DAVID LETTERMAN

Famous for being a talk show host, David Letterman is also one of America’s most beloved. He had served as the night owls’ companion for 33 years, starting when he hosted NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman in 1982. He ended it with Late Show with David Letterman, this time on CBS. Letterman has hosted a total of 6,080 episodes, even surpassing the record of his mentor, Johnny Carson.

This was a long way from where he started as a weatherman for a local broadcaster in Indianapolis. The host was born in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis, Indiana, and lived there until he was 18. Letterman has always been interested in the broadcast industry, even as a college student. He credits Paul Dixon for inspiring him to pursue this line of career and for his eventual decision to try his luck in Los Angeles.