James Thomas Fallon is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and as the host of the late-night talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which he began hosting after Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ended.
Name | Jimmy Fallon |
Real Name | James Thomas Fallon |
Date of Birth | September 19, 1974 |
Age | 48 years old |
Birthplace | Bay Ridge, New York, United States |
Height | 6 feet |
Weight | 86 kg |
Childhood & Early Life
- James Thomas ‘Jimmy’ Fallon was born to James W. Fallon and Gloria, in Brooklyn, New York. He has an elder sister, Gloria.
- As kids, Gloria and Jimmy would watch a number of ‘Saturday Night Live’ videos and would re-enact it in front of their parents, friends or family. Apart from impersonating the characters on ‘Saturday Night Live’, he also had a keen ear for music and would regularly perform in comedy and music contests.
- He studied at St. Mary of the Snow and then The College of Saint Rose, where he majored in Computer Science. However, he dropped the subject and switched to Communication. He graduated in the subject much later in his life.
- He received his BA in Communication on May 9, 2009 and an honorary degree from The College of Saint Rose.
Career
- His stand-up career took off when he started impersonating various celebrities and started performing stand-up tours around the country. He took up improvisation classes with ‘The Groundlings’.
- He appeared on the show, ‘Spin City’, in 1998 and was then asked to audition for the long-running late night sketch comedy show, ‘Saturday Night Live’. It was during the auditions he impersonated a number of personalities including Jerry Seinfeld, Hilary Swank, Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler.
- He was finally cast in his dream job with ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1998. The following year, he authored ‘I Hate This Place: The Pessimist’s Guide for Live’ along with him sister, Gloria.
- After two years, he ventured into films with ‘Almost Famous’ as Dennis Hope. The same year, he also released the comedy album, ‘The Bathroom Wall’, which was rated as a great ‘parody’ album and was even nominated for prestigious awards.
- In 2002, he also appeared in the famous mockumentary, ‘The Rutles 2: Can’t Buy Me Lunch’, where he plays the son of Melvin Hall. Two years later, he was cast as ‘Andrew Washburn’ for the film, Taxi.
- In 2005, he hosted the MTV Movie Awards and even played Anakin Skywalker in the comedic parody of a ‘Star Wars’ episode.
- In 2006, he was cast in ‘Spontaneous Combustion’ a television commercial with Parker Posey and also starred in ‘Doogal’. The same year, he was invited for the ‘The Secret Policeman’s Ball’, where he made a total of three appearances.
- He wrote the song, ‘Car Wash for Peace’ in 2007 and donated all of the proceeds to charity. He performed the same song on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’.
- In 2009, he appeared as himself in ’30 Rock’ for four episodes and also appeared in other popular television shows including, ‘The Electric Company’, ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Family Guy’.
- His very own television show, ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ was aired in 2009 and is running successfully till date.
- In 2010, he hosted the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Two years later, he released his second album, ‘Blow Your Pants Off’.
- From 2012 to 2013, he became the executive producer of NBC’s ‘Guys with Kids’.
- In February 2014, Jimmy Fallon made his debut on the “Tonight Show” on NBC and the show attracted around 11.3 million viewers.
AWARDS
- 2017 Emmy–Outstanding Interactive Program: Nominated
- 2017 People’s Choice Awards–Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host: Winner
- 2016 Emmy–Outstanding Variety Talk Series: Nominated
- 2016 People’s Choice Awards–Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host: Winner
- 2016 Writers Guild Awards–Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series: Nominated
- 2015 Emmy–Outstanding Variety Talk Series: Nominated
- 2015 People’s Choice Awards–Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host: Winner
- 2014 Emmy–Outstanding Variety Series: Nominated
- 2014 Emmy–Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series: Nominated
- 2013 Emmy–Outstanding Variety Series: Nominated
- 2013 People’s Choice Awards–Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host: Winner
- 2012 Emmy–Outstanding Variety Series: Nominated
- 2012 People’s Choice Awards–Favorite Late Night TV Host: Winner
- 2011 Emmy–Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Nominated
- 2011 Emmy–Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: Nominated
- 2011 Emmy–Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Nominated
- 2010 Emmy–Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media – Nonfiction: Winner
FAST FACTS
- As a child, he was a huge fan of Saturday Night Live and would often reenact sketches and perform impressions of celebrities for his parents
- Left College of Saint Rose one semester short of graduation; later submitted a portfolio of his work on TV and film to finish up his degree and received his diploma in 2009
- Won Lorne Michaels over with his impression of Adam Sandler during his audition for Saturday Night Live
- Released a Grammy-nominated comedy album, The Bathroom Wall
- Released a children’s book, Snowball Fight, in 2005
- Inherited Conan O’Brien’s hosting duties on Late Night after O’Brien briefly replaced Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in 2009
- O’Brien’s show was the first talk show Fallon appeared on after joining SNL in 1998
- In 2015, nearly lost a finger after he tripped and caught his wedding ring on the edge of a counter; he spent 10 days in the ICU and took a two-week hiatus from The Tonight Show