Jay Leno

Jay Leno, born in 1950, American comedian and television talk-show host, noted for gently satirizing the mores and products of United States consumer culture. Leno also is known for his passion for performing before live audiences.

Born James Douglas Muir Leno in New Rochelle, New York, he was raised in Andover, Massachusetts, and educated at Emerson College. He began his career in entertainment in the mid-1970s as a stand-up comedian, performing his routines as many as 300 times a year in nightclubs and shopping malls. Leno soon began working in the television industry as a writer for American actor Jimmie Walker, who was then featured in the popular situation comedy “Good Times.” In 1977 Leno first performed on the “Tonight Show,” a National Broadcasting Company (NBC) talk show then hosted by American entertainer Johnny Carson. Leno subsequently appeared several times on the talk show “Late Night with David Letterman” and became a national celebrity.

In 1986 Carson named Leno one of several permanent guest hosts on the “Tonight Show.” That same year Leno produced and starred in special programs for NBC and the cable television network Showtime. He also performed more than 200 shows in comedy clubs and Las Vegas casinos, and he had a sold-out engagement at New York City's prestigious Carnegie Hall. Leno became so popular on the “Tonight Show” that he was named the exclusive guest host in 1987. He became the permanent host when Carson retired in 1992.

Leno appeared in the motion pictures Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), American Hot Wax (1978), The Silver Bears (1978), Americathon (1979), Collision Course (1988), and Dave (1993). He also compiled four editions of Headlines (1989-1992), from a popular recurring segment on the “Tonight Show,” as well as Police Blotter (1994), all best-selling books featuring collections of humorous newspaper headlines and articles.