Share

Jay Leno biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

more about Jay

Best Known For

Jay Leno is the late-night talk show host for The Tonight Show.


Synopsis

Born in 1950, Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show host and stand-up comedian. He hosted The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992-2009, then hosted his own show, The Jay Leno Show for one year due to a host controversy, before returning to The Tonight Show in 2010. Leno is known for his clean,

America-friendly act and his characteristically protruding chin. He has won an Emmy Award.

Early Life

He was born James Douglas Muir Leno, on April 28, 1950, in New Rochelle, New York (raised in Andover, MA), to Angelo Leno, and insurance salesman, and Cathryn Leno, a homemaker.

As a student in grade school, Leno displayed his comic tendencies with pranks and practical jokes. His fifth-grade teacher's report card comments - "if Jay spent as much time studying as he does trying to be a comedian, he'd be a big star" - turned out to be prophetic.

He is best known for being one of the busiest performers in comedy; for years he booked over 300 appearances annually. He's also famous for his clean, observational brand of humor and a cartoon-like facial features, which he made reference to in the title of his 1996 autobiography, Leading With My Chin.





Foray into Comedy

Leno attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1973 with a BA in speech therapy. While in school, Leno performed stand-up comedy in local night clubs, and emceed talent shows for extra money. He moved to Los Angeles after graduation, and wrote for the TV show Good Times; a job that fellow late-nighter David Letterman also had. In addition he worked as the warm-up act for Johnny Mathis and Tom Jones.

Leno made his first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1977, and was a regular on the variety show The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show. In the mid-80s, Leno hosted his first comedy special on TV: Jay Leno and the American Dream. Around this same period, he made numerous successful appearances on late-night TV, particularly Late Night with David Letterman. Later that year he signed a deal with NBC that made him one of two permanent guest hosts of The Tonight Show. He became the only guest host two years later.

The Tonight Show

In 1992, Johnny Carson surprised many by retiring from his long standing role as America's beloved and premier talk show host. There had been speculation that David Letterman, whose Late Night show followed Carson's, would take over hosting duties, a position he had publicly coveted. However, NBC picked the more clean-cut Leno, who most considered to be a safer, more middle-America-friendly choice.

Initially, the transfer of hosting duties to Leno did not go smoothly. There was a well-documented falling out between Leno and his long-time manager, Helen Kushnick, who had assumed executive-producing duties for the show. In what had become a cut-throat environment in the late-night talk show world, Kushnick was reported to have threatened potential guests not to appear on other talk shows if they wanted to be on The Tonight Show.

Kushnick was eventually fired, and the show gained momentum and a growing audience. The show now leads the late-night ratings. In 1993, his contract was extended five years, at $40 million and, two years later, Leno won the Emmy for hosting The Tonight Show. In 1998, he renewed again for another five years, this time at $100 million.

Move to Prime Time

In 2003, Leno announced that he planned to leave NBC in 2010. Late night talk show host Conan O'Brien was soon named his heir apparent on the show. But in December of 2008, shortly before Leno's contract was set to expire, the network made a surprise announcement: in 2009, Leno would move to a new primetime slot at 10 PM on NBC. The new program, tentatively titled The Jay Leno Show, is set to air in September of 2009.

Leno has been married to wife Mavis Nicholson since 1980. They live in Los Angeles, where he spends his spare time working on his collection of classic cars and motorcycles.

© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

ADVERTISEMENT
9542191 9542191
profile id: 9542191
profile name: Jay Leno
profile occupation:
related profile id: 9542191
related profile name: Jay Leno
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/L/Jay-Leno-9542191-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/jay-leno-9542191
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups

    See all related groups

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!