Alan Kalter (March 21, 1943 โ October 4, 2021) was an American announcer and voice actor. He is best known for hosting the Late Show with David Letterman program from 1995 to 2015 and appearing in the program's comedy sketches.
He was born in the Brooklyn district of New York. He taught high school English on Long Island in the late 1960s, then moved into radio. He rose to prominence in broadcasting as the announcer of New York-based game shows; These works included To Tell the Truth and a version of the Pyramid series. He also worked on commercial voice-overs; He lent his voice to Michelin's mascot character and was the announcer of the USA Network channel for a long time.
Late Show era
When the show's previous announcer, Bill Wendell, retired, Letterman's team hired him after hearing Kalter's audio recording. His duties, which he started in September 1995, lasted until Letterman's last broadcast on May 20, 2015. Kalter not only introduced the guests and the presenter; He became a quirky character who sang in scripted skits and teased Letterman in his self-titled fake celebrity interviews. Letterman called him the best announcer on television.
Kalter died at the age of 78 on October 4, 2021, at a hospital in Stamford, Connecticut.
