James Thomas Fallon born September 19, is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from to Fallon grew up with a love of comedy and music, moving to Los Angeles when he turned 21 to pursue stand-up comedy.
He joined Saturday Night Live as a cast member in , fulfilling a lifelong dream. He left the show in to star in films such as Taxi and Fever Pitch Following his film career, Fallon returned to television as the host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC in , where he became known for his emphasis on music and video games. He moved from that show to become the sixth permanent host of The Tonight Show in In addition to his television work, he has released two comedy albums and seven books, mainly aimed at children.
Fallon's father spent his adolescence singing in street-corner doo-wop groups then served in the Vietnam War. Fallon has described his childhood as idyllic, while his parents have been described as overprotective. Mary of the Snow. He considered becoming a priest, inspired by his experiences as an altar boy , [ 10 ] [ 11 ] but became more interested in comedy instead. He spent many nights listening to the radio program The Dr. Demento Show , which exposed him to both comedy and music; he often recorded it on a reel-to-reel recorder.
As a teenager, Fallon developed an obsession with the late-night comedy program Saturday Night Live. He watched it religiously, although he was only allowed to see "the clean parts" that his parents taped for him. He and Gloria would re-enact sketches such as "The Festrunk Brothers" with friends. At Saugerties High School , Fallon was a performer in most stage productions and was twice a class social director.
He was an average student who would perform stand-up comedy on weekends. Fourteen years later, in May , Fallon returned to receive a Bachelor of Arts in communications, awarded by Saint Rose officials who granted him experiential learning credits for his television work. He joined his classmates at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to collect his degree, where along with his BA, he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
