Lorne Michaels Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lorne Michaels CC
Michaels at the 2021 Kennedy Center Honors
Born	Lorne David Lipowitz (1944-11-17) November 17, 1944 (age 80) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Citizenship	USA Canada
Occupation	Producer writer comedian
Years active	1968–present
Known for	Saturday Night Live Late Night The Kids in the Hall The Tonight Show
Spouse(s)	Rosie Shuster (m. 1967; div. 1980) Susan Forristal (m. 1981; div. 1987) Alice Barry (m. 1991)
Children	3

Lorne Michaels CC is a famous Canadian-American television writer and producer. He was born Lorne David Lipowitz on November 17, 1944. He is best known for creating and producing the popular comedy show Saturday Night Live (often called SNL). He also produced other well-known shows like the Late Night series, The Kids in the Hall, and The Tonight Show.

Lorne Michaels has won many awards. He has received 21 Primetime Emmy Awards from 106 nominations. This means he holds the record for the most nominations in the history of the Emmy Awards!

Lorne Michaels' Early Life
Lorne Michaels' Career Journey
Lorne Michaels' Personal Life
Honors and Awards for Lorne Michaels
Images for kids
See also

Lorne Michaels' Early Life

Lorne Michaels was born on November 17, 1944. There are different stories about where he was born. Some sources say he was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Others say he was born in British Palestine (now Israel). They say his Jewish family moved to Toronto when he was a baby.

Lorne grew up in Toronto with his two younger brothers and sisters. He went to Forest Hill Collegiate Institute for high school. In 1966, he graduated from University College, Toronto, where he studied English.

Lorne Michaels' Career Journey

Starting Out in Television

Lorne Michaels began his career working for CBC Radio in Canada. He was a writer and also worked on broadcasts. In 1968, he moved to Los Angeles. There, he wrote for popular American TV shows like Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show.

In the early 1970s, Lorne also starred in a comedy show in Canada. It was called The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour. He created it with his friend Hart Pomerantz.

Creating Saturday Night Live

Michaels at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

In 1975, Lorne Michaels created a new TV show called NBC's Saturday Night. He worked with Dick Ebersol and Herb Schlosser to make it happen. In 1977, the show changed its name to Saturday Night Live (SNL). Another show had a similar name at first, but it was canceled.

SNL is performed live in front of an audience. It quickly became known for being fresh and exciting. It helped many comedians become famous stars in the United States.

Lorne Michaels was the first producer of SNL. He also wrote for the show. Later, he became the executive producer, which means he oversees everything. Sometimes, he even appears on the show himself. He is known for his calm, serious humor.

SNL has won many awards over the years. It has been nominated for over 156 Emmy Awards and has won 36! It is one of the most popular late-night TV shows. Lorne Michaels has been with SNL for almost every season. He took a break in the early 1980s, but then he came back.

During the first season of SNL, Lorne Michaels made a funny offer. He offered The Beatles $3,000 to reunite and perform on the show. He later raised the offer to $3,200. The band members, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, were actually watching the show together that night! They thought about going, but it was too late. This funny moment was later made into a TV movie called Two of Us.

Other Projects and Shows

In 1979, Lorne Michaels started his own company called Broadway Video. This company has produced SNL since 1981. It has also produced other shows, like the Canadian comedy show The Kids in the Hall. This show started in Canada in 1988 and came to the US in 1989.

While Lorne was away from SNL in the 1980s, he created another sketch comedy show. It was called The New Show and aired in 1984. However, it was canceled after only nine episodes.

Lorne Michaels is also the executive producer of the NBC show Late Night. He was also an executive producer for other popular shows like 30 Rock and Up All Night.

In 2013, it was announced that Lorne Michaels would become the executive producer for The Tonight Show. Because of this, The Tonight Show moved to New York in 2014. It is now called The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Lorne Michaels' Personal Life

Lorne Michaels has been married three times and has three children. In the 1960s, he started dating Rosie Shuster. She was the daughter of his comedy mentor, Frank Shuster. Rosie later worked with Lorne as a writer on Saturday Night Live. They were married in 1967 and divorced in 1980.

In 1981, he married model Susan Forristal. That marriage ended in 1987. Lorne Michaels is now married to Alice Barry, who used to be his assistant. They got married in 1991. His children are named Henry, Eddie, and Sophie.

Lorne Michaels became a citizen of the United States in 1987. In 2002, he was given a high honor in Canada called the Order of Canada.

In 2025, Lorne Michaels donated his old papers and work to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. These items will be available for people to study in January 2026.

Honors and Awards for Lorne Michaels

Michaels' star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

Lorne Michaels has received many important awards and honors for his work.

In 1999, he was added to the Television Hall of Fame. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Also in 1999, he received an honorary degree from Ryerson University.
In 2003, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
In 2004, he was given the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. This award is given by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
In 2006, he received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award. This is Canada's highest honor for people in the performing arts.
In 2008, Lorne Michaels won a Webby for Film & Video Lifetime Achievement. When he accepted the award, he was only allowed to say five words. His speech was: "Five words is not enough."
In 2012, he received a special Peabody Award.
In December 2021, Lorne Michaels was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.
In 2022, he received another Peabody Award for his work on the comedy series Los Espookys. He was also nominated for a Peabody Award for producing Documentary Now!.

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.)	Awarded on: May 11, 2018; This is a promotion within the order
	Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.)	Awarded on: May 1, 2002 Invested on: February 21, 2003
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada	2002: As a member of the Order of Canada, he was also awarded with The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada	2012: As a member of the Order of Canada, he was also awarded with The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
	Presidential Medal of Freedom	On November 22, 2016, Michaels was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States's highest civilian honor.