You’ve seen him on “The Tonight Show”, and you’ve heard him in the movie “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown”. But do you really know about him? Read this interesting article and find out some little known facts about comedian Jay Leno!
Early Life
James Douglas Muir Leno was born April 28, 1950, in New Rochelle, New York. His Italian father Angelo sold insurance and his Scottish mother Cathryn was a housewife.
Leno only achieved C and D grades in school. That may have been due in part to his mild dyslexia. But, he did manage to earn the nickname of “Class Clown.”
When Jay Leno was turned down at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, he sat outside the Admissions Office several hours a day for five days until they finally accepted him. He wanted to study Speech Therapy.
His Career
It’s no secret that Jay Leno beat out David Letterman when it was time for NBC to replace the retiring Johnny Carson in 1992. But, did you know since the six foot tall comedian started hosting “The Tonight Show” that he rarely takes a day off? One of his many cars can most always be seen parked in his reserved “#1” parking place at the NBC Studio in Burbank. And, on top of doing the show, Jay Leno still manages to perform more than 150 standup comedy gigs a year.
Since Jay Leno took over the hosting duties at “The Tonight Show”, he has earned another nickname-“The King of Late Night.” So, how much money does the king earn? Another little known fact about Jay Leno is that his annual salary is reported to be a cool $17,000,000, according to Forbes.
Of course, a little known fact about comedian Jay Leno is that he has made NBC nearly one billion dollars richer since he took over Johnny Carson’s chair.
So, how does Leno spend his money? When he was a teenager, his first vehicle was a 1934 Ford truck that he restored. After that, he caught the “Collecting Fever”. Jay Leno now has around eighty exotic cars and eighty motorcycles in his private collection. They’re stored in a warehouse located near the NBC studio. One of his cars, a McLaren F1, cost $870,000. According to go-star.com, Leno also owns a 1941 American-LaFrance fire truck.
His collection of classic autos is so popular that the Mattel company produced the special Hot Wheels “Jay Leno Collector Set” in the late 90s. The set included such autos as the Jaguar XKE, Lamborghini Muira, Shelby Cobra Replica and a Shelby Mustang GT350.
Minor Film Roles
Besides supplying the voice for “Fast Eddie” in the movie “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown”, Jay Leno has had some minor roles in movies such as “The Birdcage”, “Contact”, “The Flintstones”, “Major League II” and “Wayne’s World.
Home Life
Jay Leno married his wife Mavis Nicholson in 1980. He says he’s “very happily” married; the couple have no children. Nicholson is a scriptwriter. She also pens children’s books. She’s also a supporter of the Feminist Majority Foundation. The couple live in Los Angeles.
