Born in Indianapolis in 1947, Dave Letterman's early love of television was merely a precursor for things to come. After studying TV in college, his father died, and he began working at Channel 13 in his hometown of Indianapolis after graduation. He would stay at Channel 13 for five years, during which time his roles included booth announcer, host of the late-late movie, and weatherman (he was eventually fired for his on-air stunts). When he left Channel 13, he made his way to Los Angeles, where he started doing stand-up comedy, writing for a sitcoms like Good Times, and appearing on shows like Mary Tyler Moore's Mary. He was catapulted to stardom on the strength of his appearances on The Tonight Show, when his popularity led Johnny Carson to make Letterman a guest host. He eventually appeared on Carson's show over 20 times.

In 1980, NBC decided to give him his own time slot with a morning comedy show called The David Letterman Show. The show tanked after three months, but NBC execs decided to give him another shot with a late-night show - a show that was an instant hit, garnering him two Emmys. In 1992, in a highly-publicized feud with NBC, Letterman left the network after they refused to give him Carson's 11:30 p.m. slot after he retired from The Tonight Show, choosing comedian Jay Leno instead - and today, Letterman does his Stupid Pet Tricks and Top Ten Lists on CBS.