David Letterman Biography Quotes 34 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
David Michael Letterman was born on April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up on the citys north side in a close family that shaped his Midwestern sensibility and dry wit. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman, died of a heart attack when David was in his twenties, a loss that left a lasting impression and occasionally surfaced in his comedy. His mother, Dorothy Mengering, became a beloved on-air presence decades later, known to viewers as Daves mom. He had two sisters and attended Broad Ripple High School before enrolling at Ball State University in Muncie, where he studied radio and television and worked on student broadcasting. He graduated in 1969 and soon found jobs in local media.

Early Broadcasting and Comedy
After college, Letterman began as an announcer and weatherman on Indianapolis television. His offbeat approach to weather forecasts and on-air stunts signaled a voice that did not fit standard newscasts. He also worked on radio and hosted local programs, developing the improvisational timing he later brought to national TV. In 1975 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy. At The Comedy Store he performed stand-up and wrote jokes for Jimmie Walker, part of a circle that included Jay Leno and other rising comics. Crucially, Johnny Carson noticed him. Letterman started appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and became one of Carsons most trusted guest hosts, earning a national audience.

From Daytime Experiment to Late Night Innovation
NBC gave him a daytime vehicle, The David Letterman Show, in 1980. Though it was short-lived, it won Daytime Emmys and established a creative team led by head writer Merrill Markoe, then his longtime partner, who helped invent features such as Stupid Pet Tricks and the irreverent viewer mail segments. In 1982, NBC launched Late Night with David Letterman. Airing after Carson, the program built a cult following with its mix of absurdism, intellectual mischief, and affection for show-business tradition. Bandleader Paul Shaffer anchored the house band, and recurring figures like stage manager Biff Henderson and Larry Bud Melman (Calvert DeForest) became part of the shows oddball community. The Top Ten List, Stupid Human Tricks, and daring stunts like the velcro suit defined a new tone for late night. Regular guests such as Bill Murray, who was the first guest on the premiere, and musicians championed by the show broadened its cultural impact.

Rivalries, Decisions, and the Move to CBS
The succession to Johnny Carson in 1992 thrust Letterman into a public rivalry with Jay Leno when NBC selected Leno to host The Tonight Show. Letterman chose to leave for CBS, where he launched the Late Show with David Letterman in 1993 from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. Paul Shaffer and the Worlds Most Dangerous Band migrated with him as the CBS Orchestra. Producer Peter Lassally, a veteran of Carsons Tonight Show, and later executive producer Rob Burnett, guided the transition. Bill Wendell served as announcer before Alan Kalter took over. Letterman won over a prime-time-adjacent audience while keeping his mischievous spirit. The show made folk heroes of neighborhood figures such as Rupert Jee of the Hello Deli and the duo Mujibur and Sirajul, and it championed musicians and comedians, from Warren Zevon to Jerry Seinfeld. An infamous 1994 interview with Madonna and Drew Barrymores unscripted 1995 celebration marked the program as both unpredictable and culturally central.

Public Moments and Resilience
Lettermans 2000 quintuple bypass heart surgery forced a hiatus that he addressed with candor and humor; he returned by honoring the medical team on air, turning the scare into public awareness about heart health. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, his somber opening remarks helped define late nights role in national mourning and recovery, as did conversations with guests like Dan Rather and New York leaders. He also hosted the Academy Awards in 1995, remembered for the contentious Oprah, Uma joke, a reminder that his sensibility was most at home behind the late-night desk.

Scandal, Accountability, and Continuity
In 2009, Letterman revealed on his show that he had been the target of an extortion attempt connected to his affairs with staff members. The confession, which led to the arrest and conviction of Robert Halderman, prompted a public reckoning. He apologized on air, and the incident became part of a broader discussion about power, the workplace, and late-nights culture. Later that year he married his longtime partner Regina Lasko, with whom he has a son, Harry. Earlier in life he had been married to Michelle Cook, and he shared many creative years and personal history with Merrill Markoe. Letterman continued to work nightly with Paul Shaffer and a veteran staff, including writers such as Steve ODonnell and producers like Robert Morton and Rob Burnett, refining a show that blended satire, silliness, and surprising tenderness.

Production, Business, and Mentorship
Through his company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated, Letterman produced the Late Show and The Late Late Show and helped bring Everybody Loves Raymond to television, working with Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal. His eye for talent fostered careers for writers, comedians, and band members including Will Lee, Anton Fig, and Sid McGinnis alongside Shaffer. He served as a model for hosts who followed, influencing Conan OBrien, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert, who eventually succeeded him at CBS.

Racing, Indiana Roots, and Family
Lettermans Indiana upbringing shaped his lifelong devotion to the Indianapolis 500. As a co-owner with Bobby Rahal and later Mike Lanigan in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, he celebrated victories that included Buddy Rices 2004 win and Takuma Satos 2020 triumph. His mother Dorothy became a recurring correspondent during Winter Olympics coverage, endearing herself to viewers, and her passing was widely noted by fans who had come to know her on the show. Off camera, he kept family life comparatively private, occasionally sharing stories about parenting Harry and his partnership with Regina Lasko.

Retirement from Nightly TV and Reinvention
Letterman signed off from the Late Show on May 20, 2015, with an episode packed with tributes and a final greeting from Bill Murray, echoing the beginning of his late-night career. Stephen Colbert stepped into the time slot later that year. Letterman reemerged in 2018 on Netflix with My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, a long-form interview series that opened with President Barack Obama. The program emphasized curiosity over comedy bits, allowing extended conversations with artists, politicians, and athletes, and it showcased a reflective host willing to listen more than interrupt.

Honors and Philanthropy
Over the decades, Letterman earned numerous Emmy Awards across daytime and primetime. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2017, affirmations of a career that changed how late-night television is written, performed, and perceived. He has remained connected to Ball State University through scholarships, a lecture series that brought prominent voices to campus, and a media building named in his honor, helping nurture the next generation of storytellers.

Style, Influence, and Legacy
Lettermans style fused irony with sincerity, puncturing television artifice while honoring its rituals. His rapport with collaborators like Paul Shaffer and on-screen regulars such as Biff Henderson, Alan Kalter, and Rupert Jee created a community that viewers felt part of. His relationships with peers and rivals, from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno, were central to the story of modern late night, and his mentoring of younger hosts helped define its future. Musical moments with artists like Warren Zevon revealed a deep respect for performers, while comedy set pieces, including the Top Ten List and remote segments that gently teased New York City, reshaped what a talk show could do.

From Indianapolis classrooms to the Ed Sullivan Theater and beyond, David Letterman blended Midwestern understatement with restless invention. The people around him family, collaborators, guests, and even deli owners helped turn a nightly show into a cultural institution, and his influence continues to inform the rhythms and ambitions of American television.

Our collection contains 34 quotes who is written by David, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Puns & Wordplay - Sarcastic - Decision-Making - War.

Other people realated to David: Emo Philips (Comedian), Warren Zevon (Musician), Johnny Carson (Comedian), Bill Maher (Comedian), Regis Philbin (Entertainer), Norm MacDonald (Actor), Amy Sedaris (Actress), Jack Hanna (Celebrity), Chris Elliott (Comedian), Richard Simmons (Celebrity)

• Wikipedia