People
Photos
Purpose
Advertisement
Advertisement
  2. People
  3. Surname Directory
  4. L
  5. Lences - Leoni
  6. Leno
  7. Harriet - Joan
  8. James Leno
  9. Jay Leno
A photo of Jay Leno

Jay Leno

James Douglas Muir Leno was born on April 28, 1950 in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York United States to Catherine Mary Leno and Angelo James Leno, and has siblings Patrick Douglas Muir Leno and James Douglas Muir Leno.

James Douglas Muir Leno
Jay Leno
Name
Update name details
Last residence
Update residence details
April 28, 1950
New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York, United States
Birth
Update birth details
Alive
Living status
Update living status
Male
Looking for another James Leno?
Updated: July 20, 2021
Biography ID: 192452073 What's this
Jay Leno James Douglas Leno (born 1950)
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers James Douglas.
Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.
Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...
Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

James Douglas Muir Leno's History: 1950

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.
- Discover how AncientFaces works.

  • Introduction

    Jay Leno is best known as being a standup comedian and the host of The Tonight Show after Johnny Carson retired. He was the host of the show from 1992 until 2009 (on NBC) and then he created a primetime talk show (The Jay Leno Show) which also aired on NBC from Sept 2009 until Jan 2010. On March 1, 2010, Jay began another show -The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - which ran until. February 6, 2014. During all of this time, he has also performed as a stand-up comedian, living solely off of those earnings. His long-time love of classic cars also lead to his hosting "Jay Leno's Garage" on cable tv since 2014 and also writing for Popular Mechanics magazine.
  • 04/28
    1950

    Birthday

    April 28, 1950
    Birthdate
    New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York United States
    Birthplace
    ADVERTISEMENT BY

  • Ethnicity & Family History

    Jay's father Angelo Leno was full blood Italian and born in New York, and his mother Catherine Muir Leno was Scottish. His mother immigrated into New York where she and Angelo met.

  • Nationality & Locations

    Citizen of the U.S.

  • Early Life & Education

    While attending grade school in Andover, Jay was the 'class cut-up.' After he graduated from Andover High School, he started doing comedy while earning his degree in speech therapy at Emerson College in Boston. (Jay was working strip joints with names like the "Teddy Bear Lounge'. )

  • Professional Career

    Jay is a world famous comedian best known for being host of The Tonight Show. Prior to being a comedian he worked as a Rolls-Royce mechanic in Manhattan. Perhaps where he found his love for cars? He began comedy at an early age at strip joints and eventually began to appear at venues like a carnival midway and a brothel, birthday parties and senior citizens' homes. He said "Sometimes I couldn't even get work because club owners would tell me they didn't hire people who didn't have agents. So I looked up an agent in the Yellow Pages and went to his office who suggested he be a comedian wrestler. He decided not to pursue this direction and kept finding gigs while working as a mechanic. Sometimes he slept a few nights in the alley outside a Manhattan Improv. One night in New York he witnessed a comedian on television and thought to himself that he could do better so headed to Los Angeles. His career began to grow but found his contemporaries like Jimmie Walker and Freddie Prinze were taking the television roles. His big break came on March 2nd 1977 when he did a four-minute spot on "The Tonight Show" where Johnny and guests Burt Reynolds and Diana Ross laughed at his routine. Around this time a tv producer told Leno to forget tv because "You have a face that will scare children." and to "think about a plastic surgeon, maybe have something done with your jaw."
  • Alive

    Living status

    Alive
    Living status
  • share
    Memories
    below
Advertisement
Advertisement

Add Memories, Stories & Photos about James Douglas

Jay Leno Tonight Show music director Branford Marsalis
Photo of Daniel Pinna Daniel Pinna
10.5k+ favorites
02/17/2021
Jay Leno Tonight Show music director Branford Marsalis
This photo of Jay Leno and the Tonight Show music director Branford Marsalis was taken by the Associated Press in 1992 and appeared in The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York) on Sunday May 24th 1992.
Date & Place: in Glens Falls, Warren County, New York United States
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Cancel Share
Loading...one moment please loading spinner
- See how biographies work.
Be the 1st to share and we'll let you know when others do the same.
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
Advertisement

James Douglas Leno's Family Tree & Friends

Advertisement
Advertisement
Friendships

James Douglas' Friends

Friends of James Douglas Friends can be as close as family. Add James Douglas' family friends, and his friends from childhood through adulthood.
Advertisement
Advertisement
3 Followers & Sources

Connect with others who remember James Leno to share and discover more memories. People who have contributed to this page are listed below and in the Biography History of changes. Sign in to to view changes.

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
Advertisement
Other Biographies

Other James Leno Biographies

Leno, James (Born Apr 28, 1950)
Leno, James (May 1, 1930 - Nov 7, 1998)

Other Leno Family Biographies

Leno, Mary (Jan 26, 1939 - Jul 20, 2006) Leno, Lucy (May 21, 1885 - Sep 1973) Leno, George (Nov 8, 1970 - Jul 21, 1993) Leno, Caroline (Oct 16, 1895 - Apr 1984) Leno, Mark (Apr 3, 1935 - Sep 18, 2007) Leno, Emery (May 10, 1917 - Nov 1973) Leno, Ehtel (Feb 15, 1918 - May 1984) Leno, Ruby (Feb 23, 1901 - Aug 1975) Leno, Bernard (Feb 2, 1894 - May 1971) Leno, Walter (Jul 4, 1920 - Feb 16, 2006)
Leno, Helen (Jan 10, 1913 - Jul 8, 1993) Leno, Darlene (Sep 17, 1914 - Aug 29, 2005) Leno, Clesson (Apr 14, 1901 - Apr 1968) Leno, Ethel (Jan 24, 1910 - Apr 1979) Leno, George (May 1, 1892 - Mar 1976) Leno, Robert (May 24, 1922 - Dec 1, 1992) Leno, Stanton (Sep 18, 1922 - Sep 12, 1988) Leno, Wendell (Jul 17, 1920 - Jan 1971) Leno, Harold (Nov 4, 1919 - Feb 1, 1993) Leno, Harold (Aug 3, 1926 - Jul 1984)
Advertisement
Advertisement
Show more
  2. People
  3. Surname Directory
  4. L
  5. Lences - Leoni
  6. Leno
  7. Harriet - Joan
  8. James Leno
  9. Jay Leno
Back to Top
Advertisement
Advertisement