Conan Christopher O’Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an Emmy Award-winning American television host and TV writer, best known as host of NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

He’s 45!

Conan Christopher O’Brien was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth, an attorney, and Thomas Francis O’Brien, a professor of medicine and physician, both of Irish descent.

He later served as managing editor of his school newspaper and interned for Rep. Barney Frank.

After graduating from the Brookline High School in 1981 as valedictorian, O’Brien entered Harvard University and lived in Holworthy Hall during his freshman year. In his three upper-class years, O’Brien lived in Mather House. Throughout his college career, he was a writer for the Harvard Lampoon humor magazine. During his sophomore and junior years, O’Brien served as the Lampoon’s president, making him the second person ever to serve as president twice, and the first person to have done it in 85 years. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1985 with a B.A. in History and Literature.

On April 25, 1993, Lorne Michaels suggested O’Brien try out to be David Letterman’s successor as host of Late Night with David Letterman, with Andy Richter signed on to be his sidekick. O’Brien auditioned on the set of The Tonight Show, where he interviewed Mimi Rogers and Jason Alexander. O’Brien resigned his position on The Simpsons, despite the fact that his contract had not expired.

Premiering on September 13, Late Night with Conan O’Brien received generally unfavorable critical reviews for the first 2 to 3 years after its debut. O’Brien himself, an almost total unknown among the general public before being named host, was seen by many as not being worthy of the program. NBC even poked fun at this perception in a radio ad which aired shortly before the show’s debut and had O’Brien relaying an anecdote where someone recognized him on the street and said, “Look, honey, there’s the guy who doesn’t deserve his own show!” Another source of criticism was the fact that O’Brien himself appeared to be very nervous and awkward during the show’s early days. As a self-deprecating nod to this, the original opening sequence for Late Night With Conan O’Brien was animated and featured a caricature of O’Brien who sweated and pulled at his collar nervously.

Personal Life:

O’Brien met Elizabeth Ann ‘Liza’ Powel in 2000 when she appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in an advertising skit. The couple dated for nearly a year and a half before their January 12, 2002 marriage in Powel’s Seattle hometown. O’Brien and Powel have a daughter Neve (born 14 October 2003) and son Beckett (born 9 November 2005).

Recently, O’Brien purchased a $10.5 million dollar mansion in Los Angeles, California. The reason for this is that he will be moving there in 2009 from New York City to work his new job hosting The Tonight Show.

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