Conan O'Brien - Late Night's Best Kept Secret

The Red-headed Comic's Career

Comedian Conan O'Brien is scheduled to take the reins of "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno in 2009. NBC could not have made a better choice, but it will be hard pressed for them to replace him in the time slot he currently rules. Conan O'Brien, the host of "Late Night", is a Harvard graduate, one of only two individuals to be the president of the Harvard Lampoon humor magazine. Conan O'Brien survived harsh critical reviews during his early days on NBC to become a highly successful comedian and television host.

O'Brien was born on April 18th, 1963 in Brookline, Massachusetts, the third of six children in an Irish American family. Dr. Thomas O'Brien, his father, was a research physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital an associate professor at Harvard Medical School where he specialized in infectious diseases. His mother, Ruth, is a former partner of a prestigious Boston law firm. He has four brothers and a sister. The six foot four inch tall O'Brien was the valedictorian of Brookline High School and entered Harvard after graduation. He became a writer for the Harvard Lampoon and during his sophomore and junior years he served as the Lampoon's president. He graduated from Harvard magna cum laude in 1985 after concentrating on American History and Literature.