Aside from his musical work, Marsalis has appeared in several films, including Spike Lee's "School Days" (1988) and "Mo' Better Blues" (1990), for which he also provided music. From 1992 to 1994, Marsalis was the bandleader for Jay Leno's version of "The Tonight Show" where he introduced jazz to a mass audience with the help of his hand-picked band which includes such jazz luminaries as Kenny Kirkland, Jeff 'Tain' Watts and Kevin Eubanks, who succeeded him as bandleader.