Jay Leno
| Jay Leno | |
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 Leno in July 2008
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| Birth name | James Douglas Muir Leno |
| Born | April 28, 1950 New Rochelle, New York, US |
| Medium | Television, film, Stand up |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Influences | Johnny Carson, Robert Klein, Alan King, George Carlin,[1] Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Rodney Dangerfield |
| Influenced | Dennis Miller[2] |
| Spouse | Mavis Leno (1980–present) |
| Notable works and roles | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (host, 1992–2009, 2010–2014) The Jay Leno Show (host, 2009–2010) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno |
| Emmy Awards | |
| Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 1995 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno |
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James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (/ˈlɛnoʊ/; born April 28, 1950) is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, writer, producer and television host.
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Early life[change | change source]
Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1950.[3] His homemaker mother, Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993), was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Leno's father, Angelo (1910–1994), who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York, to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy.[4] Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of school, he later obtained a Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973. Leno's only sibling was his late older brother, Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran[5] and a lawyer.
The Tonight Show[change | change source]
Leno worked on late night television. He became host of The Tonight Show in 1992, when Johnny Carson retired. In 2007, during the writer's strike, Leno sided with the writers, although he returned to his show after two months (without the writers besides himself) so that his staff would not be out of work. Despite leading the late-night ratings, he was forced out as host of the Tonight Show in 2009 to make way for Conan O'Brien. On March 1, 2010, became The Tonight Show host once again, because of poor ratings with both himself and Conan O'Brien. Leno hosted his last episode of the Tonight Show on February 6, 2014.
The Jay Leno Show[change | change source]
He now stars in his own prime-time comedy show, The Jay Leno Show, which debuted September 14, 2009.
Acting career[change | change source]
He guest-starred twice on the Nickelodeon TV series The Fairly OddParents as the Crimson Chin. His character's name uses the fact that Leno has a large and square chin.
Personal life[change | change source]
Leno has been married since 1980 to Mavis Leno; they have no children, by mutual agreement.[6] Leno is dyslexic.[7]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Breuer, Howard, and Stephen M, Silverman (June 24, 2008). "Carlin Remembered: He Helped Other Comics with Drug Problems". People. Time Inc.. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,20208460,00.html?xid=rss-fullcontentcnn. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
- ↑ James Hirsen, Dennis Miller: Why I 'Ascended' to the Right, NewsMax.com, February 5, 2004.
- ↑ "Jay Leno Biography". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1548610/Jay-Leno/biography. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Jay Leno Biography (1950–)". Film Reference. http://www.filmreference.com/film/70/Jay-Leno.html. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ↑ Aivaz, Mike (October 18, 2007). "Obama on Leno: Hillary has declared 'mission accomplished' too soon". The Raw Story. http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_takes_jab_at_Clinton_on_1018.html. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ↑ "Jay Leno". Who's Who in America. Marquis. http://www.whoswhoinamerica.com/jay_leno/talk_show_host_comedian_writer/occ28/5463136.
- ↑ Carter, Bill. "Pushed From Late Night, Leno Is Set for Prime Time" The New York Times, September 12, 2009.
Other websites[change | change source]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jay Leno |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jay Leno |
- Official Tonight Show with Jay Leno web site
- Jay Leno's Car Collection
- Jay Leno's Columns at Octane magazine
- The New York Times on Leno's affiliation with McPherson College
- Live performance videos from the Tonight Show
- Jay Leno at the Internet Movie Database
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| Preceded by Conan O'Brien |
Host of The Tonight Show March 1, 2010–February 6, 2014 |
Succeeded by Jimmy Fallon |
| Preceded by Johnny Carson |
Host of The Tonight Show May 25, 1992 – May 29, 2009 |
Succeeded by Conan O'Brien |
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