David Letterman is a famous American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. Aside from TV hosting, he is also a television and film producer. His company, Worldwide Pants, produces his show. Worldwide Pants also produced several primetime comedies, the most successful of which was Everybody Loves Raymond.

Born to Harry Joseph and Dorothy Letterman on April 12, 1947 in Indianapolis, Indiana, David Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM) and as weatherman reporter and local anchor on Indianapolis’ television station WLWI, now called WTHR. In his weatherman days, he became known for his on-air behavior, examples of which include congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail storm “the size of canned hams.”

The show Late Night with David Letterman established Letterman’s career. He developed an edgy and unpredictable reputation. As a sharp interviewer, audiences enjoy his verbal sparring with famous personalities including Shirley MacLaine, Cher, Charles Grodin, and Madonna. This is one of the reasons why his show has consistently gained high ratings.

David Letterman organized his own private foundation called American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming. Through this foundation, he has donated millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations and celebrity-affiliated organizations such as Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, universities such as Ball State, and other groups such as the American Cancer Society, Salvation Army and Doctors without Borders.

In 2007, David Letterman visited his alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for a dedication of a communications facility named in his honor called the David Letterman Communication and Media Building. In his speech, David Letterman spoke about his struggles as a college student. As he regularly does on his show, he inserted a “top ten” list in his speech, this time highlighting the “top ten good things about having your name on a building.”