Jay Leno Bio

He could have been a speech therapist. He has a degree from Boston’s Emerson College. He could have been a mechanic. He owns one of the best-known classic car garages in the world. And if he would have hit the books more, he could have been a big star. At least that’s what Jay Leno’s fifth grade teacher scribbled on his report card… “If Jay spent as much time studying as he does trying to be a comedian…”

His grade school routines may not have impressed educators, but for over 32 years, Jay Leno’s been on TV making America laugh with his topical and good-spirited humor. Before he first hit the small screen on “The Mike Douglas Show” in 1977, he was performing 300 days a year in nightclubs.

Early on, low pay forced him to sleep in his 1955 Buick, in alleys next to the nightclubs. He still owns the Buick; it sits in his 17,000-square-foot garage next to Dusenbergs and other rare vehicles he drives around Los Angeles.

Before Mike Douglas called, Leno had already made a mark in TV; he and nighttime rival David Letterman both wrote for the popular 1970s sitcom, “Good Times.” He was later dubbed “one of the busiest performers in show biz” not for his travels on the club circuit, but for frequent performances on talk shows. He made a record number of visits, in fact, to “Late Night With David Letterman,” before being tapped to take Johnny Carson’s seat on “The Tonight Show,” a job Letterman was rumored to get. Leno, 59, took over in 1992, and recently handed the show’s reins to host Conan O’Brien.

At 59, Leno is switching gears; NBC signed him to a contract using his talents five nights a week in the 10 p.m. slot, banking on his popularity to jump-start the network’s sagging ratings. He still plans to talk with celebrities while using everyday people in his routines. One noticeable difference will be his plans to avoid sitting behind a desk.

Neither Leno nor his wife Mavis are content to sit and watch events; they need to be involved. He joined his wife of 29 years in her fight to raise awareness of women’s rights in Afghanistan. And after the 911 terrorist attacks, he asked every celebrity on his show to autograph one of his Harley Davidsons, which was auctioned to help the victims.

Surprisingly, Leno has a long list of movie and TV credits. It’s in part because he’s a media icon. But he simply enjoys performing, including voicing cartoon characters like “The Crimson Chin,” a fantasy superhero based on his famous profile. The character appears on Nickelodeon’s cartoon “The Fairly Oddparents.”

Wherever Jay lands, you’ll find him in the driver’s seat. He did, after all, land the first TV interview with a sitting President, Barak Obama. If his newest venture with NBC sputters, Leno will just work harder to tweak it, then head to his garage studying ways to repair his newest car.