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Steve Allen

Popular entertainment's jack-of-all-trades for more than 50 years, Steve Allen amassed a truly amazing body of work as an incredibly prolific talk show host, comedian, composer, actor, recording artist, playwright, lecturer and author. Emerging from the world of radio in the late-1940s, Allen moved to television where he hosted "Tonight Starring Steve Allen" (NBC, 1953-57), the late night talk show that laid the groundwork for Carson, Letterman and Leno. Also a talented musician, he composed over 8,000 songs in his lifetime, including the popular jazz standard "The Gravy Waltz" and his biggest hit, "This Could Be the Start of Something Big." For a time, he competed successfully opposite Ed Sullivan, even scooping the TV giant with Elvis Presley's first appearance on network television for an infamous performance on "The Steve Allen Show" (NBC, 1956-1960). In addition to his many stints as a talk/variety show host, he appeared as the emcee on the popular game show "I've Got a Secret" (CBS, 1964-1973), as well as the educational program "Meeting of Minds" (PBS, 1977-1981). If anything, Allen picked up the pace in the years after what many considered his heyday, recording several albums as a jazz pianist, writing more than 50 books and making the occasional acting appearance in productions like "St. Elsewhere" (NBC, 1982-88) and "Casino" (1995). Rightfully hailed as classic television's Renaissance man, Steve Allen earned his legendary status with a career so vast and varied, it nearly defied categorization.