Editing Joel Godard

{{Short description|American television announcer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
|name          = Joel Godard
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| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1938|3|31}}
| birth_place  = [[Milledgeville, Georgia]]
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|education     =
|alma_mater    = [[Emory University]]
|employer      =
| occupation   = Television announcer
|years_active  =
|spouse        = (unknown)<br/>Tedi Dreiser Godard (married 1983)
|partner       =
|children      = 1 (son from first marriage)
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'''Joel Clinton Godard Jr.''' (born March 31, 1938) is an American television announcer and voiceover artist, best known as the announcer for ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' during its entire 16-year run from 1993 to 2009.<ref>{{IMDb name|0323713|Joel Godard}} Retrieved 2009-05-31</ref><ref name="jgbio">Joel Godard's official website: "[http://www.joelgodard.tv/bio.html Bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212191915/http://www.joelgodard.tv/bio.html |date=February 12, 2010 }}".</ref>

==Early life==
Godard attended [[Emory University]], and earned his [[Bachelor's degree|AB]] in 1960 with a double major in [[chemistry]] and [[pre-med]].<ref name="jgbio" /><ref name="tedi-mini">{{Cite web| url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0323713/bio | first = Tedi Dreiser | last = Godard | title = Mini-Biography | work = [[Internet Movie Database]] | accessdate = 2010-02-06 }}</ref> He was accepted into the school's medical program, but instead chose to try a career in the entertainment industry.<ref name="jgbio" /> Around 1968, Godard worked three jobs at the same time while living in [[Macon, Georgia]]: analyzing [[electroplate|electroplating solutions]] at Maxson Electronics;<ref name="tedi-mini" /> acting as a [[news anchor]] and "stand-up weatherman" for [[WMAZ-TV]];<ref name="tedi-mini" /> and as a licensed pilot for Lowe Aviation.<ref name="jgbio" /> He served as a production assistant at [[WMAC|WMAZ]] radio in 1970.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://billeldervoiceovers.com/radio/wmaz.htm | title=Ror体育最新版(China)有限公司 | access-date=December 26, 2009 | archive-date=July 8, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708000952/http://billeldervoiceovers.com/radio/wmaz.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Career==
During the early 1980s, Godard had roles in the [[made-for-TV movie]] ''[[Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones]]'' and the [[TBS (U.S. TV channel)|TBS]] soap opera ''The Caitlins''.<ref name="jgbio" /><ref name="imdb">[[IMDb]] credits page for [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0323713/ Joel Godard].</ref> In the 1980s and 1990s, Godard made voiceover appearances on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'', and ''[[Issues and Answers]]''. Around 1986, he became an [[NBC]] staff announcer. Godard was the voice of the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] from 2000 to 2010.

In 2014, he starred in a series of online comedy shorts by Turtle with Lemonade Productions, entitled "Little Known Moments in American History."

===''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''===
Godard joined ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' when it was launched in 1993. He frequently appeared in sketches, often pretending to be a suicidal homosexual filled with self-loathing, and with a penchant for [[BDSM|bizarre sex acts]], [[substance abuse]], and "young [[Asian people|Asian]] men (preferably wearing [[Speedo]]s)".<ref name="jgbio" /><ref name="tedi-mini" /> He would also often refer to the "small, windowless booth" from which he announced.<ref name="lincoln">[[Vimeo]] page: ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' clip: "[http://vimeo.com/9216446 S&M Lincoln]".</ref><ref>[[Vimeo]] page: ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' clip: "[http://vimeo.com/9216496 Rumor]".</ref> Through the years, ''Late Night'''s writers gave Godard a number of bizarre backstories; for example, one typical skit involved the announcer referring to having had multiple "loveless" marriages and "a botched mid-life [[circumcision]]," as well as his "ultimate sexual fantasy": a man dressed as [[Abraham Lincoln]] wearing [[BDSM]] leathers and a [[ball gag]].<ref name="lincoln" /> Godard would almost always deliver all of his lines – no matter how bizarre or disturbing the content – in a cheerful announcer's voice along with a wide smile plastered on his face.<ref name="jgbio" />

When Conan O'Brien left ''Late Night'' to take over ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', Godard did not follow him to Los Angeles. Godard wrote on his Facebook fan page that "Reports of my retirement were exaggerated. Conan just didn't take me to California with him. I remain in New York City with no LA lease to be stuck with!!!"<ref name="joel-facebook">Joel Godard's Facebook fan page: "[https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joel-Godard/270441658428]".</ref> Instead, former ''Late Night'' sidekick [[Andy Richter]] was hired as announcer on ''[[The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien]]'', and ''Saturday Night Live'' producer [[Steve Higgins]] became the announcer on ''[[Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]]''.

==Personal life==
Godard has been married to actress/singer Tedi Dreiser Godard since 1983 and has one child from a previous marriage.<ref name="jgbio" /> Tedi is the grandniece of novelist [[Theodore Dreiser]] and composer Paul Dresser. Godard is a member of [[Mensa International]].<ref name="jgbio" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.joelgodard.tv/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212202241/http://www.joelgodard.tv/ |date=February 12, 2010 }} of Joel Godard
* [http://vimeo.com/user3064085/videos Joel Godard's official page] at [[Vimeo]]
* {{IMDb name|0323713|Joel Godard}}
* [http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/3EFBFFFF01D7A053001700FC8E95/ Recent Joel Godard Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303004505/http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/3EFBFFFF01D7A053001700FC8E95/ |date=March 3, 2012 }}
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{{Succession box|title=''[[Late Night (NBC)|Late Night]]'' announcer|before=[[Bill Wendell]]|after=[[Steve Higgins]]|years=September 13, 1993&nbsp;– February 20, 2009}}
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[[Category:American television personalities]]
[[Category:Emory University alumni]]
[[Category:Radio and television announcers]]
[[Category:NBC network announcers]]
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Milledgeville, Georgia]]
[[Category:Mensans]]