Arsenio Hall | Biography, Movies, Show, Mother, & Son | Britannica (original) (raw)

Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.) is an American actor, comedian, and producer who has appeared in several television shows and movies but is best known for being a popular late-night talk-show host. He was the first African American to host his own late-night talk show.

Early life, education, and comedic debut

Hall was the only child of his mother, Annie, and his father, Fred, who was a Baptist minister. His parents divorced when he was young. He spent many hours as a child watching talk shows, especially The Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson. Hall aspired to have his own show one day and has recalled how he arranged chairs in the basement of his apartment building to mimic the set of a talk show so that he could pretend to be Carson; he has referred to Carson as being the architect of his dreams.

Hall attended Ohio University in Athens before transferring to and graduating from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. After Hall moved to Chicago in 1979, he began his career as a stand-up comedian and eventually opened for singers such as Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner.

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Television and film career

Hall became a cohost of the short-lived television series The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour in 1983. Later that year he began to regularly appear on Thicke of the Night (1983–84), entertainer Alan Thicke’s brief foray into the late-night talk-show arena. Hall was back on television in the summer of 1985 as a regular on the musical showcase series The Motown Revue Starring Smokey Robinson and again the next year as a cohost of the music show Solid Gold. In mid-1987 he served a 13-week stint as the guest host for The Late Show, replacing comedian Joan Rivers. During that time he won popular support for his relaxed yet playful interview style.

Hall made his motion-picture debut with a small role in the ensemble sketch comedy Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) that, ironically, spoofed late-night television. He then went on to star with his good friend Eddie Murphy in Coming to America (1988), with Hall playing the friend of an African prince (Murphy) who journeys to America to find a wife; Murphy and Hall played other characters in the film as well. Hall’s next movie was Harlem Nights (1989).

Hall returned to television in 1989 as the host of his own talk show, the syndicated The Arsenio Hall Show (1989–94). The program had a freewheeling party mood (Hall perfected the “Woof! Woof! Woof!” fist pump), with emphasis on hip-hop guests and keen (though racy) interviews. Hall did away with the traditional talk-show set layout, which typically had the host sitting behind a desk, and instead chose to sit next to his guests. Although the show was opposite The Tonight Show in many markets, Hall said he did not see himself as a competitor to Carson, stating that he was not after Carson’s audience—just the children of Carson’s audience. The show initially performed well with ratings but saw a decline amid increased competition from other late-night talk shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman, and Hall chose to end the show in 1994. During its run the show was nominated for several Emmys, winning two. Hall also served as the show’s executive producer, a job that he would perform on other projects throughout his career.

In 1997 Hall was back on television in the comedy series Arsenio, which lasted only six episodes. From 1998 to 2000 he costarred in the crime drama television series Martial Law. In 1999 Hall became a father, and he has said that he took a step back from his career, choosing to work only occasionally, in order to focus on raising his son. In 2003 and 2004 Hall hosted several episodes of the talent show Star Search.

After being out of the TV spotlight for a number of years, Hall returned as a contestant on Donald Trump’s The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012. Displaying a tough business acumen, Hall beat 17 other celebrities on the reality television series to become the winner, ultimately earning a considerable amount of money for charity. The next year he returned to late-night talk-show television with The Arsenio Hall Show. It was canceled, however, after only one season. Over the next few years, Hall had guest roles on some television series. He later reunited with Murphy for Coming 2 America (2021), the sequel to their similarly named 1988 movie.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.