David Letterman
He reinvented the late-night talk show with a blend of Midwestern skepticism, absurdist humor, and a genius for making awkwardness hilarious.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American comedian and television host·Birthday: April 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Letterman didn't just host a show; he conducted a 33-year laboratory experiment in television. Arriving after Johnny Carson's polished reign, Letterman, with his gap-toothed grin and sarcastic asides, was the skeptical kid in the back of the class. 'Late Night' was his playground—a place for stupid pet tricks, dropping things off buildings, and interviews that prized uncomfortable honesty over easy promotion. He treated the medium itself as a joke, exposing its seams and celebrating its failures. Moving to CBS after a famously bitter network feud, he matured but never mellowed; his 'Late Show' retained its edge while adding gravitas, especially after 9/11 and his own heart surgery. Letterman's legacy is a comedic vocabulary—the top ten list, the remote segments—and the profound influence he had on every host who followed, who learned that being smart and being silly were not mutually exclusive.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Hosted 6,080 episodes of late-night television across NBC and CBS, holding the record for longest-serving late-night host.
- Created and popularized enduring comedy segments like the Top Ten List and Stupid Pet Tricks.
- His production company, Worldwide Pants, produced innovative shows like 'The Late Late Show' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'
- Received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2017.
Did You Know?
Before his TV career, he was a weatherman and talk show host on a local Indianapolis station.
He is a passionate auto racing fan and owns a team that has competed in the Indianapolis 500.
Letterman was the first late-night host to return to the air after the September 11 attacks, delivering a moving, uncharacteristically solemn monologue.
He has a species of tarantula, Aphonopelma lettermani, named after him.
“There's only one requirement of any of us, and that is to be courageous. Because courage, as you might know, defines all other human behavior.”
