Johnny Carson became a household name when his ground-breaking late-night chat show paved the way for the many late-night shows we know and love today. In my opinion, there has never been a better night-time TV host.
Carson received no less than six Emmy Awards and earned a place in the Television Academy Hall of Fame, as well as being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992.
He was all smiles on TV and kept his legion of fans entertained with his characters in the sketches performed on his show. Better monologues, better skits, better interviews – it was the Johnny Carson show, although they called it The Tonight Show. Carson has been credited with influencing many of the successful chat show hosts who followed him, including David Letterman.
