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Alan Kalter (1943–2021), “Late Show with David Letterman” announcer

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Alan Kalter was the longtime announcer for “Late Show with David Letterman.”

“Late Show” and beyond

Kalter took over as “Late Show” announcer in 1995, when previous announcer Bill Wendell retired. He was Letterman’s first and only choice for the job, and he remained with the show until Letterman’s retirement in 2015. Kalter introduced the host and guests on each episode, as well as offering a one-liner at the end and participating in comedy sketches including “Alan Kalter’s Celebrity Interview.” Prior to his “Late Show” work, Kalter was the announcer for game shows including “To Tell the Truth,” “The $25,000 Pyramid,” and “The 128,000 Question.” He also did a wide variety of commercial voiceovers, including the Michelin Man.

Kalter on his favorite thing about “Late Show”

“Because it’s not totally scripted, there’s very little script in it outside of a Top 10 or a monologue, we don’t know which way Dave’s going, we don’t know which way we’re going. We write things, the writers write things e28093 sometimes as wee28099re performing.” e28094from a 2019 interview for the Paul Leslie Hour

Tributes to Alan Kalter

Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter

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