Arsenio Hall

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BIRTHDAY

February 12, 1955

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

PROFESSIONS

Actor, Tv Host, Comedian, Producer, Advertising

SOMETIMES CREDITED AS

BIOGRAPHY

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Lanky, mustachioed African-American stand-up comedian of the 1980s turned actor, producer and successful syndicated talk show host. An experienced child magician, Hall began performing standup after graduating from college, and, after several years, got work on TV on "The Half Hour Comedy Hour", "Solid Gold", "Motown Revue" and "The New Love American Style". A breakthrough for Hall came when he took over "The Late Show" for 13 weeks after Joan Rivers was fired. With nothing to lose, Hall cut loose with a mix of teasing questions, coyly risque banter and relaxed playfulness which impressed Paramount executives. Slightly over a year later Hall, with his hip but harmless image and his gushy enthusiasm for entertainment figures, introduced his own latenight chat and variety program, "The Arsenio Hall Show". The show quickly caught on, creating a "party" atmosphere featuring hot new film, TV and rap stars and tapping into the young latenight audiences who wanted an alternative to Johnny Carson. After several years of respectable ratings Hall's show received a major blow from his target audiance and affiliates who opted to view David Letterman's own talk show "Late Show with David Letterman".

Hall has also made a handful of feature film appearances, notably in two films in support of his friend Eddie Murphy, "Coming to America" (1988) and "Harlem Nights" (1989). In 1993, he entered the realm of feature film production with a story of how apartheid affects a father-son relationship, "Bopha!".

After a three-year absence, Hall returned to the small screen as star of his own sitcom "Arsenio" (ABC, 1997). Co-starring Viveca A Fox, the show followed the trials and tribulations of a newly married couple, but it failed to win over critics or viewers and was pulled after a few airings. The star and network agreed to overhaul the sitcom for the 1997-98 season but instead he joined the cast of "Martial Law".

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