Cast of The Late Show with David Letterman

David Letterman

David Letterman

David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joe Letterman, was a florist who died in 1973; his mother Dorothy Letterman (now Dorothy Mengering) (born August 12, 1921), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays. He has an older sister, Janice, and a younger sister, Gretchen. One of his early comic influences was the Cincinnati talk show host Paul Dixon, but the person who influenced his career most was Tonight Show host Johnny Carson.

Letterman seems to have had a typical middle class childhood. He lived near the Speedway where the Indianapolis 500 is held, and while he didn't race, he did enjoy collecting model cars, including racers. (Gary Graves. "Letterman Gets Moment in Hot Seat." USA Today, 23 May 2005, p. 1C.) He would also tell an interviewer for Esquire magazine, that while he was growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Unfortunately, Dave was also deeply affected by his father's health problems. Joe Letterman had two heart attacks-- the one that killed him at the young age of 57, and a much earlier attack, when he was only 36 and Dave was just a young boy. The fear of losing his dad was constantly with him as he grew up.

Letterman attended Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis. According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University in Muncie IN. (Gail Koch. "After Two Decades, Letterman Wit Shows No Signs of Stopping." Ball State Daily News, 23 February 2002.) He graduated from what was then called the Department of Radio and Television in 1969. He was also a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. The Ball State University website says that Letterman began his broadcasting career at the college's student-run radio station, WBST, a 10-watt campus station that is today part of Indiana Public Radio. The station played classical music. Letterman was briefly an announcer and also did some news. He was fired, according to the campus website, for treating classical music with irreverence.

Letterman then went on to become involved with the founding of another campus station, WAGO-AM 570 (now known as WCRD, 91.3). A rare 1969 aircheck of Letterman on WAGO can be heard here (paid registration required). (The voice of Letterman's first wife Michelle Cook can be heard on the clip, playing a character in a sketch).

Paul Schaffer

Paul Schaffer

Shaffer began his musical career in 1972 as the musical director for the Toronto production of Godspell. The production starred Victor Garber, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin. He went on to play piano for a Broadway show called The Magic Show in 1974, then became the musical director for NBC's popular Saturday Night Live television program from 1975 to 1980, though briefly leaving the series in 1977. Though Shaffer was at the piano and appeared to actually be directing the band's actions, Howard Shore was credited as musical director on SNL during the 1975-1980 time frame. SNL gave Shaffer the opportunity to stretch his comedy wings as well, when he eventually became a cast-member.

Shaffer occasionally teamed up with the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players off the show as well, including work on Gilda Radner's highly successful Broadway show, and a time spent as the musical director for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, whenever they recorded or performed as The Blues Brothers. Shaffer also appeared in Blues Brothers 2000 movie from 1998. He was to appear in the original The Blues Brothers in 1980, but he was appearing with Radner in Gilda Live! at the time of filming.

Since 1982, Shaffer has served as musical director for David Letterman's late night talk shows: as leader of "The World's Most Dangerous Band" for Late Night with David Letterman (1982’Äì1993) on NBC, for which he also composed the theme song, and as leader of the CBS Orchestra for the Late Show with David Letterman (1993’Äî) on CBS. Letterman consistently maintains that the show's switch to CBS was because NBC "fired Paul for stealing chalk" or some other facetious reason. Shaffer has also guest-hosted the show a few times when Letterman was unavailable, including during Letterman's January 2000 medical leave that resulted from his quintuple heart bypass surgery, and during the birth of Letterman's son, Harry Joseph, in November 2003

The CBS Orchestra

The CBS Orchestra is the rock and roll band that plays for David Letterman's CBS late-night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman. The CBS Orchestra was previously known as The World's Most Dangerous Band during the group's tenure as the house band for NBC's Late Night with David Letterman from 1982 to 1993. The group was forced to rename itself when NBC claimed that their assumed name of The World's Most Dangerous Band was part of its intellectual property.

"Biff" Henderson

Biff Henderson

James Jackson Henderson Jr. (born October 3, 1946 in Durham, North Carolina, U.S.) is an American television personality who is best known for his work on The Late Show with David Letterman as a stage manager. He acquired the nickname "Biff" from his mother when her friend had a dream involving a boy named "Biff". He graduated from Hampton Institute in Virginia with a degree in business administration. He also served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. As a youth, he played a tennis tournament against Randy Newman. He also worked as a stage manager on the 1969 version of To Tell the Truth then began his most famous work with David Letterman on The David Letterman Show, Late Night with David Letterman then the current Late Show with David Letterman. Henderson frequently participates in the on-screen antics and sometimes is the star of short segments recounting his humorous adventures in New York. Henderson's "theme" on the show is "Milestones" by Miles Davis.

One of Biff's most notable roles has been his appearance during the CBS Mailbag segments. David Letterman would read the sender's name and hometown for each of the viewers' letters. Biff would then find the hometown on a large map and stick a colorful pushpin in its location. Biff's appearance during this segment became so popular that it led to the creation of the Late Show CBS Mailbag 2002 Biff Henderson's Map Across America Summer Tour. Biff and his map traveled across the country and appeared via satellite from such locations as Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. One segment Henderson performed in was a take-off of the MTV show Punk'd called "Biff'd". The segment resembled Candid Camera. In the segment Henderson would come out of nowhere, either startle or scare the person, and say the catchphrase "you just got Biff'd." In one of Biff's more memorable segments, Dave sends Biff to Camp Towanda, a sleepaway camp and films his stay.

Rupert Jee

Rupert Jee

Rupert Jee (born July 16, 1956) is an American entrepreneur and television celebrity who has gained fame through frequent appearances on Late Show with David Letterman. He first appeared on the Late Show during a "Meet the Neighbors" segment on September 20, 1993 (his Hello Deli is located at 213 W 53rd St, near the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, where the Late Show is taped), and has since been a frequent accomplice of host David Letterman during the show's many comedic segments.

Recently, an advertisement billboard for the Hello Deli near Times Square featured Jee's head on Rod Stewart's body. The board had previously been advertising one of Stewart's concerts, but due to budget constraints it had remained in place two years after the concert left the city. The staff at the Late Show conspired to make the change. Jee makes close to US$225,000 per year from royalties related to the show as well as net sales from his delicatessen.

Alan Kalter

Alan Kalter

Alan Kalter is an American television announcer from New York City. He is most notable as being, since 1995, the announcer for the Late Show with David Letterman, and for being one of the few remaining national television announcers still based in the city.

Kalter, nicknamed "Big Red" and "TV's Uncle Jerry", began his stint as the "voice" of the Late Show with David Letterman on September 5, 1995. He announces the guests at the top of each show and the one-liner during the Worldwide Pants title card after the credits, and regularly acts in comedic sketches. In the past Kalter often did so while wearing an Elvis-style sequined jumpsuit or almost nothing at all.

Kalter has done hundreds of voiceovers for national radio and television commercials and was also the lead continuity voice for the USA Network throughout much of the 1980s (his voice can still be heard on USA when the disclaimer before infomercials is read). Previously, he was the announcer for many New York-based television shows including To Tell the Truth, The $10,000 Pyramid, The Money Maze, and The $128,000 Question. All of those series (except The Money Maze) were taped at some point in the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Late Show is now produced. Kalter also replaced Bill Wendell as announcer on both Truth and the Late Show.

On the Late Show, Kalter regularly performs in scripted comedy bits, in addition to duties which are more typical of an announcer. He is often portrayed alternately as a sexual deviant (often while grinning mischievously) or as a powerless sap who is beaten to within an inch of his life and left rolling on the ground writhing in pain. He is also often compelled to arbitrarily sing, rant in hysteria, or disrobe as he walks off stage. In many of the skits, Kalter's antics will leave host David Letterman in a state of amusement or disgust.

-Wikipedia