Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York. His mother, Catherine (née Muir), a homemaker, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States as an eleven year-old. Her schooling was limited and as a result she prized her children's education. His father, Angelo Leno, who worked in the insurance business, was born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy. Leno grew up in Andover, Read more...

Leno is not widely known as an actor, but he did have a number of small roles early in his career in mostly unsuccessful movies; an exception was a bit part in the more popular film American Hot Wax. His most prominent role was in the 1989 film Collision Course, a comedy about a mismatched crime fighting pair, in which he played a detective opposite Pat Morita. When Steve Martin appeared on Leno's Read more...

Leno's comedic style is chiefly observational, with storytelling and topical humor often mixed into his routine. Leno's comedic delivery is usually straightforward and that of a folksy, "everyman" personality. Combining elements of a late-night comedy club and a laid-back talk show, Leno's incarnation of Tonight has proven highly successful in the ratings.

An audience favorite since Leno's Read more...