Jack Paar
Jack Paar Birth name Jack Harold Paar Born (1918-05-01)May 1, 1918 Canton, Ohio, U.S. Died January 27, 2004(2004-01-27) (aged 85) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. Medium Television Nationality American Years active 1948–1998 Genres Observational comedy Subject(s) Everyday life, American culture Influences Will Rogers, Jack Benny Influenced Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Robert Klein, Alan King, George Carlin, Don Rickles, Tom Snyder, David Letterman, Bob Costas, Jay Leno, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Spouse Irene Paar (twice divorced) Miriam Wagner (1943–2004, his death) Notable works and roles Host of The Tonight Show (NBC) Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American author, radio and television comedian and talk show host, best known for his stint as host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962. Time magazine's obituary noted that: "His fans would remember him as the fellow who split talk show history into two eras: Before Paar and Below Paar."