Alan Kalter, or "Big Red," began his stint as the "voice" of The Late Show with David Letterman on September 5, 1995. He announces the guests at the top of each show and acts in occasional comedic sketches often while wearing an Elvis-style sequined jumpsuit.
Kalter has done hundreds of voiceovers for national radio and television commercials, and was also the lead continuity voice for the USA Network throughout much of the 1980s. Previously, he was the announcer for many New York-based television shows including To Tell the Truth, The $10,000 Pyramid, The Money Maze, and The $128,000 Question. Of note: all of those series (except The Money Maze) were taped at some point in the Ed Sullivan Theater, where The Late Show is now produced. A further coincidence: Kalter replaced the same man, Bill Wendell, as announcer on both Truth and Letterman.
Kalter is a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and raised in Little Neck and Cedarhurst. He was an English teacher at Baldwin High School on Long Island in the late 1960s, and is also the voice of the Michelin Man.
On The Late Show with David Letterman, Kalter often performs in comedy bits where he is portrayed alternatively as a sexual deviant or as a powerless sap who is often beat-up to within inches of his life. Usually in these skits, Letterman will set up a premise based on a current event and ask Kalter about it. Kalter then begins a monologue where he speaks directly to the camera in a sexually provocative manner. Letterman then interrupts Kalter and chides him for behaving inappropriately. Kalter then says the punch-line of the bit by making a provocative quip to Letterman.
Filmography
- Get Well Soon (2001) .... Announcer
- "Late Show with David Letterman" (1995 - Present) TV Series (announcer)
- 45th Annual Grammy Awards, The (2003) (TV) (voice) .... Announcer
- "To Tell the Truth" (1980) TV Series .... Announcer
- "$128,000 Question, The" (1976) TV Series (uncredited) .... Announcer
- "Moneymaze, The" (1974) TV Series .... Announcer
- "$10,000 Pyramid, The" (1973) TV Series .... Guest Announcer (1979)
- "To Tell the Truth" (1969) TV Series .... Substitute Annoucer (1976-1978)
Notable TV Guest Appearances
- "Ed" (2000) playing "Roger Gable" in episode: "Power of the Person" (episode # 2.20) 1 May 2002
- "Ed" (2000) playing "Principal Gable" in episode: "The Test" (episode # 1.18) 4 April 2001