 February 1998 will mark David Letterman's 16th year in late night television. Besides Johnny Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years, no other television personality comes near David's impressive run on late night network television. Since his late night debut on February 1, 1982, David has consistently been praised for his inventive and innovative contributions to comedy. Recently, TV Guide chose him as one of the "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time," the most influential television legends in the history of the medium. David was born in Indianapolis on April 12, 1947. His first network break was in 1978 on the CBS variety series Mary, starring Mary Tyler Moore. On November 24, 1978, he made the first of his 22 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He also guest hosted Tonight numerous times. In 1980, David began hosting a morning comedy/variety program, The David Letterman Show, which ran for three months on NBC and earned him two Emmy awards. Late Night with David Letterman premiered in February 1982, and, throughout its 11 1/2 years, was critically acclaimed and won many awards, including five Emmy awards, and was honored with 35 nominations. In 1992, David received a George Foster Peabody award for taking "one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms -- the talk show -- and infusing it with freshness and imagination." Since moving to CBS, Late Show has been honored with two Emmy awards, including one for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Program. Additionally, David and his staff have received 15 Emmy nominations during the show's run on CBS, including seven in 1993 (the highest nominations ever given to any late night program in its premiere year).
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