![]() Two years later, during the Writers Guild of America strike, Conan created his own series of material to fill the gap. In 2006, he inadvertently invented a cult following after making a joke about an amorous manatee Web site. In 2001, O'Brien formed his own television production company, Conaco, which shared in the production credits for Late Night.ĭuring his time as Late Night host, O'Brien pushed the envelope with his quirky, comedic stunts. After four years on the air, NBC finally gave O'Brien a lucrative five-year contract. 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien'ĭespite initially struggling in the ratings (he was renewed at 13-week intervals until he proved himself), O'Brien persevered with his own style of off-center, self-effacing comedy, reminiscent of Letterman's early days, when he was establishing himself as a favorite of college students and the Generation X crowd. Tall (6-feet 4-inches) and a bit gangly, with no previous experience in front of the camera, NBC’s choice was questioned, critiqued and ridiculed by some. ![]() NBC chose Leno over Letterman, and Letterman left the network for CBS, where his new late-night show would go head-to-head with Leno'.Ĭountless personalities and comedians applied and auditioned for the coveted spot after The Tonight Show, and it was somewhat surprising when the unknown Conan O'Brien was introduced as the new host of Late Night. When late-night staple Johnny Carson announced he would retire 1992, both Jay Leno, who had been the permanent guest host, and David Letterman, whose own late-night show followed Carson's, were considered as his successor. ![]() Of the episodes he wrote, he has said that his favorite is "Springfield Gets a Monorail." O'Brien joined The Simpsons as a writer, then supervising producer, for their 1992-'93 season. (Some of O'Brien's more memorable sketches were the "The Girl Watchers," first performed by Tom Hanks and Jon Lovitz, singing "Roxanne" in the elevator with Sting, and Mr. Writing for Televisionįrom 1988-91, O'Brien wrote for the hit comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live the writing staff of the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in 1989. He also performed with an improv group, The Groundlings. After graduation, O'Brien moved to Los Angeles and began writing for Not Necessarily the News, a series on cable station HBO. He was elected as president of the revered parody magazine, The Harvard Lampoon twice (the only other person to hold that distinction was humorist Robert Benchley in 1912). O’Brien attended Harvard University, where he majored in American History. He has three brothers: Neal, an antique car collector Luke, a lawyer and Justin, a business consultant, and two sisters: Kate, a teacher and Jane, a scriptwriter. ![]() His mother, Ruth Reardon O'Brien, was a partner at Ropes & Gray law firm outside Boston until her retirement in 1997. Thomas O'Brien, is a noted epidemiologist, the head of microbiology at Peter Brigham Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. Early LifeĬonan Christopher O'Brien was born on April 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts, the third of six children. After writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, O'Brien landed a prime spot hosting Late Night and has hosted two shows since: the Tonight Show and Conan. Conan O'Brien started out as a TV writer before moving in front of the camera to become a TV talk show host.
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