Alan Kalter

Alan Robert Kalter (March 21, 1943-October 4, 2021) was an American television announcer from New York City. He is best know as the announcer for the Late Show with David Letterman, a role he held from September 4, 1995 until Letterman's retirement on May 20, 2015. He also hosted Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview that ran concurrently with The Late Show.

Career
Kalter, nicknamed "Big Red" and "TV's Uncle Jerry" by Letterman, began his stint as the "voice" of the Late Show with David Letterman on September 4, 1995 replacing the retiring Bill Wendell. He announced the guests at the top of each show and the one-liner during the Worldwide Pants title card after the credits and regularly acted in comedy sketches.

Kalter did hundreds of voiceovers for national radio and television commercial and was also the lead continuity voice for the USA Network through much of the 1980s (his voice was still heard on USA into the mid-2010s for the network's paid programming disclaimer, until a universal disclaimer for all NBCUniversal Cable Networks was instituted in 2017). He voiced promos for SportsChannel America in the early 1990s.

Previously, he had been the announcer for many New York-based television shows, including To Tell the Truth, The $25,000 Pyramid, The Money Maze and The $128,000 Question. 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. Additionally, episode of Truth announced by Kalter were taped in NBC Studio 6A, where Letterman later originated Late Night. Kalter would replace Bill Wendell as announcer on both Truth and the Late Show. Kalter was also the announcer for the 45th Annual Grammy Awards ceremmony, held in New York in 2003.

Late Show
On the Late Show, Kalter regularly performed in scripted comedy bits in addition to his announcing duties. He was often portrayed alternately as a sexual deviant (often while grinning mischievously) or as a powerless sap who was beaten to within an inch of his life and left rolling on the ground writhing in pain. He was also often compelled to arbitrarily sing, rant in hysteria or disrobe a he walked offstage. In many of the sketches, Kalter's antics left host David Letterman in a state of amusement. disgust or total confusion.

Personal Life
Kalter was born in Brooklyn in 1943 and raised in Little Neck and Cedarhurst, New York. His family was Jewish. He was an English and Public Speaking teacher at Baldwin High School on Long Island in the late 1960s and was also the voice of the Michelin Man. He attended Hobart College in Geneva, New York and began his broadcasting career on local radio stations.

Kalter lived in Stamford, Connecticut. After his longtime marriage to Carol Cepler ended in divorce, he married Peggy Masterson in 2003 (his second marriage). He had two daughters, Lauren Hass and Diana Binger and five grandchildren.

Kalter died at Stamford Hospital on October 4, 2021 at the age of 78.

Goodson-Todman Shows announced
To Tell the Truth (1977-78) To Tell the Truth (1980-81)