Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson (born October 23, 1925 in Corning , Iowa , † January 23, 2005 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American showmaster and one of the most famous entertainers in the United States.
Life
Carson grew up in Norfolk , Nebraska and served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 . He then got a job on the radio and later switched to game broadcasts. A little later he wrote for comedian Red Skelton . Before taking over The Tonight Show , he hosted various shows including the Johnny Carson Show and the game show Who Do You Trust? .
On October 2, 1962, he became the presenter of the Tonight Show , the world's first late night show . Ed McMahon was his co-host for 30 years . He received Groucho Marx as his first guest . The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson has become an evening ritual for millions of Americans . The show started with a signature that Carson had composed with Paul Anka ( Johnny's Theme ) and recorded on record by Henry Mancini , and the announcement of McMahon's Heeeeeeere's Johnny . A short comedic monologue from Carson followed. The show was shaped by comedy, interviews and music. Carson's trademark was a golf swing at the end of his monologues.
The audience rating was sensational when the singer Tiny Tim married Miss Vicky on December 17, 1969 during the show. In 1973 Carson surprised the mentalist and stage magician Uri Geller , who then pretended to have supernatural powers, by handing him spoons from his desk drawer. Geller was unable to bend it because of "various things that were involved," Geller later said. In 1985 Boris Becker was a guest on Carson's Show after becoming the youngest tennis player of all time to win the world's most important tennis tournament at Wimbledon . At the age of 67, Carson ended his career in 1992 after 29 years, 7 months and 21 days. Jay Leno took care of the Tonight Show . Carson's sovereignty, as the New York Times once judged , made him “perhaps the most prominent commentator” in the country, apart from perhaps journalist Walter Cronkite .
Carson was married four times and divorced three times. He had three children with his first wife, Joan Morrill Wolcott. His last marriage to Alexis Maas lasted from June 20, 1987 until his death. Carson was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1987 . He received six Emmy Awards and the George Foster Peabody Award . In 1992 he was awarded the US President's Medal of Freedom . Carson was also a member of the Skeptics Society , a society promoting scientific and skeptical thinking.
Carson died on January 23, 2005 in Los Angeles (California) of complications from emphysema .
Web links
- Johnny Carson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Carson, Johnny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Carson, John William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American entertainer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 23, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Corning , Iowa , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 23, 2005 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California , United States |