Editing Johnny Carson (section)

{{Short description|American television host (1925–2005)}}
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{{Infobox comedian
| name        = Johnny Carson
| image       = Johnny Carson Tonight Show 1965.JPG
| caption     = Carson in 1965
| pseudonym   =
| birth_name  = John William Carson
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1925|10|23}}
| birth_place = [[Corning, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2005|01|23|1925|10|23}}
| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| alma_mater  = [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln]]
| active      = 1950–1994
| medium      = Television
| genre       = {{hlist|[[Observational comedy]]|[[surreal humor]]|[[satire]]|[[deadpan]]|[[sketch comedy]]}}
| subject     = {{hlist|[[Culture of the United States|American culture]]|[[Politics of the United States|American politics]]|[[everyday life]]|[[pop culture]]|[[World news|current events]]|[[human behavior]]|[[embarrassment|social awkwardness]]|[[gender differences]]}}
| signature   = Johnny Carson Signature.svg
| website     = {{URL|johnnycarson.com/}}
| spouse      = {{plainlist}}
* {{marriage|Jody Morrill Wolcott|1949|1963|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Joanne Copeland]]|1963|1972|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Joanna Holland|1972|1985|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Alexis Maas|1987<!--Omission per Template:Marriage instructions-->}}
{{endplainlist}}
| children    = 3
|relatives        =  [[Dick Carson]] (brother)
}}

'''John William Carson''' (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of [[NBC]]'s ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and widely known as the '''King of Late Night'''.<ref name="time.com"/> Carson received six [[Primetime Emmy Awards]], the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|Television Academy]]'s 1980 Governor's Award and a 1985 [[Peabody Award]]. He was inducted into the [[Television Academy Hall of Fame]] in 1987. Carson was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 1992 and received a [[Kennedy Center Honors|Kennedy Center Honor]] in 1993.<ref name="EB">Johnny Carson. [https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/905828/Johnny-Carson Encyclopædia Britannica Online]. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 30, 2009.</ref>

During [[World War II]], Carson served in the [[United States Navy]]. After the war he started a career in radio, then moved to television and took over as host of the late-night talk show ''Tonight'' from [[Jack Paar]] in 1962. Carson remained an American cultural icon even after his retirement in 1992. He adopted a casual, conversational approach with extensive interaction with guests, an approach pioneered by [[Arthur Godfrey]] and previous ''Tonight Show'' hosts Paar and [[Steve Allen]] but enhanced by Carson's lightning-quick wit. Former late-night host and friend [[David Letterman]], as well as many others, have cited Carson's influence.<ref name="time.com">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956906,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022060754/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956906,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 22, 2010 |magazine=Time |title=Interview: David Letterman He's No Johnny Carson |date=February 6, 1989}}</ref>