Dick Cavett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dick Cavett
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Cavett in 2010
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Richard Alva Cavett
November 19, 1936 Buffalo County, Nebraska, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Talk show host |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
Richard Alva Cavett (born November 19, 1936) is an American television star and a famous talk show host. He was a regular on TV across the United States from the 1960s to the 2000s.
Later in his career, Cavett wrote articles for The New York Times. He also helped promote DVDs of his old TV shows. He hosted replays of his interviews with many famous people. These included Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Salvador Dalí, Groucho Marx, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Jimi Hendrix. You could often see these on Turner Classic Movies.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Dick Cavett was born in Buffalo County, Nebraska. His birth certificate says Kearney was his birthplace. His parents, Erabel and Alva Cavett, were both teachers.
Cavett once said his family had roots from Scotland, Ireland, England, and possibly France and Germany. His grandparents lived in Grand Island, Nebraska. One grandfather came from England, and another from Wales. His paternal grandmother was from Germany, which is why he can speak German.
His parents taught in different towns, including Comstock and Gibbon. Cavett started kindergarten in Grand Island. Later, his parents got teaching jobs in Lincoln, Nebraska. Cavett finished his schooling there. When he was ten, his mother passed away. His father later married Dorcas Deland, who was also a teacher. A school in Lincoln was named after his parents.
In eighth grade, Cavett directed a radio show. He also acted in a play called The Winslow Boy. In high school, he was elected student council president. He also won a gold medal in gymnastics.
Before college, he worked as a caddie at a golf club. He also performed magic shows for money. In 1952, Cavett won an award for Best New Performer at a magic convention. Around that time, he met another magician, Johnny Carson, who later became a very famous TV host.
While at Yale University, Cavett studied drama. He acted in plays and worked at the campus radio station. He often tried to meet famous stars by going backstage at shows in New York. He took many different jobs to support himself.
Dick Cavett's Career Journey
Cavett started his career with small acting roles. He was an extra on The Phil Silvers Show in 1959. He also briefly went back to performing magic.
Starting at The Tonight Show
Cavett was working as a helper at Time magazine. He read that Jack Paar, the host of The Tonight Show, needed jokes for his opening speech. Cavett wrote some jokes and gave them to Paar. Paar used some of them on the show!
Soon after, Cavett was hired to help with the show. He started as a talent coordinator. This meant he helped find guests for the show. He even wrote a famous introduction for actress Jayne Mansfield.
In 1961, Cavett appeared on the show himself. He acted as an interpreter for Miss Universe, Marlene Schmidt from Germany.
While working there, Cavett wrote a letter to the famous comedian Stan Laurel. They became friends, and Cavett visited Laurel many times. Cavett also met Woody Allen and Groucho Marx through his work. Years later, Cavett introduced Groucho Marx at a big show at Carnegie Hall.
Cavett continued writing for The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson became the host. He wrote many funny lines for Carson. After leaving The Tonight Show, Cavett also wrote for Jerry Lewis's talk show.
Becoming a Stand-up Comedian
In 1964, Cavett started performing as a stand-up comedian. He performed at famous clubs like The Bitter End in New York. One of his jokes was: "I went to a Chinese-German restaurant. The food is great, but an hour later you're hungry for power."
He also did voiceovers for commercials. He appeared on game shows like What's My Line. He wrote for and appeared on Merv Griffin's talk show. He also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1968, ABC hired Cavett to host a morning show called This Morning. The show was very smart and soon moved to a late-night slot. This put him against Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show.
Hosting The Dick Cavett Show
Since 1968, Dick Cavett has hosted his own talk show. It has been on different TV and radio networks. These include ABC (1968–1974), CBS (1975), PBS (1977–1982), and CNBC (1989–1996).
Cavett has been nominated for many Emmy Awards and has won three. His most popular show was on ABC, from 1969 to 1974. He was known as "the thinking man's talk show host." Critics praised him for being a great listener and having smart conversations. He could also stay calm when guests had strong disagreements.
His show often featured interesting and sometimes controversial guests. He would sometimes bring together people with very different opinions. For example, he hosted a debate about the Vietnam War in 1971.
Cavett also welcomed many pop stars to his show. These included David Bowie, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. He won an Emmy Award for his musical and variety shows. In 2005, a DVD set called The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons was released. It showed interviews and performances by rock musicians from his show.
Clips from his TV shows have appeared in movies. These include Annie Hall (1977), Forrest Gump (1994), and Apollo 13 (1995). Cavett was surprised to see himself in Apollo 13!
Later TV Appearances
Cavett appeared as himself in other TV shows, like The Odd Couple. He also hosted Saturday Night Live in 1976. He had small roles in movies like Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977).
In the 1980s, he appeared in shows like Kate & Allie and Cheers. He even had a cameo in the horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. In Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988), he played a character who was not himself. Cavett often appeared on TV game shows like What's My Line? and To Tell the Truth.
He narrated a documentary series for HBO called Time Was, which looked at different decades. In 1981, he traveled to Sweden to interview the pop group ABBA. This special was called Dick Cavett Meets ABBA.
In 1995, Cavett lent his voice to The Simpsons episode "Homie the Clown".
From 2000 to 2002, he was the narrator in a Broadway show called The Rocky Horror Show. In 2003, he was featured in a documentary about his home in Montauk, New York, which burned down and was rebuilt.
In 2011, Cavett appeared in a documentary about Woody Allen for PBS. In 2012, he was a guest at a birthday celebration for Sir Noël Coward in New York. Coward had been a guest on Cavett's show in 1970.
In 2014, Cavett starred in a play in New York City. It was based on a real event from his show in 1980. In January 2020, Cavett appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He talked about his career and his friendship with Muhammad Ali.
His Impact on Television
When Dick Cavett was a guest on Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2020, Stephen Colbert said he was a huge fan. Colbert explained that Cavett's way of interviewing people was very honest. He had interesting guests and asked deep questions. Colbert said Cavett was a big influence on his own career.
Books by Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett has written several books. He co-authored two books with Christopher Porterfield: Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983). He also wrote a blog for The New York Times. Later, he published books based on his columns, including Talk Show (2010) and Brief Encounters (2014).
Personal Life
Family Life
While studying at Yale School of Drama, Dick Cavett met Caroline Nye McGeoy, known as Carrie Nye. They got married in New York in 1964. They were married until Carrie's death in 2006. In 2010, Cavett married author Martha Rogers in New Orleans. He has two stepchildren from this marriage. Cavett and Rogers live in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Health Discussions
Cavett has openly talked about his experiences with depression. He has shared how he sought treatment for this illness. He once described a severe episode he had in 1980. He has spoken positively about the treatment he received. He was also part of a video in 1993 about living with depression.
Images for kids
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Dick Cavett and Jack Paar
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Cavett, Alan King and Johnny Carson in 1968
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With Anthony Quinn in 1971
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Cavett in 2008
