Johnny Carson
| Johnny Carson | |
|---|---|
Carson in 1965 | |
| Birth name | John William Carson |
| Born | October 23, 1925 Corning, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 2005 (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Medium | Television |
| Education | University of Nebraska (BA) |
| Years active | 1950–1994 |
| Genres |
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| Subject(s) |
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| Spouse | Jody Morrill Wolcott
(m. 1949; div. 1963)Joanne Copeland
(m. 1963; div. 1972)Joanna Holland
(m. 1972; div. 1985)Alexis Maas (m. 1987) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relative(s) | Dick Carson (brother) |
| Signature | |
| Website | johnnycarson |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Rank | Ensign |
| Battles / wars | |
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992). A cultural phenomenon, Carson is widely regarded as the King of Late Night Television.[1] Carson received six Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy's 1980 Governor's Award and a 1985 Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987. Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1993.[2]
During World War II, Carson served in the United States Navy. After the war, he started a career in radio, then moved to television and took over as host of the late-night talk show Tonight from Jack Paar in 1962. Carson remained an American cultural icon even after his retirement in 1992. He adopted a casual, conversational approach with extensive interaction with guests, an approach pioneered by Arthur Godfrey and previous Tonight Show hosts Paar and Steve Allen but enhanced by Carson's lightning-quick wit. Former late-night host and friend David Letterman, as well as many others, have cited Carson's influence.[1]
- ^ a b "Interview: David Letterman He's No Johnny Carson". Time. February 6, 1989. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010.
- ^ Johnny Carson. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 30, 2009.