Printable Biography of Arsenio Hall

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Arsenio Hall is most famous for his stand-up comedy and for his talk show, "The Arsenio Hall Show," during the 1980s. However, he has also explored roles as an actor and as a producer. An experienced child magician, Hall began performing standup after graduating from college, and, after several years, he broke into the business with stints on television's "The Half Hour Comedy Hour," "Solid Gold," "Motown Revue" and "The New Love American Style." Hall's big break came when he took over "The Late Show" for 13 weeks after Joan Rivers was fired. With nothing to lose, Hall cut loose with a mix of teasing questions and relaxed playfulness, which impressed Paramount executives and prompted them to give Hall a chance hosting his own late night talk and variety program. Hall combined his hip image and his gushy enthusiasm for entertainment figures to make "The Arsenio Hall Show" a success. The show quickly caught on, creating a "party" atmosphere featuring hot new film, television and rap stars and appealing to the young late night audiences who wanted an alternative to Johnny Carson. However, after several years of respectable ratings, Hall's show lost many of its loyal fans to David Letterman's own talk show "Late Show with David Letterman." Hall went on to appear in many feature films, including 1988's "Coming to America" and 1989's "Harlem Nights." In 1993, Hall entered the realm of feature film production with a story of how apartheid affects a father-son relationship in "Bopha!" Then, after a three-year absence, Hall returned to the small screen as the star of his own sitcom "Arsenio." The show co-starred Vivica A Fox and followed the trials and tribulations of a newly married couple, but it failed to win over critics and viewers, resulting in its cancellation after one season. Currently, Hall can be seen on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as a traveling interviewer, once again star struck by those he interviews.