born April 12, 1947, Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.
U.S. television talk-show host.
He began his career as a stand-up comedian and was a guest host of Johnny Carson 's Tonight Show from 1979. He hosted NBC's post-midnight Late Night with David Letterman (198293), winning six Emmy Awards and great popularity with his ironic, abrasive, flippant style of interviewing, which critics viewed as a parody of talk shows. Since 1993 he hosted The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS.