Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (/ˈlɛnoʊ/; born April 28, 1950) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer, television host and television presenter.
Jay Leno | |
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 Leno in June 2019 | |
| Born | James Douglas Muir Leno April 28, 1950 New Rochelle, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse | Mavis Nicholson (m. 1980) |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
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| Genres | Observational comedy, black comedy, surreal humor, sketch comedy, insult comedy, satire |
| Subject(s) | American culture, American politics, everyday life, pop culture, current events, human behavior, social awkwardness, gender differences |
| Notable works and roles | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (host, 1992–2009, 2010–2014) The Jay Leno Show (host, 2009–2010) Jay Leno's Garage (host, 2014–Present) |
| Signature |  |
Early life
Leno was born James Douglas Muir Leno in New Rochelle, New York on April 28, 1950.[1] His mother Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993) was a homemaker. She was born in Greenock, Scotland and came to the United States at the age of 11. Leno's father, Angelo (1910–1994), was an insurance salesman, who was born in New York, to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy.[2] Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and even though 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[3] and a lawyer.
Career
The Tonight Show
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, even though 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
He was a star of a primetime comedy show, The Jay Leno Show, which ran from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010.
Acting
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
Since 1980, Leno has been married to Mavis Leno; they have no children.[4] Leno is dyslexic.[5]
References
Other websites
Quotations related to Jay Leno at Wikiquote
Media related to Jay Leno at Wikimedia Commons
- Official Tonight Show with Jay Leno web site
- Jay Leno's Car Collection
- Jay Leno's Columns at Octane magazine Archived 2014-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
- The New York Times on Leno's affiliation with McPherson College
- Live performance videos from the Tonight Show
- Jay Leno on IMDb
| Media offices | ||
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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 |