh adaptation of ''Snow White'', called ''Mirror Mirror'', playing the Evil Queen.

American Girl films

Roberts has brought to life some of the books from ''American Girl'' as films, serving as executive producer alongside her sister Lisa. The company's product lines and services are focused on pre-teen-girl characters from various periods of American history, embodied as dolls and featured in narratives including books and movies. Roberts has produced four movies.

Personal life

Relationships

Roberts has had reported romantic relationships with numerous famous men, including Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott, Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Lyle Lovett, Matthew Perry, and Benjamin Bratt. She was briefly engaged to McDermott, her ''Steel Magnolias'' co-star, whom she broke up with during the making of Pretty Woman. Her subsequent engagement and breakup with Kiefer Sutherland led to Roberts' suffering from "mental issues" according to director Steven Spielberg on the set of the film ''Hook''. She met Sutherland in 1990, when he was her co-star in ''Flatliners''. In August 1990, Roberts and Sutherland announced their engagement, with an elaborate studio-planned wedding scheduled for June 14, 1991. Roberts broke the engagement three days before the wedding. Roberts subsequently went to Ireland with Jason Patric, a friend of Sutherland's. On June 25, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett. The wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana, near where Lovett was appearing on tour with his band. In March 1995, the couple separated, and subsequently divorced.

In 1998, Roberts began dating ''Law & Order'' star Benjamin Bratt, and he was her escort for the March 25, 2001 Academy Awards ceremony at which she won her Oscar. Three months later, in June 2001, Roberts and Bratt announced that they were no longer a couple. "It's come to a kind and tenderhearted end," she said of their relationship.

Roberts met her current husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, on the set of her film ''The Mexican'' in 2000, while she was still dating Bratt. At the time, Moder was married to Vera Steimberg Moder. He filed for divorce a little over a year later, and after it was finalized, he and Roberts wed on July 4, 2002, at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico. Together, they have three children, twins Hazel Patricia Moder and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter Moder (born November 28, 2004) and Henry Daniel Moder (born June 18, 2007).

Beliefs

Roberts disclosed in a 2010 interview for ''Elle'' magazine that she believes in and practices Hinduism. Roberts is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). A picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew Roberts to Hinduism.

Charities

Roberts has given her time and resources to UNICEF as well as to other charitable organizations. On May 10, 1995, Roberts arrived in Port-au-Prince, as she said, "to educate myself". The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said. UNICEF officials hoped that her six-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10 million in aid was sought at the time.

In 2000, Roberts narrated ''Silent Angels'', a documentary about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, which was shot in Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York. The documentary was designed to help raise public awareness about the disease. In July 2006, Earth Biofuels announced Roberts as a spokeswoman for the company and as chair of the company's newly formed Advisory Board promoting the use of renewable fuels.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1987		Babs
1988	''Blood Red''	Maria Collogero
1988	''Mystic Pizza''	Daisy Arujo
1988		Daryle	Also known as ''Girls of Summer''
1989	''Steel Magnolias''	Shelby Eatenton Latcherie	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress â€“ Motion PictureNominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1990	''Pretty Woman''	Vivian Ward
1990	''Flatliners''	Rachel Mannus	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1991		Tinkerbell	Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress
1991	''Dying Young''	Hilary O'Neil
1991		Sara Waters/Laura Burney	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
1992	''''		Cameo
1993		Darby Shaw
1994		Anne Eisenhower	Also known as ''Ready to Wear''National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
1994		Sabrina Peterson
1995		Grace King Bichon
1996	''Everyone Says I Love You''	Von Sidell
1996		Kitty Kiernan
1996		Mary Reilly	Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Actress
1997		Alice Sutton
1997	''My Best Friend's Wedding''	Julianne Potter	[[Blockbuster Entertainment Award
1998		Isabel Kelly	Nominated—[[Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
1999		Maggie Carpenter	Nominated—Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress (also for ''Notting Hill'')Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress â€“ Comedy/RomanceNominated—Csapnivalo Award for Best Female PerformanceNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
1999		Anna Scott	Nominated—Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress (also for ''Runaway Bride'')Nominated—Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Couple (shared with Hugh Grant)Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress â€“ Comedy/RomanceNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress â€“ Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2000		Erin Brockovich	Academy Award for Best ActressBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress â€“ DramaEmpire Award for Best ActressGolden Globe Award for Best Actress â€“ Motion Picture DramaLondon Film Critics Circle Film Award for Actress of the YearLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress MTV Movie Award for Best Female PerformanceNational Board of Review Award for Best ActressSan Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Teen Choice Award for Film â€“ Choice ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Line from a Movie (For "Bite my ass, Krispy Kreme!")Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable FemaleNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
2001		Tess Ocean	Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2001	''America's Sweethearts''	Kathleen "Kiki" Harrison
2001	''''	Samantha Barzel
2002	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''	Patricia Watson
2002	''Grand Champion''	Jolene
2002		Catherine/Francesca
2003	''Mona Lisa Smile''	Katherine Ann Watson
2004	''Ocean's Twelve''	Tess Ocean	Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
2004		Anna Cameron	National Board of Review Award for Best CastNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
2006		Charlotte the Spider (voice)
2006	''Beslan: Three Days In September''	Narrator
2006	''''	Hova (voice)
2007	''Charlie Wilson's War''	Joanne Herring	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress â€“ Motion Picture
2008	''Fireflies in the Garden''	Lisa Waechter
2009		Claire Stenwick	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress â€“ Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2010		Kate	rowspan=3
2010	''Eat Pray Love''	Elizabeth Gilbert
2011	''Larry Crowne''	Mercedes Tainot
2012
2012	''August: Osage County''	Barbara Fordham
2012		Emma Brookner

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1987		Tracy	Episode "The Survivor" (1.19)
1988	''Miami Vice''	Polly Wheeler	Season 4 episode 22: "Mirror Image"
1988	''Baja Oklahoma''	Candy Hutchins	TV
1996	''Friends''	Susie Moss
1999	''Law & Order''	Katrina Ludlow	Episode "Empire (Law & Order episode)
2003	''[[Freedom: A History Of Us''	Virginia Eyewitness	2 episodes: "What Is Freedom?" (1.07); "Yearning to Breathe Free" (1.10)
2010	''Hope For Haiti Now''	Herself	Telethon for Haiti earthquake relief

References

;Notes

;Further reading

Mark Bego. ''Julia Rica's Sweetheart'' (New York: AMI Books, 2003)

Paul Donnelley. ''Julia Roberts Confidential: The Unauthorised Biography'' (London: Virgin, 2003)

Frank Sanello. ''Julia Roberts: Pretty Superstar'' (Edinburgh: Mainstream 2000)

James Spada. ''Julia: Her Life'' (New York: St Martin's Press, 2004)

External links

Category:1967 births Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Actors Studio alumni Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American Hindus Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners Best Drama Actress Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Category:Converts from Roman Catholicism Category:Converts to Hinduism Category:Georgia State University alumni Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Cobb County, Georgia Category:People from Taos County, New Mexico

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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 â€“ 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.

In the summer of 1977, Letterman was a writer and regular on the six-week summer series ''The Starland Vocal Band Show'', broadcast on CBS. He hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled ''The Riddlers'' that was never picked up and co-starred in the Barry Levinson-produced comedy special ''Peeping Times'' that aired in January 1978. Later that year, Letterman was a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, ''Mary''. Letterman made 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'', as well as talk shows such as ''The Mike Douglas Show''. He was also screen tested for the lead role in the 1980 film ''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.

Controversy over jokes about daughter of Sarah Palin

On June 8 and June 9, 2009, Letterman told a sexually-themed joke on his show each night about a daughter of Sarah Palin. Palin was in New York City at the time with her fourteen year-old daughter, Willow, and the jokes were said to be aimed at the daughter, never named, who was visiting New York City with her mother. Palin criticized the jokes, saying in a statement posted on the internet that "I doubt he'd ever dare make such comments about anyone else's daughter," and "laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl" is "disgusting." On June 10, Letterman responded to the controversy on his show by stating that the jokes were meant to be about Palin's eighteen year-old daughter, Bristol, whose pregnancy as an unmarried teenager had caused controversy during the 2008 Presidential election, and that "(t)hese are not jokes made about (Palin's) 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl." His remarks didn't put an end to the public criticism, however, with the National Organization for Women, who supported Palin in a statement, noting he only issued "something of an apology." With the controversy not subsiding, Letterman addressed the issue again on his June 15 show, faulting himself for the error and apologizing "especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke."

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, and at the same time, he confirmed that he had had such 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 on 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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name	Eliza Dushku
birth name	Eliza Patricia Dushku
birth date	December 30, 1980
birth place	Watertown, Massachusetts, U.S.
nationality	American, Albanian
occupation	Actress
years active	1992–present
partner	Rick Fox (2009–present) }}

Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spinoff series ''Angel''. She starred in two Fox series, ''Tru Calling'' and ''Dollhouse''. She is also known for her role in films including ''True Lies'', ''The New Guy'', ''Bring It On'', ''Wrong Turn'' and ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', as well as her voice work on video games.

Early life

Dushku was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, the daughter of Philip R. Dushku, an administrator and teacher in the Boston Public Schools, and Judith "Judy" (née Rasmussen), a political science professor. Dushku's father is Albanian and her mother is of Danish and English descent. Dushku attended Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, and graduated from Watertown High School. She was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith of her mother, though she is not practicing. She has three older brothers: Aaron, Benjamin (Ben), and Nathaniel (Nate). Her parents divorced when she was an infant.

Career

Early career

Dushku came to the attention of casting agents when she was 10. She was chosen in a five month search for the lead role of Alice in the film ''That Night''. In 1993, Dushku landed a role as Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in ''This Boy's Life'', a role that she said opened a lot of doors. The following year, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in ''True Lies''. She had parts as Paul Reiser's daughter in ''Bye Bye Love'', as Cindy Johnson in ''Race the Sun'', and roles in a television movie and a short film.

Dushku took time off from acting to finish her junior and senior years of high school. She was accepted to the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother serves as professor of government and previously served as dean of the campus in Dakar, Senegal.

Later roles

After completing high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy Summers. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the whole third season and returned for a two-part appearance in season four, after which the remainder of her original story arc was played out as part of the first season of the ''Buffy'' spin-off series ''Angel''. Repentant and rededicated, Faith returned as a heroine in other episodes of ''Angel'' and in the last five episodes of ''Buffy''. Dushku was inundated with piles of fan mail from legions of prisoners. She said:

I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to Death Row inmates? They write everything – disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures – "Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!" – and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a moustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than ''Buffy''.

In 2000, Dushku starred in the hit cheerleader comedy ''Bring It On''. She followed that up with ''Soul Survivors'', reuniting her with ''Race The Sun'' co-star Casey Affleck. One reviewer described the film as "84 minutes of everyone's wasted time". In 2001, she appeared in ''The New Guy'' with DJ Qualls and ''City by the Sea'' with Robert De Niro and James Franco. The latter film garnered attention from a wider adult audience and several good reviews. The same year, Kevin Smith invited Dushku to be a part of ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''.

In 2003, Dushku starred the horror film ''Wrong Turn'', and ''The Kiss'', an independent comedy-drama. Starting that same year, she starred in a new Fox TV series, ''Tru Calling'', where she played the main character, medical student Tru Davies. After having a grant pulled out from under her, Tru is forced to take a job at a local morgue where she discovers her power to "re-live" the previous day over again if one of the deceased asks for her help to change what has happened. Dushku turned down a role in a spin-off of ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'' which would have been about Faith. She has had many roles as a "bad girl" in movies and relishes the opportunities. In an interview with ''Maxim'' in May 2001, Dushku says of her roles, "It's easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you've been told not to do, and you don't have to deal with the consequences, because it's only acting."

Dushku starred in an Off-Broadway production entitled ''Dog Sees God'' from December 2005, playing "Van's sister", a character paralleled with Lucy Van Pelt from the ''Peanuts'' comic strip on which the play production is based. She quit in February 2006 along with other members of the cast amidst rumors of abuse from the producer (which were later dismissed).

She played the lead character on ''Nurses'', a hospital comedy/drama for Fox. This was the second Fox pilot in which she was cast, but not broadcast. She appeared in the Simple Plan music video, "I'm Just a Kid", as the band's love interest, as well as Nickelback's video for "Rockstar".

Dushku has roles in two video games. She voiced the role of Yumi Sawamura in the English language version of ''Yakuza'' for the PlayStation 2, which was published and developed by SEGA, and released in September 2006. Dushku also stars as Shaundi, one of the lead characters in ''Saints Row 2'', which was developed by Volition and published by THQ. It was released in North America on October 14, 2008, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. She was the voice talent for the role of Rubi Malone, the main character in the game ''WET''. She appeared at Spike TV's 2008 Video Game Awards in December 2008.

Recent work

On October 1, 2005, she announced at Wizard World Boston that shooting had begun for ''Nobel Son'' in which she would star with Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito, Bill Pullman, and Peter Boyle. The movie was released at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Another project is ''On Broadway'', an independent movie filmed in her native Boston. The movie is receiving great reviews and a few of them highlight Dushku's performance. It is shown in independent film festivals and has won six awards.

''Variety'' announced on August 2, 2006 that Dushku would co-star with Macaulay Culkin in ''Sex and Breakfast'', a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. A reviewer described Dushku as "charming" and giving the character "an edge." The movie was released in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007 and on DVD on January 22, 2008. She starred in ''Open Graves'', a 2008 horror-thriller about a satanic game co-starring Mike Vogel. She played the main character in ''The Thacker Case'' and ''The Alphabet Killer'', both thrillers based on real-life events, one of them directed by Rob Schmidt with whom she had worked on ''Wrong Turn''. Both movies were released in 2008. ''The Alphabet Killer'' contains Dushku's first topless scene. The film earned mixed reviews, but reviewers praised Dushku's performance, commenting "Eliza Dushku commands the screen but cannot reconcile the script's conflicted and increasingly idiotic agendas." She appeared in ''Bottle Shock'', a drama about Napa valley wine. The film was directed by Randall Miller, who helmed ''Nobel Son''.

On August 26, 2007, Dushku signed a development deal with Fox Broadcasting and 20th Century Fox. Under the pact, the network and the studio would develop projects tailor-made for the actress. They approached her with existing pitches and scripts.

Consequently, it was announced on October 31 that Dushku had lured Joss Whedon, of ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'', back to TV, as they agreed to create a show called ''Dollhouse''. Dushku produced the show and played the main character, 'Echo', which aired on Fox during the 2008–09 TV Season. One TV reviewer said Dushku "does wonderful things to a tank top, but her grasp of this vague, personality-changing character is a bit of a muddle." In an interview, Dushku talked about how ''Dollhouse'', and how her reconnection with Whedon came about:

I invited Joss Whedon to lunch after I did the business deal with Fox. We'd had a cool relationship in the past and I so wanted to do something else, and I wanted to get back into a television show. I had him on the brain for sure but I hadn't called him yet, but I sort of took a leap of faith and set things up with Fox and then called Joss. We went to a four-hour lunch where I just sort of used my womanly wiles. No, we've become such good friends, kind of like brother and sister and kind of like he was my watcher, my handler from when I first moved out to L.A. when I was 17 and I was a little bit of a wild child. He's watched me and helped me and taught me over the years. I told him how bad I wanted and needed him back and he accepted and here we are.

Dushku described Whedon as "my favorite genius ... favorite friend ... big brother ... and the only person out here I've ever wholeheartedly trusted, because he's never let me down." ''Dollhouse'' was renewed for a second season. The producers cited their confidence in the strength of Joss Whedon's fan base and high DVR numbers as their reasons for keeping the show. FOX cancelled ''Dollhouse'' on November 11, 2009. The show officially wrapped filming on the second and final season on December 16, 2009.

Dushku was the voice actor for contract killer "Rubi Malone" in the action video game ''Wet''. Dushku secured exclusive rights to make "The Perfect Moment", a film based on the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and enlisted the help of Ondi Timoner.

Dushku provides her voice for ''Noah's Ark: The New Beginning'' and will appear in the film ''Locked In'' set for release in 2010.

Dushku guest-starred in CBS' comedy ''The Big Bang Theory'' in the fall of 2010 which aired on November 4, 2010.

In 2011, Dushku featured alongside Jayson Floyd in "One Shot", a short action clip on YouTube directed by and starring Freddie Wong, which was released on May 13, 2011. Dushku will have a lead role in an online animated "motion comic" series, titled ''Torchwood: Web of Lies'', based on Starz' upcoming ''Torchwood: Miracle Day''.

In August 2011, Dushku visited Albania to film a documentary on her father's country of origin with a crew from the Travel Channel and Lonely Planet.

Personal life

Dushku resides in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California.

Dushku is the CEO of her production company, Boston Diva Productions.

In 2006, she visited her father's family in Albania after an invitation from the Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha. She visited Kosovo and got an Albanian Eagle tattoo on the back of her neck.

Dushku began dating former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Rick Fox in October 2009, and in August 2010 the couple confirmed that they are living together.

While on her second visit to Albania in 2011, she applied for Albanian citizenship and obtained the Albanian passport and ID Card. She became an honorary citizen of Tirana, and was given the honorary title of Tirana Ambassador of Culture and Tourism in the World by Tirana mayor Lulzim Basha. Additionally, she was given honorary citizen status in her father's home town of Korce, Albania.

She serves on the board of directors of the THARCE-Gulu organization (The Trauma Healing and Reflection Center in Gulu), an organization dedicated to helping the survivors of war (including former child soldiers) in Northern Uganda).

In December 2011, Dushku announced that she was switching to a vegan diet after watching the documentary ''Forks Over Knives''.

Awards and nominations

She was twice nominated in 2004: for a Teen Choice Award at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Star – Female for ''Tru Calling'' and for a Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films at the 30th Saturn Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series for ''Tru Calling''.

''Maxim'' magazine ranked Dushku 6th on the "Hot 100 Women of 2009" list.

Dushku was nominated in 2009 for a Scream Award for ''Best Science Fiction Actress'' for her role of Echo.

The municipality of Tirana honored Eliza Dushku as an Honorary Citizen of Tirana, capital of Albania.

In October 2011, Dushku was named Ambassador for the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show Entertainment Matters program.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''That Night''	Alice Bloom
1993		Pearl
1994	''Fishing with George''	Piper Reeves	Short film
1994	''True Lies''	Dana Tasker
1995		Emma
1995	''Journey''	Cat	TV movie
1996	''Race the Sun''	Cindy Johnson
1998–2003			20 episodes
2000		Missy Pantone
2000–2003		Faith	6 episodes
2001	''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''	Sissy
2001	''Soul Survivors''	Annabel
2002	''''	Danielle
2002	''City by the Sea''	Gina
2002	''King of the Hill''	Jordan Hilgren-Bronson (voice)	Episode: "Get Your Freak Off"
2003	''Wrong Turn''	Jessie Burlingame
2003	''''	Megan	Video
2003–2005	''Tru Calling''	Tru Davies	27 episodes
2005	''That '70s Show''	Sarah
2006	''''	Waitress	Short film
2007	''Nurses''	Eve Morrow	TV movie
2007		Lena Wilson
2007	''Nobel Son''	City Hall
2007	''Ugly Betty''	Cameron Ashlock	Episode: "Giving Up the Ghost"
2007	''Sex and Breakfast''	Renee
2008	''Bottle Shock''	Joe
2008	''''	Megan Paige
2008	''''	Monica Wright
2009	''Open Graves''	Erica
2009–2010			27 episodes
2010		Renee
2010	''''	FBI Special Agent Angela Page
2011	''Robotomy''	Shockzana (voice)	Episode: "From Wretchnya with Love"
2011	''Noah's Ark: The New Beginning''	Zalbeth (voice)	Post-production
2011			Animated Film
2011		Selina Kyle/Catwoman (voice)	short film
2011		Raquel Laroque	Season 3 Episode 9: On The Fence
2011	''The Guild''	Herself
2011	''The League''	Kristen
2013	''Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.''

+ Video games
! Year	! Title	! Role
2003	''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds''	Faith
2005		Yumi
2008	''Saints Row 2''	Shaundi
2009		Rubi Malone
2011	''Fight Night Champion''	Megan McQueen

References

External links

http://www.tharcegulu.org/

Category:1980 births Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American video game actors Category:American television actors Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:American people of Albanian descent Category:American people of Danish descent Category:American people of English descent Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Watertown, Massachusetts Category:American vegans ar:إليزا دوشكو cs:Eliza Dushku da:Eliza Dushku de:Eliza Dushku es:Eliza Dushku fr:Eliza Dushku gv:Eliza Dushku id:Eliza Dushku it:Eliza Dushku he:×?לייזה דושקו sw:Eliza Dushku lv:ElÄ«za DuÅ¡ku hu:Eliza Dushku nl:Eliza Dushku ja:エリザ・ドゥシュク no:Eliza Dushku pl:Eliza Dushku pt:Eliza Dushku ru:Душку, Элайза sq:Eliza Dushku simple:Eliza Dushku sk:Eliza Dushkuová sl:Eliza Dushku sr:Елајза Душку sh:Eliza Dushku fi:Eliza Dushku sv:Eliza Dushku tr:Eliza Dushku uk:Елайза Душку

name	John Mayer
background	solo_singer
birth name	John Clayton Mayer
birth date	October 16, 1977Bridgeport, ConnecticutUnited States
instrument	Guitar, vocals, omnichord, piano, vibraphone, harmonica, percussion, clarinet, violin
genre	Pop rock, blues rock, acoustic rock, blue-eyed soul
occupation	Musician, songwriter, record producer, columnist, graphic designer, photographer, comedian, television host
years active	–present
label	Arista, Aware, Columbia
associated acts	John Mayer Trio, Fall Out Boy
website
notable instruments	Fender StratocasterMartin GuitarsGibson Guitars }}

John Clayton Mayer ( ; (born October 16, 1977) is an American pop and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his skills and gained a following, and he now lives in New York City. His first two studio albums, ''Room for Squares'' and ''Heavier Things'', did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

Mayer began his career performing mainly acoustic rock, but gradually began a transition towards the blues genre in 2005 by collaborating with renowned blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton, and by forming the John Mayer Trio. The blues influence can be heard throughout his 2005 live album ''Try!'' with the John Mayer Trio and his third studio album ''Continuum'', released in September 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007 Mayer won Best Pop Vocal Album for ''Continuum'' and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Waiting on the World to Change". He released his fourth studio album, ''Battle Studies'', in November 2009. His fifth album, ''Born & Raised'', is expected to release on May 22, 2012. He has sold over 10 million albums in the U.S. and 20 million albums worldwide.

Early life

John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Margaret, an English teacher, and Richard, a high school principal. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, the second of three children. His father is Jewish, and Mayer has said that he "relat[es] to Judaism". He attended Fairfield High School in Fairfield although he was enrolled in the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk for his junior year (then known as the Center for Japanese Studies Abroad, it is a magnet program for students wanting to learn Japanese).

After watching Michael J. Fox's guitar performance as Marty McFly in ''Back to the Future'', Mayer became fascinated with the instrument, and when he turned 13, his father rented one for him. A neighbor gave Mayer a Stevie Ray Vaughan cassette, which cultivated Mayer's love of blues music. Mayer started taking lessons from a local guitar-shop owner, Al Ferrante, and soon became consumed with playing the instrument. His singular focus concerned his parents, and they took him twice to see a psychiatrist—but Mayer was determined to be fine. Mayer says that the contentious nature of his parents' marriage led him to "disappear and create my own world I could believe in". After two years of practice, he started playing at blues bars and other venues in the area, while he was still in high school. In addition to performing solo, he was a member of a band called Villanova Junction (named for a Jimi Hendrix song) with Tim Procaccini, Joe Beleznay, and Rich Wolf. Mayer considered skipping college to pursue his music, but the disapproval of his parents dissuaded him from doing so.

When Mayer was seventeen, he was stricken with cardiac dysrhythmia and was hospitalized for a weekend. Reflecting on the incident, Mayer said, "That was the moment the songwriter in me was born," and he penned his first lyrics the night he got home from the hospital. Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from panic attacks, and lived with the fear of having to enter a mental institution. He continues to manage such episodes with Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. After graduation, he worked for fifteen months at a gas station until he saved enough money to buy a 1996 Stevie Ray Vaughan signature Stratocaster.

Career

Early career

Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, aged 19. However, at the urging of his college friend an Atlanta, Georgia native, Clay Cook, he left school after two semesters and moved with Cook to Atlanta. In Atlanta they formed a two-man band called LoFi Masters and began performing in local coffee houses and club venues such as Eddie's Attic. According to Cook, they began to experience musical differences due to Mayer’s desire to move more towards pop music. As a result, the two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career.

With the help of local producer and engineer Glenn Matullo, Mayer recorded the independent EP ''Inside Wants Out''. Cook co-wrote many of the songs from the EP including Mayer's first commercial single release, "No Such Thing". The EP includes eight songs with Mayer on lead vocals and guitars. However, Cook's only contribution was backing vocals on the song "Comfortable". For the opening track, "Back To You", a full band was enlisted, including the EP’s co-producer David "DeLa" LaBruyere on bass guitars. Mayer and LaBruyere then began to perform throughout Georgia and nearby states.

Major label success

Mayer’s reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at South by Southwest brought him to the attention of "launch" label, Aware Records. After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Mayer's internet-only album titled, ''Room for Squares''. During this time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September of the same year, Columbia remixed and re-released ''Room for Squares''. As part of the major label "debut", the album's artwork was updated, and the track "3x5" was added. The re-release also included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, ''Inside Wants Out''.

By the end of 2002, ''Room for Squares'' had spawned several radio hits, including "No Such Thing," "Your Body Is a Wonderland", and ultimately, "Why Georgia". In 2003, Mayer won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland." In his acceptance speech he remarked, "This is very, very fast, and I promise to catch up." He also figuratively referred to himself as being sixteen, a remark that many mistook to mean that he was only sixteen years old at the time.

In 2003, Mayer released a live CD and DVD of a concert in Birmingham, Alabama titled ''Any Given Thursday''. The concert featured songs previously not recorded, such as "Man on the Side" (co-written with Cook) and "Something's Missing", which later appeared on ''Heavier Things''. The concert also included "Covered In Rain". According to the accompanying DVD documentary, this song is "part two" of the song "City Love", which features the line "covered in rain". Commercially, the album quickly peaked at number seventeen on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The CD/DVD received conservative, although consistent, praise, with critics torn between his pop-idol image, and (at the time) emerging guitar prowess. Erik Crawford (of Allmusic) asked "Is he the consummate guitar hero exemplified when he plays a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Lenny', or is he the teen idol that the pubescent girls shriek for after he plays 'Your Body Is a Wonderland?'"

''Heavier Things'', Mayer's second album, was released in 2003 to generally favorable reviews. ''Rolling Stone, Allmusic'' and ''Blender'' all gave positive, although reserved, feedback. ''PopMatters'' said that it "doesn't have as many drawbacks as one might assume". The album was commercially successful, and while it did not sell as well as ''Room for Squares'', it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Mayer earned his first number one single with the song "Daughters" as well as a 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year, beating out fellow contenders Alicia Keys and Kanye West. He dedicated the award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince, and Seal for the award. In a February 9, 2009 interview on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', Mayer said that he thought he should not have won the Grammy for Song of the year because he thought that Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You was the better song. Because of this, he removed the top half of the Grammy and gave it to Keys, and kept the bottom part for himself. At the 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2006, Mayer was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.

Mayer again recorded live concerts across seven nights of his U.S. tour in 2004. These recordings were released to the iTunes Store under the title ''As/Is'', indicating that the errors were included along with the good moments. A few months later, a "best of" CD was compiled from the ''As/Is'' nights. The album included a previously unreleased cover of Marvin Gaye's song "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", featuring a solo from Mayer's support act, jazz and blues turntablist DJ Logic. All the album covers of the ''As/Is'' releases feature drawings of anthropomorphic bunnies.

With increased exposure, Mayer's talent came into demand in other areas. Steve Jobs invited Mayer to perform during the keynote address of Apple's annual Macworld Conference & Expo, in January 2004, as Jobs introduced the software application GarageBand. The gig led to Mayer becoming a fixture of the event. He rejoined Jobs on stage for a solo performance at Macworld 2007, following the announcement of the iPhone. Mayer has also done endorsements, such as a Volkswagen commercial for the Beetle's guitar outlet and for the BlackBerry Curve.

Change in musical direction

Mayer began to collaborate extensively, often working with artists outside of his own genre. He appeared on Common's song "Go!" and on Kanye West's "Bittersweet Poetry". Following these collaborations, Mayer received praise from rap heavyweights Jay-Z and Nelly. When asked about his presence in the hip hop community, Mayer said, "It's not music out there right now. That's why, to me, hip-hop is where rock used to be."

It was around this time that Mayer began hinting a change in his musical interests, announcing that he was "closing up shop on acoustic sensitivity." In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, as well as jazz artist John Scofield. He also went on tour with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. These collaborations led to recordings with several of these artists, namely, Clapton (''Back Home'', Crossroads Guitar Festival), Guy (''Bring 'Em In)'', Scofield (''That's What I Say''), and King (''80''). Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter, he has also gained distinction as an accomplished guitarist, influenced by the likes of the above artists, as well as Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Freddie King.

John Mayer Trio

This sample features an extended electric guitar solo.}}

In the spring of 2005, Mayer formed the John Mayer Trio with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, both of whom he had met through previous studio sessions. The trio played a combination of blues and rock music. In October 2005, the Trio opened for The Rolling Stones during a sold-out club tour of their own, and that November, released a live album called ''Try!'' The band took a break in mid-2006. In September 2006, Mayer announced plans for the Trio to begin work on a future studio album.

''Continuum''

Mayer's third studio album, titled ''Continuum'', was released on September 12, 2006, and was produced by Mayer and Steve Jordan. Mayer suggested the album was intended to combine his signature pop music with the feel, sound, groove, and sensibilities of the blues. In that vein, two of the tracks from his Trio release ''Try!''—"Vultures" and "Gravity"—also were included on ''Continuum''.

The first single from ''Continuum'' was "Waiting on the World to Change", which debuted on ''The Ron and Fez Show''. The song was the third most downloaded song of the week on the iTunes Store following its release on July 11, 2006, and debuted at #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Chart.

On August 23, 2006, Mayer debuted the entire album on the Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, giving commentary on each track. A subsequent version was released the next day on the Clear Channel Music website as a streaming sneak preview. On September 21, 2006, Mayer appeared on ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', playing "Waiting on the World to Change" and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room." The song "Gravity" was featured on the television series ''House'', in the episode "Cane & Able", and ''Numb3rs''. He recorded a session for the British program ''Live from Abbey Road'' at Abbey Road Studios on October 22, 2006.

On December 7, 2006, Mayer was nominated for five 2007 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The John Mayer Trio also received a nomination for their album, ''Try!''. He won two: Best Pop Song with Vocal for "Waiting on the World to Change" and Best Pop Album for ''Continuum''. Mayer remixed an acoustic version of his single "Waiting on the World to Change" with vocal additions from fellow musician Ben Harper. In preparation for recording ''Continuum'', Mayer had booked the Village Recorder in Los Angeles to record five demo acoustic versions of his songs with veteran musician Robbie McIntosh. These recordings became ''The Village Sessions'', an EP released on December 12, 2006. As usual, Mayer oversaw the artwork of the release.

Mayer was featured on the cover of ''Rolling Stone'' (#1020) in February 2007, along with John Frusciante and Derek Trucks. He was named as one of the "New Guitar Gods," and the cover nicknamed him "Slowhand, Jr.," a reference to Eric Clapton. Additionally, he was selected by the editors of ''Time'' magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007 and was listed among artists and entertainers.

On November 20, 2007, the re-issue of ''Continuum'' became available online and in stores. The release contains a bonus disc of six live songs from his 2007 tour: five from ''Continuum'' and a cover of the Ray Charles song "I Don't Need No Doctor". His new single, "Say", also became available through iTunes. On December 6, 2007, "Belief" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. He accompanied Alicia Keys on guitar on her song "No One" at the ceremony.

In February 2008, Mayer hosted a three-day Caribbean cruise event that included performances with various musicians including David Ryan Harris, Brett Dennen, Colbie Caillat and Dave Barnes, among others. The event was called "The Mayercraft Carrier" and was held aboard the cruise ship known as the ''Carnival Victory''. A follow up cruise titled "Mayercraft Carrier 2" set sail from Long Beach, California from March 27–31, 2009 on the Carnival Splendor.

On July 1, 2008, Mayer released ''Where the Light Is'', a live concert film of Mayer's performance at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 8, 2007. The film was directed by Danny Clinch. It features an acoustic set and a set with the John Mayer Trio, followed by a set with John's band from the ''Continuum'' album. The DVD and Blu-ray bonus material includes footage of Mayer backstage and playing outside on Mulholland Drive.

Australian artist Guy Sebastian invited Mayer to collaborate on three songs from his 2009 album ''Like It Like That''. Mayer also played guitar on the title track of Crosby Loggins' debut LP, ''Time to Move'', released on July 10, 2009.

On July 7, 2009, Mayer performed an instrumental guitar version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" at Jackson's televised memorial service.

''Battle Studies''

On November 17, 2009, Mayer's fourth studio album, ''Battle Studies'', was released and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The album consists of 11 tracks with a total time of 45 minutes. The first single from the album, "Who Says", was released on September 24, 2009 in advance of album, and was followed on October 19 by the single "Heartbreak Warfare" and the single "Half of My Heart" released on June 21, 2010. Despite the album's commercial success, critics were mixed with their praise; while some reviews were glowing, calling it his "most adventurous", others called the album "safe" and noted that "Mayer the singer-songwriter and Mayer the man about town sometimes seem disconnected, like they don’t even belong in the same body."

Mayer admitted to ''Rolling Stone'' that he thought ''Battle Studies'' was not his best album.

''Born and Raised''

Early reports indicated that the follow-up to ''Battle Studies'' would be called ''Born and Raised'', and would be released in October 2011.

On September 16, 2011 Mayer posted on his blog that his new record, ''Born and Raised,'' was being delayed due to granulomas discovered in his throat. The granulomas were found next to the vocal cords and are treatable. Mayer described this as a "temporary setback" and that recording and mixing of "Born and Raised" was entirely finished except for a few remaining vocal tracks. He expects the album to be out in early 2012.

On October 20, 2011 Mayer updated his fans about the treatment of his throat granuloma, announcing that he "had surgery this afternoon to remove it and am now on complete vocal rest for a month or more", during which he plans to "travel the country, look, and listen."

The first single from Born and Raised, called "Shadow Days" was released on February 27, 2012

On February 28, 2012 John Mayer released the track listing for the album and announced that Born and Raised would be released on May 22, 2012.

On March 9, 2012 Mayer announced on his blog that due to the return of a serious throat condition, he has been forced to cancel his tour and refrain from all singing indefinitely.

Other projects

Philanthropy and activism

In 2002, Mayer began the "Back to You" Fund, a nonprofit organization that focuses on fundraising in the areas of health care, education, the arts, and talent development. The foundation raises funds through the auction of exclusive John Mayer items, such as guitar picks, T-shirts, and signed CDs, made available on Mayer's auction site. The auctions have been successful, with some tickets selling for more than seventeen times their face value.

Mayer participated at the East Rutherford, New Jersey location of the Live Earth project, a musical rally to support awareness for global warming held July 7, 2007. He converted his tour bus to bio-diesel fuel.

Mayer has performed at a number of benefits and telethons for charity throughout his career. In response to the Virginia Tech massacre, Mayer (along with Dave Matthews Band, Phil Vassar, and Nas) performed a free concert at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium on September 6, 2007. On December 8, 2007, Mayer hosted the first annual Charity Revue, a tradition he has continued each year. Charities who have benefited from the concerts include Toys for Tots, Inner City Arts, and the Los Angeles Mission. Both CDs and DVDs of the first concert were released under the title ''Where the Light Is'' in July 2008. It has not been announced whether the DVD proceeds will go to charity or not. Mayer appeared on ''Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace'', a celebrity initiative to support Tibet and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

Design

In a ''Rolling Stone'' interview, Mayer recalled that after former Columbia Records head, Don Ienner, panned ''Continuum'', he briefly considered quitting music and studying design full time. In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer. The guitar was limited to a run of only 404, an Atlanta area code. This model was followed by the release of two Fender signature Stratocaster electric guitars, beginning in 2005. A third Stratocaster, finished in charcoal frost metallic paint with a racing stripe, was also a limited-release, with only 100 guitars made. In January 2006, Martin Guitars released the Martin OMJM John Mayer acoustic guitar. The guitar was intended to have many of the attributes of the Martin OM-28 John Mayer but with a more affordable price tag. In August 2006, Fender started manufacturing SERIES II John Mayer Stratocasters. The new Olympic white with mint green pickguard and cream plastics replaced the shoreline gold model.

In January 2007, Two Rock collaborated with Mayer on custom-designed amps. Only 25 (all signed by Mayer himself) were made available to the public. June 2007 saw the release of the "album art" guitar, with the ''Continuum'' motif repeated on the face of the instrument, as well as a 500-run John Mayer signature Fender Stratocaster in Cypress-Mica, including the limited Cypress-Mica model was the INCSvsJM gig bag on which Mayer collaborated with Incase designs. In 2006, Mayer was estimated to have more than 200 guitars in his personal collection. In 2010, Fender announced a production model of Mayer's "The Black One" guitar.

Writing

With the June 1, 2004, issue of ''Esquire'', Mayer began a column called "Music Lessons with John Mayer". Each article featured a lesson and his (often humorous) take on various topics, both of personal and popular interest. In the August 2005 issue, he invited readers to create music for orphaned lyrics he had written. The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the following January's issue.

Mayer has been active online, and has maintained four blogs: a Myspace page, a blog at his official site, another at Honeyee.com, one at tumblr.com, and a photoblog at StunningNikon.com. He also is one of the most-followed persons on the micro-blogging site Twitter, reaching 3 million followers in January 2010. Although his posts often deal with career-related matters, they also contain jokes, videos, photos, his convictions, and his personal activities; they sometimes overlap in content. He is noted for writing the blogs himself, and not through a publicist. On January 23, 2008, he posted a graphic that read, "Done & Dusted & Self Conscious & Back to Work." on his official blog, followed by the quote "There is danger in theoretical speculation of battle, in prejudice, in false reasoning, in pride, in braggadocio. There is one safe resource, the return to nature.."; all the previous blog entries were deleted.

In the mid-2000s he did stand-up comedy sporadically making random appearances at the famed Comedy Cellar in New York and at other venues. He stated that it helped him write better but that increased media attention made him too careful in his technique.

Television

In 2004, Mayer hosted a one-shot, half-hour comedy special on VH1 titled ''John Mayer Has a TV Show'', with antics including wearing a bear suit while anonymously teasing concertgoers in the parking lot outside one of his concerts. The American network CBS announced on January 14, 2009 that they were in negotiations with Mayer for a variety show; it may air as a special or as a regular series. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'', posted online on January 22, 2010, Mayer confirmed that the program, also called ''John Mayer Has a TV Show'', was still in development, and that personnel were being hired. He described the concept as "a high quality music performance show, where I could also steer it a little bit. It's about there being a bastion of artists being made to look good and sound good.".

Mayer has made many appearances on talk shows and other television programs, most notably, on a ''Chappelle's Show'' comedy skit, ''Late Night with David Letterman'' and on the final episode of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. Mayer made an appearance with Rob Dyrdek in the MTV show ''Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory''.

Mayer has written the theme song to the upcoming show Rollin' with Zach on the OWN network.

Touring

{{externalvideo | align = right | width = 320px | video1 = Where the Light Is''">Official video Mayer performing an acoustic set from his DVD ''Where the Light Is'' | }} Mayer has toured with many musical groups, including Maroon 5, Guster, Howie Day, Mat Kearney, Counting Crows, Ben Folds, The Wallflowers, Teitur, Brett Dennen, Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat, Train, Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic and Paramore. Crow and Mayer, who had just previously appeared on the ''''Cars'' Soundtrack'' together, co-headlined a tour that ran from August to October 2006. In 2007, Mayer toured Europe, hoping to reach the popularity abroad that he enjoys in North America. The initial North American ''Continuum'' tour ended on February 28, 2007, with a show at Madison Square Garden, a performance which the ''New York Post'' described as "career-defining." In 2010, Mayer and Keith Urban performed at a CMT Crossroads concert which saw Mayer and Urban performing a medley of their own songs together and a rendition of George Michael's single, "Faith". This performance was led to Urban and Mayer teaming up again for future performances, including at the 2010 CMT Music Awards.

Mayer allows audio taping at most of his live performances, and he also allows for the non-commercial trading of those recordings. He does this to give fans the opportunity to recreate the live experience, and to encourage fan interaction.

Mayer often shows up at small venues unannounced (or with little advance notice) for surprise concerts—occasionally for free or without accepting the performance fee. He has made appearances throughout the Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York areas, including shows at The Laugh Factory, Eddie's Attic, and the Village Underground. His latest surprise appearance was on January 8, 2011 at Hotel Cafe where he played seven new unreleased songs. In 2004, after being asked for numerous past years, he performed for over 1000 students at the Pennsbury High School Senior Prom. Wonderland, a book written by Micheal Bamberger, describes the world- famous prom and John Mayer's performance.

Touring band members

;Current members

David Ryan Harris – guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)

Sean Hurley – bass, backing vocals (2008–present)

Chuck Leavell - keyboards (2011–present)

Aaron Sterling - drums (2011–present)

;Former members

Bob Reynolds – saxophones, flute (2006–2008, 2010)

Robbie McIntosh – guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (2006–2010)

Pino Palladino - Bass (2010)

Keith Carlock - drums, percussion (2010)

David LaBruyere – bass (1999–2008)

Nir Z - drums (2001)

Matt Mangano - guitar (2001)

Matt Johnson - drums (2002)

Stephen Chopek – drums, percussion (2001–2002)

Michael Chaves – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2001–2005)

Kevin Lovejoy – keyboards (2003–2004)

Erik Jekabsen – trumpet, flugelhorn (2003–2004)

Chris Karlic – saxophone, flute (2003–2005)

J.J. Johnson – drums (2003–2005, 2006–2008)

Onree Gill – keyboards (2004–2005)

Chuck McKinnon – trumpet, flugelhorn (2004–2005)

Keith Carlock - drums, percussion (2010–2011)

Ricky Peterson – keyboards, organ, backing vocals (2006–2007)

Charlie Wilson – keyboards (2009–2011)

Tim Bradshaw – keyboards, organ, lap steel guitar, backing vocals (2007–2008)

Kenna Ramsey - backing vocals (2009–2010)

Melanie Taylor - backing vocals (2009–2010)

Steve Jordan – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2003, 2005–2006, 2009–2010)

Brad Mason - trumpet, flugelhorn (2006–2008)

Personal life

Mayer has a number of tattoos. These include: "Home" and "Life" (from the song title) on the back of his left and right arms respectively, "77" (his year of birth) on the left side of his chest, and a koi-like fish on his right shoulder. His entire left arm is covered in a sleeve tattoo that he acquired gradually, ending in April 2008; it includes: "SRV" (for his idol, Stevie Ray Vaughan) on his shoulder, a decorated rectangle on his biceps, a dragon-like figure on his inner arm, and various other floral designs. In 2003, he got a tattoo of three squares on his right forearm, which, he has explained, he will fill in gradually.

He is an avid collector of watches and owns timepieces worth tens of thousands of dollars. Mayer also has an extensive collection of sneakers, estimated () at more than 200 pairs.

Mayer's parents concluded an uncontested divorce on May 27, 2009. After the divorce, Mayer moved his (82-year-old) father to an assisted-living facility in Los Angeles.

Mayer has followed the discipline of Krav Maga.

Mayer sold his home in the Los Angeles suburbs in 2011. He currently lives in his apartment in the New York City neighborhood of SoHo.

In April 2010 Mayer gave a controversial interview to Playboy magazine, in which he made sexually explicit comments about former girlfriends Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston. It was alleged that one remark he made in the interview was racist. He later apologized onstage for these statements.

In September 2011, according to a ''Rolling Stone'' magazine article, Mayer has granuloma in his throat which must be treated surgically – this has caused him to cancel various planned shows.

Despite assertions that he would not be doing any more press, an interview with ''Playboy'' magazine (posted to their website on February 10, 2010) set off accusations in the media and on Twitter of his being a misogynist, kiss-and-tell ex-boyfriend, and racist. He apologized via Twitter for his use of the word "nigger," saying, "It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize...a word that is so emotionally charged." He also tearfully apologized to his band and fans at his concert in Nashville later that night. Mayer was dubbed an "accidental racist" by comedian, Kumail Nanjiani.

Solo discography

''Room for Squares'' (2001)

''Heavier Things'' (2003)

''Continuum'' (2006)

''Battle Studies'' (2009)

''Born and Raised'' (2012)

Awards

Grammy Awards

Mayer has won seven awards from eighteen nominations.

Year	! Awardee	! Category	! Result
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Others awards and nominations

Year	! Award	! Category
	MTV Video Music Awards		* Best New Artist in a Video for "No Such Thing" – nominated
Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards		* Les Paul Horizon Award (Most Promising Up and Coming Guitarist)
VH1 Big in 2002 Awards		* Can't Get You Out of My Head Award for "No Such Thing"
Pollstar Concert Industry Awards		* Best New Artist Tour
	20th Annual ASCAP Awards		* ASCAP Pop Award – "No Such Thing" (shared with Clay Cook)Awarded to songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs in the ASCAP repertory for the award period.
31st Annual American Music Awards		* Favorite Male Artist – Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music
15th Annual Boston Music Awards		* Act of the Year	* Male Vocalist of the Year	* Song of the Year for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
MTV Video Music Awards		* Best Male Video
Radio Music Awards		* Modern Adult Contemporary Radio Artist of the Year	* Best Hook-Up Song for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
Teen People Awards		* Choice Music – Male Artist	* Choice Music – Album for ''Any Given Thursday''
Danish Music Awards		* Best New Artist
	BDS Certified Spin AwardsMarch 2004 recipients		* Reached 100,000 spins for "Why Georgia"
	33rd annual American Music Awards		* Adult Contemporary: Favorite Artist
World Music Awards		* World's Best Selling Rock Act
People's Choice Awards		* Favorite Male Artist
	35th Annual American Music Awards		* Adult Contemporary Music — nominated
23rd Annual TEC Awards		* Tour Sound Production (for the Continuum Tour)	* Record Production/Single or Track (for production on "Waiting on the World to Change")	* Record Production/Album (from production on ''Continuum'')

See also

Annual John Mayer Holiday Charity Revue

Battle Studies World Tour

Notes

Footnotes

References

Edwards, G. (2006) ''Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?'', New York: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0-307-34603-X

External links

"Music Lessons with John Mayer", database of Mayer's ''Esquire'' column at Esquire.com

Comprehensive John Mayer guitar tabs

"Square pegged", Mayer's first feature article in 2001, from ''Creative Loafing''

Nikon Podcast #3: "Exclusive Interview with John Mayer" (posted September 9, 2007) (listen)

"John Mayer's Soft-Sell 'World'", NPR ''Morning Edition'' interview from March 2007. (listen) (read)

Category:1977 births Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American bloggers Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Krav Maga practitioners Category:Live Music Archive artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Connecticut Category:People from Bridgeport, Connecticut Category:People with synesthesia

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