Overview (2)

Mini Bio (1)

Arsenio Hall was born on February 12, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Coming to America (1988), Black Dynamite (2009) and Martial Law (1998).



Trivia (18)



Arsenio Hall (as a character named Chunky A) put out an album entitled "Large and In Charge". Paula Abdul Wil Wheaton and Ice-T are among the guests that appear on the album.



He was a member of Ohio University's forensics (competitive speech) team. The team has also had Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson) and Leon Harris (morning anchor, CNN) as members.

Attended Kent State University, where he received his Bachelor's degree in Speech (1977).





Attended and graduated from Warrensville Heights High School in Warrensville Heights, Ohio (1973). Yvette Nicole Brown graduated from the high school in 1989.



In 1987, he was the most popular of several rotating guests who replaced Joan Rivers as host of the fledgling Fox network's new late night talk show, The Late Show (1986) after Rivers was fired. He later got his own show syndicated by Paramount, The Arsenio Hall Show (1989). Hall and Rivers are good friends, and Hall had Rivers as a guest on his new show at Paramount.

As a teenager, he was an accomplished magician.



Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 202-204. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387



Received an honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) from Central State University in spring 1992.





He was the Master of Ceremonies at the Sheba Lounge in Chicago, late 1970s and early 1980s. Praised and encouraged to pursue a professional career by singer Nancy Wilson , for whom he did an opening act.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6776 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 7, 1990.





He hosted the early pilot episodes of the American daytime version of the game show Deal or No Deal (2005).



Famous for a headlining story in "Entertainment Weekly" magazine, in which he declared he would "kick Leno's ass" in the ratings when his late-night talk show went up against Jay Leno 's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). Hall's show was canceled shortly after being trampled by Leno's ratings.

Has one son with Cheryl Bonacci: Arsenio Cheron Hall Jr. (born 1999).





Before he had a successful talk show, legendary comedienne Joan Rivers had used him for The Late Show (1986), as her replacement. Fortunately for Hall, he only got the job, because she left the show, because of the way the producers had been taken advantaged of her.



Close friends with Eddie Murphy

Personal Quotes (4)

(on whether he has ever been married) No. I've never understood what the upside of marriage would be for me personally. I love being in a relationship, but marriage isn't for me.



My name is Arsenio. That's a very unique name for a black man. In Greek, it means Leroy.



If I was a guy who had never done a talk show before, you could say, "What's this [2013] show going to be?". But this is going to look like Arsenio took a long hiatus - a long, long hiatus - but I came back, and redid the set... I'm not going to take people from Jay [Leno], from [Jimmy] Kimmel, from Conan [O'Brien]. My audience is going to come from iPads, from radios. It's going to be coming from people who don't have a talk-show host... I'm doing this for a second time, and people are saying "Is he out of his mind?".



[on his current 2013 talk show] You ever seen little black girls doing double Dutch? There's always one little girl standing, waiting to get in. And you've got to get your rhythm. That's what I've been doing. I've been doing this: waiting to get back in... You need to not let that rope hit your feet. I'm making sure I'm not fat and out of shape - so I can endure.



Salary (1)