Jay Leno

View comments (1) Comment on this artist

Jay Leno Biography

Jay Leno (born 28.4.1950)

Jay Leno is an American comedian and TV host. He took over from Johnny Carson as the host of the Tonight Show in 1992, with Conan O Brien taking over from Leno in May 2009.

Jay Leno: Childhood

Jay Leno was born in the New Rochelle area of New York, to Catherine and Angelo Leno. His mother was a filmmaker and his father worked in show business. Jay was raised in Massachusetts and, despite receiving advice to drop out of high school because his grades were low, he went on to graduate not only from high school, but also from Emerson, where he received a bachelor's degree in speech therapy.

Early on in his career in show business, Leno appeared in commercials for Doritos, as well as being the warm-up act for the likes of Tom Jones and Johnny Mathis.

Jay Leno: Breakthrough

In 1992, Jay Leno took over from Johnny Carson as the host of The Tonight Show, beating David Letterman to the job. At the end of his reign on the show, NBC scheduled Leno to present an hour-long show at 10pm, five nights a week. In the film The Late Shift, which detailed the rivalry between Letterman and Leno, Jay Leno was played by Daniel Roebuck. His manager, Helen Kushnick, was played by Kathy Bates.

One of the most popular features on The Tonight Show is the 'Jaywalking' segment, where Jay Leno approaches people on the street and asks them questions regarding current affairs, or historical events.

In the past, Leno has stated in an interview that he lives off the money that he earns from his career as a stand-up comedian and saves the money that he earns presenting The Tonight Show.

Jay Leno: Personal Life

Jay Leno has been married to Mavis Leno since 1980. The couple have no children together.

In 2005, Jay Leno appeared as a witness at the trial of Michael Jackson, when he was accused of child molestation. Leno was expected to testify in favour of Michael Jackson, but when it came to the trial, the outcome was very different and Leno sated that he never called the police and that no money had been asked for by the child's parents, though he did state that the calls from the parents seemed unusual. At the time, he had been banned from telling jokes about Michael Jackson and the trial. In order to bypass the law, he had a number of comedians stand in and tell the jokes for him. Those who did stand in included Dennis Miller, Roseanne Barr and Brad Garrett.

Leno has made a number of cameo film appearances, including briefly playing himself in Major League II, starring Charlie Sheen, as well as an episode of Baywatch. He has also appeared in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, starring Will Smith and Joey, an offshoot of Friends, starring Matt Bianco.

Leno was criticized for breaking the 2007-8 WGA Writers' Strike when he wrote his own opening monologue for The Tonight Show.

Jay Leno owns a large collection of vintage cars and motorcycles. In 2001, he auctioned one of his Harley Davidson motorcycles in order to raise money for the victims of the 9/11 New York terrorist attacks. The bike had been signed by a number of his TV guests. He did the same in 2005 to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Back to top

Jay Leno Picture Gallery

Jay Leno picture 3436122
Jay Leno picture 3435985
Jay Leno Las Vegas picture 3227304
Jay Leno picture 3203852
Jay Leno picture 3193610

More Jay Leno Pictures

Back to top

The Latest Jay Leno News

David Lettermans War With Jay Leno Reignited By Howard Stern

2nd February 2012

David Letterman's war with Jay Leno appears to have been reignited by the trouble-maker shock....

Jay Leno Finds Himself Forced To Eat Healthy Food At The Hands Of The First Lady

1st February 2012

Jay Leno found himself put firmly in his place by First Lady MICHELL OBAMA after the wife of....

Suit Targets Leno For Sikh Joke

Sikh outrage over a joke in a Jay Leno monologue last week in which he showed a photo of the Sikh....

Jay Leno Sued Over Racist Sikh Skit

25th January 2012

Comedian and talk show host Jay Leno is being sued by an Indian-American man, who accuses him of....

Jay Leno Sued Over Sikh Joke

25th January 2012

U.S. TV host Jay Leno is facing a lawsuit from a Sikh follower after the star referenced one of the....

More Jay Leno News

Back to top

Jay Leno Video and Audio

Love The Beast, Trailer and Information

Love The Beast, Trailer And Information

Love The Beast, Trailer

Love The Beast, Trailer

More Jay Leno Video and Audio

Back to top

Jay Leno Film / Movie Reviews

Love The Beast2009, Review by RC

Essentially a love story about a boy and his car, Eric Bana documents his life-long romance with his ....

Igor2008, Review by BG

Igor is the Rodney Dangerfield of cinematic sidekicks. With rare exceptions (Marty Feldman's turn in ....

Tales Of The Rat Fink2006, Review by

This animated presentation of hot rods as redesigned by artist-specialist Ed Roth (who became the ....

Ice Age: The Meltdown2006, Review by SO

I hated Ice Age. The prehistoric road-trip comedy arrived in theaters on the heels of the superior ....

First Daughter2004, Review by RB

Set in an absurd, patronizing fantasy world in which flag-waving citizens line the streets to see the ....

More Jay Leno Film / Movie Reviews

Back to top

Links

These are the best links to Jay Leno Sites on the web:

Back to top

Newsletter

Subscribe to this news alert service to receive news and reviews on

Unsubscribe

Comments View All Comments (1)

18th August 2007   05:21

cheetah (1)

Micheal Moore - What a loser. Mr Moore knows ZERO about health care. He knows ZERO about anything other than Movies - WHICH HE DOES FOR A LIVING ! DUH ! His comments on Heath care are directed straight to our government AND Mr Bush ! Did like the story on Hillery ! It's true. Mr Moore jut doesnt get it and WHAT qualifies him ANYWAY as the spokesperson for society ? You and Me !! The problem with Health Care lies in the OUTRAGEOUS CHARGES the Health Care industry CHARGES for anything from Bandaids to Surgery ! That in turn, comes from the OUTRAGEOUS insurance Premiums paid for Malpractice, WHICH in turn comes from these Frivilous Freaking Lawsuits by people that dont have jack sh*& and want to suck blood from something ! Heathcare is NOT a right in the U.S. it is a privalage. Bottom line is the PRICE of Heath Care has gotten SO high, it's almost impossible for companies to afford for their employees. Blame the Tort System NOT your Government ! IF we extended FREE haelth care ? - THEN, those SAME FREAKIN, NON_WORKING, SYSTEM SUCKING people would abuse it as well ! That's why they want it !!! ANOTHER opportunity to suck the system dry ! AND you and I have to pay for it !!! WAKE UP ! Legislation is the ONLY thing we can use to fight the high cost ! Against Insurance companies ! Against Ambulance Chasing Lawyers, GET IT ! AND PLEASE, STOP RELYING IN THE GOVERNMENT ( mE AND EVERYONE ELSE !) FOR ALL OF YOUR NEEDS AND GET A FREAKING JOB !!!
Breaking News: Anderson Cooper Defends Adele On 'Fat' Comments Made By Karl LagerfeldAlex Morgan Wears Bodypaint In Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition'The Vow' Aiming To Woo Valentines Day RomanticsPaul Mccartney Gets Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star Finally'Embarrassing' Designer Stella Mccartney Jennifer Lopez's 'Clean' Fragrance Fergie Becomes Face Of Wet 'N' Wild Blake Lively Already Has Louboutin's Spring CollectionKim Kardashian's Exercise TipsPsychotic Madonna Stalker Escapes From Mental HospitalHenry Cavill's Great Wall?Ridley Scott To Direct The CounselorAmber Riley Holds School Contests For Black History MonthCharlotte Rampling Rules Out FaceliftZooey Deschanel 'Horrified' By Accidental Beauty PageantDustin Hoffman Planned Prank To Liven Up 'Boring' OscarsJulianne Moore Shocked By Sarah Palin's Lack Of Control Over ImageNo Paradise Lost For CooperMinnelli Axes Hot In Cleveland ShootStars Line Up For Mccartney Tribute AlbumRonnie Wood Snubbed Led Zeppelin OfferSteven Tyler Auctions Oscars Party InvitationIll Fan Pays Online Tribute To Selena Gomez After Hospital VisitBlige Performs At Aids FundraiserBjork Falls IllAdele Shows Off Post Surgery Voice On U.S. TvChris Brown To Remain On Probation For Rihanna AttackJoely Richardson Wants To Grow Old 'Gracefully'Demi Lovato's Mother Is Her 'Anchor' Chris O'dowd's 'Wedding Planner' FianceeHulk Hogan Will Shave Moustache For 'Couple Million Bucks'Kelly Rowland Lands Music AwardLabrinth's Classical Electro Punk SingleLeann Rimes Confronts Chelsea Handler Live On AirStar Wars Returns In 3D But Does Anybody Care?Baby Girl Delight For Marla SokoloffJourney 2: The Mysterious Island Branded 'Blithely Idiotic'Macaulay Culkin Is In Perfectly Good Health, Says RepHackney Riots Heroine Pauline Pearce Stuns Britain's Got TalentEmma Roberts Never' Serious' About Chord OverstreetEscaped Madonna Stalker Roaming The Streets Of Los AngelesFlu Strikes Down American Idol Hopefuls In HollywoodThe Beach Boys To Perform With Maroon 5 And Foster The People At Grammy AwardsAdele To Sweep Grammys? History Of Upsets Suggests OtherwiseNaomi Watts Playing Princess Diana In Biopic About Her Last DaysMadonna Ends Triumphant Week With World RecordDanielle Lloyd Hospitalised Courteney Cox To Direct Tv MovieKourtney Kardashian Has Fun At Disneyland Jennifer Lopez Feels 'Picked On'Daniel Radcliffe Pestered By Fan At Urinal Demi Moore Seeking Spiritual AdviceRonnie Wood Turned Down Led ZeppelinJustin Bieber Too Humble To Give Advice Morgan Freeman Joins Sci Fi Movie OblivionParadise Lost Has Been AxedJennifer Lopez's Daughter Loves PerformingLindsay Lohan Requested Gift At AuctionM.I.A. Has Bizarre Tour RiderNicolas Cage Wore Ghostly Voodoo 'Mask'Elton John Fears Son Will Be 'Stigmatised'Chris O'dowd Not Hopeful About Bafta Chances David Cronenberg's Spanking Worries Symone Black Fully Recovers After American Idol CollapseAmfar New York Gala Pulls In Heidi Klum, Cindy CrawfordThe Rock Wrestles Life Out Of 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'Foo Fighters Announce These DaysKyle Dyer, Television Host, Bitten By Dog Live On AirGlade Festival Returns: Sven Vath And Andy C To Headline Main StageBourne Legacy Trailer Sees Jeremy Renner Step Into Damon's ShoesStormtroopers Share Popcorn At Star Wars 3D ScreeningShakira Awarded Prestigious French Government HonourColeen Rooney's Blackmailers Jailed For 'Despicable' Act