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Conan O'brien

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If Richie Cunningham and Phyllis Diller mated, would it equal Conan O'Brien? It's probably not a good-enough match to poop on, but definitely one that has brought some laughs to television audiences everywhere. Conan Christopher O'Brien was born April 18, 1963, in Brookline, MA, to Ruth, a lawyer, and Tom, a doctor. He has three brothers, two sisters, and his cousin is comedian Denis Leary. At Brookline High School, he was on the debate team and served as editorial editor on the Sagamore. After high school, he attended Harvard University where he was the editor of the Harvard Lampoon; he graduated magna cum laude in 1985 with a B.A. in American history. After graduation, O'Brien went out to L.A. to put his education and sense of humor to work for him. He was on the writing staff of HBO's Not Necessarily the News for two years and worked with the improv group the Groundlings. In 1988, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels recognized O'Brien's talent and hired him as a writer for the show. He wrote for the show for three and a half years and in 1989, shared an Emmy with the writing team for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series. In 1991, he left the show and pitched an idea to NBC for a series starring Adam West, but it was not picked up. Good thing, though, because O'Brien's next gig would be yet another high-profile show on its way to television history. As a writer and producer for Fox's The Simpsons, he wrote such hilariously memorable episodes as "Marge Vs. the Monorail" and "Whacking Day." After the much-ballyhooed decision that Jay Leno would replace Johnny Carson on NBC's Tonight Show instead of David Letterman, and when Letterman left for CBS, Letterman's old timeslot was left open. Enter one tall, funny Irish guy with a classically dry sense of humor to keep late-night audiences tuning in. Late Night With Conan O'Brien premiered September 13, 1993, with Michaels serving as executive producer. An aspiring writer/performer, Andy Richter, had hopes of getting on the team behind the new show, but instead wound up in the role of "trusty sidekick" to O'Brien. Rounding out the late-night backdrop was music director Max Weinberg, who had been the drummer with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and his backing band. This amalgam of performers, plus an Emmy-winning writing team, led to such comedic bits involving Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Pimpbot 5000, and In the Year 2000. In 1997 and 2000, he and the writing staff won the Writer's Guild Award for Best Writing in a Comedy/Variety Series. However, Richter left in 2000 to work on his own television career, starring in Fox's Andy Richter Controls the Universe in 2002. O'Brien married advertising executive Liza Powell in January 2002. -- Rachel Sprovtsoff-Mangus

To truly understand Conan O'Brien's greatness, think of the task that lies before him. Five days a week, he must appear in front of a large audience (both live and on TV) and, given the same format, make them laugh. Year in and year out, the goal remains the same. No matter who you are, that's not easy. Staying original and bringing in new creative touches is always a challenge.

Amazingly, O'Brien has been equal to the task. Every episode is funny in its own way; the consistency is baffling. Whether he unleashes "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" or brings in "George W. Bush via satellite," Conan finds some way to make our sides hurt with laughter.

Jay Leno and David Letterman may be legends, but it is now Late Night with Conan O'Brien that keeps us up at night. We only hope that, after a decade on television, Conan can keep it going for another decade.

personality & talent

Like a true comedian, Conan will be the first to take jabs at himself, despite all the fame and fortune. He seems to always be in a joking mood but knows when to tone down the comedy when dealing with more touchy subjects -- he'll usually leave the controversy to Triumph, his puppet dog.

O'Brien is also a confident, down-to-earth guy. He doesn't try to be anything but the awkward, redheaded Irishman that you see on television. Now a family man (he married Liza Powell in January 2002 and became a father on October 14th, 2003), he has recently shown signs of settling down. However, we hope that this new life doesn't mean he'll lose his edge, for Conan the bachelor gave us many great jokes.

As proof of his skill, think of O'Brien's creations: he came up with "Mr. Short-Term Memory" on SNL, the "Marge vs. The Monorail" episode of The Simpsons and the "In the Year 2000" sketch for Late Night. His monologues are always entertaining and his physical comedy rivals only Jim Carrey's in terms of hilariousness.

woman magnetism

Ladies love a man who can make them laugh, so is it any wonder Conan was thought of as a very eligible bachelor up until his wedding in 2002? Apparently, his wit overcomes any shortcomings O'Brien attributes to himself, including his wacky red pompadour and lanky frame. Even his attractive female guests, especially the apple of his eye Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, love to flirt with him.

accomplishments & fame

Graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1985, Conan O'Brien was always bent on finding a career in comedy. He moved to Los Angeles and was hired by HBO as a writer for the show Not Necessarily the News.

Three years after graduation, he was already considered a great talent. Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of Saturday Night Live, convinced O'Brien to write for the hit NBC show.

Conan spent three and a half years on SNL, earning an Emmy in 1989 for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series. In 1991, he wrote and produced a pilot called Lookwell with Adam West, but NBC didn't pick up the series. O'Brien then turned to The Simpsons, becoming a writer and supervising producer for the hit animated FOX show.

In 1993, Michaels asked O'Brien to produce the now host-less Late Night since David Letterman had moved to CBS. At first, Conan began overseeing the auditions for Late Night but he soon discovered that he was the right man for the job. After getting the go-ahead from Michaels, Conan took the spot, which was initially forecast to flop.

With his great writing, funny sketches and the help of sidekicks Andy Richter and later, bandleader Max Weinberg, O'Brien disproved critics and made his show as popular as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Late Night has won four Writer's Guild Awards and Conan was voted one of the "50 Funniest People Alive" by Entertainment Weekly magazine. Prior to his show's 10th anniversary, O'Brien hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2002.

Late Night continues to succeed, garnering headlines after Conan took the show to Toronto for a week during February sweeps week in 2004.

coolness factor

When you get to interview the finest actors and musicians around, have the green light to say whatever you want on your own show, and are one of the funniest people alive, you can bet your ass that everyone will think you're cool. Conan is da mizzan. Whenever we need a good laugh, all we have to do is tune in to his show.

personal style

O'Brien has been able to find some nicely tailored suits to match his 6'4" frame. When not dressed up for work, he is a simple jeans or khakis type of guy. Unlike Conan's show, there's nothing too over-the-top or wacky about his wardrobe. However, he loses points for that wind-tested hair of his. He keeps it simple and neat, letting his comedy speak for itself -- and never passing up a moment to poke fun at his hair, pale complexion and skinny physique.

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