born May 1, 1918, Canton, Ohio, U.S.
died Jan. 27, 2004, Greenwich, Conn.
U.S. television talk-show host.
He worked in radio in the late 1940s before hosting his first television show, Up to Paar , in 1952. As host of the late-night talk show Tonight , renamed The Jack Paar Show (195762), he established the now-standard format of celebrity interviews, monologues, and variety skits and was noted for his witty conversation, high-strung mannerisms, and mercurial temper. He later hosted the weekly Jack Paar Program (196265).