| Conan O'Brien  AKA Conan Christopher O'Brien
Born: 18-Apr-1963
Birthplace: Brookline, MA
Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Talk Show Host, Comic
Party Affiliation: Democratic Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Late Night with Conan O'Brien Conan O'Brien attended Harvard, and edited The Harvard Lampoon for two years. After graduating Harvard magna cum laude with a degree in U.S. History, O'Brien wrote for satirical newscasts Not Necessarily the News and The Wilton North Report. He wrote for Saturday Night Live from 1987-91, and The Simpsons from 1990-93, where his work included "Homer Goes to College" and "Marge vs. the Monorail".
When David Letterman bolted from NBC's Late Night for CBS in 1993, Lorne Michaels was charged with finding a new host. Michaels had worked with O'Brien on SNL and thought he would do nicely, despite O'Brien's relative lack of performing experience -- only some improvisational comedy on stage in the 1980s. Thus a gangly redhead nobody had seen before took over Late Night in September of 1993, and after several months started not sucking. It took years before O'Brien seemed relaxed, but he has definitely developed a knack for both performing and interviewing. The show regularly books relatively unknown but promising acts, offering the first national exposure for Sheryl Crow, Green Day, Jewel, Radiohead, and Barenaked Ladies. Long-running skits include "In the Year 2000" and Robert Smigel's "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog".
After the 2003 SARS scare decimated tourism in Toronto, the Canadian government underwrote a road trip for O'Brien's Late Night in 2004. Some Canadians were offended when "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" insulted Canadians with lines like, "So you're French and Canadian? You're obnoxious and dull". Chum Television, which airs the show in Canada, edited out such "offensive material" when the program was re-broadcast. Alexa McDonough, a member of Canada's Parliament, called the program vile, vicious, hate-mongering garbage, and said the Canadian government should demand its money back. No refund has been offered.
As a child, O'Brien took tap dancing lessons. He's pals with Jack Black, and remains friendly with ex-sidekick Andy Richter, who left the show in 1997. Actor-comedian Denis Leary is O'Brien's cousin.
In 2004, Jay Leno announced his retirement from The Tonight Show, effective 2009, and NBC announced that Conan O'Brien would take over.
Father: Thomas O'Brien (doctor)
Mother: Ruth O'Brien (attorney)
Brother: Neal O'Brien (b. 1960)
Brother: Luke O'Brien (attorney, b. 1961)
Sister: Kate O'Brien (teacher, b. 1965)
Sister: Jane O'Brien (writer-producer, Futurama, b. 1967)
Brother: Justin O'Brien (businessman, b. 1972)
Girlfriend: Lynn Kaplan (cohabited 1994-99)
Wife: Liza Powell (advertising executive, m. 12-Jan-2002, one daughter, one son)
Daughter: Neve O'Brien (b. 14-Oct-2003)
Son: Beckett O'Brien (b. 9-Nov-2005)
High School: Brookline High School, Brookline, MA (1981)
University: BA History and Literature, Harvard University (1985)
Harvard Lampoon
Al Franken for Senate
Roast: Lorne Michaels (2004)
Irish Ancestry
TELEVISION
Late Night with Conan O'Brien Host (1993-)
The Simpsons Producer
Saturday Night Live Writer (1987-91)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Queer Duck: The Movie (4-Jun-2006) [VOICE]
Bewitched (24-Jun-2005) Himself
Vanilla Sky (10-Dec-2001) Himself
America: A Tribute to Heroes (21-Sep-2001) Himself
Storytelling (12-May-2001) Himself
Barenaked in America (11-Sep-1999) Himself
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