Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host and comedian, known for thirty years as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992).
| Johnny Carson | |
|---|---|
 Carson in October 1970. | |
| Birth name | John William Carson |
| Born | October 23, 1925 Corning, Iowa |
| Died | January 23, 2005 (aged 79) West Hollywood, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1950–1992 |
| Genres | Satire, sketch comedy, improvisational comedy |
| Subject(s) | current events, American politics, American culture, pop culture |
| Influenced | David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon |
| Spouse | Joan Morrill Wolcott (m. 1949–1963; divorced) Joanne Copeland (m. 1963–1972; divorced) Joanna Holland (m. 1972–1985; divorced) Alexis Maas (m. 1987–2005, his death) |
| Notable works and roles | Host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson |
| Signature |  |
| Website | http://www.johnnycarson.com/ |
| Emmy Awards | |
| Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement 1976 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1977 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1978 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1979 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Governor's Award 1980 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program (Series) 1992 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | |
| Peabody Awards | |
| Personal Award 1985 | |
| American Comedy Awards | |
| Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication 1987 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Lifetime Achievement Award 1992 Lifetime Achievement | |
Early life and career
Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, in 1925, to Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a power company manager, and Ruth (Hook) Carson, who was of Irish ancestry. He grew up in the nearby towns of Avoca, Clarinda, and Red Oak in southwest Iowa before moving to Norfolk, Nebraska, at the age of eight. At the age of twelve, Carson found a book on magic at a friend's house and immediately purchased a mail-order magician's kit. He debuted as "The Great Carsoni" at age 14 and he was paid US$3; many other performances at local picnics and country fairs followed.
Carson joined the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943, received V-12 officer training at Columbia University[1] and Millsaps College,[2] and continued to perform magic.
Death
Carson died in West Hollywood, California from respiratory failure caused by emphysema, aged 79.[3]
Johnny Carson Media
Carson as a guest on Jack Benny's television program, 1955
Publicity photo of Johnny Carson.
With Dick Cavett and Alan King in 1968
Carson as the character "Carnac the Magnificent", mid-1970s
Johnny Carson portrait
On a trip to Tanzania in 1994
Carson being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush in 1992
Carson reading a story to his three sons in 1955: From left: Chris, Cory, and Richard (Ricky)
Carson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
References
- ↑ "Careers Johnny Carson". Military.com. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ↑ "Timeline". Millsaps College. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ↑ Longtime host of 'Tonight Show' dies at 79 Archived 2009-06-22 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press, February 8, 2005
Other websites
Quotations related to Johnny Carson at Wikiquote
Media related to Johnny Carson at Wikimedia Commons
- Johnny Carson on IMDb
- Johnny Carson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Official website for The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
- "Article on Johnny Carson". Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. at Salon
- "On Carson's contribution to Late Night". Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. at The New Republic
- Tynan, Kenneth. 1978 profile, The New Yorker
- The Johnny Carson Show, USA Today
- Martin, Steve. Posthumous Letter to Carson, The New York Times
- Watch on line either clips from or entire program Johnny Carson King of Late Night - Watch The Full Documentary Archived 2014-12-08 at the Wayback Machine pbs.org Includes a page on the making of the documentary.
- Episodes and highlights of the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson are available on DVD at http://JohnnyCarson.com, on iTunes at http://itunes.com/JohnnyCarson, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/JohnnyCarson
- Follow Johnny Carson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JohnnyCarson and Facebook at http://facebook.com/JohnnyCarson.
Obituaries
- Obituary at CNN
- Obituary Archived 2009-06-22 at the Wayback Machine at MSNBC
- Wolcott, James. Obituary Archived 2009-11-30 at the Wayback Machine, Vanity Fair
- Severo, Richard; Carter, Bill (January 24, 2005). "Johnny Carson, Low-Key King of Late-Night TV, Dies at 79". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/24/arts/television/24john.html?ex=1264309200&en=6f658f88eb80aabd&ei=5090. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack Paar |
Host of The Tonight Show October 1, 1962 – May 22, 1992 |
Succeeded by Jay Leno |
| Preceded by Bob Hope |
Host of the Academy Awards 1979–82 |
Succeeded by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor and Walter Matthau |
| Preceded by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor and Walter Matthau |
Host of the Academy Awards 1984 |
Succeeded by Jack Lemmon |
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