Johnny Carson

**John William "Johnny" Carson** (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host and comedian, known for thirty years as host of _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_ (1962–1992).

## Early life and career

Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, in 1925, to Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a power company manager, and Ruth (Hook) Carson, who was of Irish ancestry. He grew up in the nearby towns of Avoca, Clarinda, and Red Oak in southwest Iowa before moving to Norfolk, Nebraska, at the age of eight. At the age of twelve, Carson found a book on magic at a friend's house and immediately purchased a mail-order magician's kit. He debuted as "The Great Carsoni" at age 14 and he was paid US$3; many other performances at local picnics and country fairs followed.

Carson joined the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943, received V-12 officer training at Columbia University and Millsaps College, and continued to perform magic.

## Death

Carson died in West Hollywood, California from respiratory failure caused by emphysema, aged 79.

## Other websites

- Official website for _The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson_
- at Salon
- at _The New Republic_
- Tynan, Kenneth. 1978 profile, _The New Yorker_
- _The Johnny Carson Show_, _USA Today_
- Martin, Steve. Posthumous Letter to Carson, _The New York Times_
- Watch on line either clips from or entire program Johnny Carson King of Late Night - Watch The Full Documentary  _pbs.org_ Includes a page on the making of the documentary.
- Episodes and highlights of the _Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_ are available on DVD at http://JohnnyCarson.com, on iTunes at http://itunes.com/JohnnyCarson, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/JohnnyCarson
- Follow Johnny Carson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JohnnyCarson and Facebook at http://facebook.com/JohnnyCarson.

### Obituaries

- Obituary at CNN
- Obituary  at MSNBC
- Wolcott, James. Obituary , _Vanity Fair_

## Infobox (comedian awards)

- **child**: yes
- **peabodyawards**: **Personal Award** 1985
- **emmyawards**: **Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement**
1976 _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_
1977 _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_
1978 _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_
1979 _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_
 **Governor's Award**
1980
 **Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program (Series)**
1992 _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_
- **americancomedyawards**: **Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication**
1987 _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_
 **Lifetime Achievement Award**
1992 Lifetime Achievement


## Infobox (comedian)

- **name**: Johnny Carson
- **image**: Johnny Carson 1970.JPG
- **imagesize**: 235px
- **caption**: Carson in October 1970.
- **birth name**: John William Carson
- **birth place**: Corning, Iowa
- **death place**: West Hollywood, California
- **nationality**: American
- **active**: 1950–1992
- **genre**: Satire, sketch comedy, improvisational comedy
- **subject**: current events, American politics, American culture, pop culture
- **influenced**: David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon
- **signature**: Johnny Carson Signature.svg
- **website**: http://www.johnnycarson.com/
- **spouse**: Joan Morrill Wolcott
(m. 1949–1963; divorced)
Joanne Copeland
(m. 1963–1972; divorced)
Joanna Holland
(m. 1972–1985; divorced)
Alexis Maas
(m. 1987–2005, his death)
- **notable work**: Host of _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_