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Jimmy Fallon.

James Thomas Fallon

Jimmy Fallon — Actor
Born Brooklyn, United States
Citizenship United States
Age 51 yr Today

14 min read

Reading time

2,641

Words

Published

134

Film credits

4

Awards

TL;DR

Jimmy Fallon joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player in September 1998 and became a Weekend Update anchor alongside Tina Fey in 2000. He took over as host of The Tonight Show in 2014, making him the first permanent host since Steve Allen who had not previously guest-hosted. He earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, known for his celebrity impressions and breaking character.

Identity & family.

KIN · 3

Names, aliases, and relatives of Jimmy Fallon — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name James Thomas Fallon
Nicknames Jimmy
Aliases James T. Fallon, Jimmy
PARENTS
Gloria Rose Fallon
SPOUSES
Nancy Juvonen
CHILDREN
Frances Cole Fallon

At a glance.

STATS

Jimmy Fallon by the numbers — life, work, and family.

51 Age
134 Film credits
4 Awards
1 Marriage
1 Child

Who is Jimmy Fallon?

BIOGRAPHY

Jimmy Fallon — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Jimmy Fallon’s grade school classmates voted him most likely to replace David Letterman, a prophecy he fulfilled when he guest-hosted for Letterman in 2003. Born September 19, 1974 in Brooklyn, New York, to Gloria Rose Fallon and James Fallon Sr., he grew up in Saugerties, New York. He graduated from Saugerties High School in 1992 and earned a degree in communications from the College of Saint Rose in 2009. His ancestry includes Irish, German, and Norwegian descent, with his paternal grandmother born in Germany and a maternal great-grandfather from Norway.

Career

Fallon joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player in 1998, doing impressions of John Lennon and Mick Jagger. In 2000 he became the Weekend Update co-anchor alongside head writer Tina Fey. After leaving SNL in 2004, he acted in films like Fever Pitch 2005 and spoofed music videos at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. He launched Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2009 and took over The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2014, where lip-sync battles and hashtag games became viral hits.

Personal life

Fallon married film producer Nancy Juvonen in 2007, having become engaged that August. They have two daughters via surrogate: Winnie Rose Fallon, born July 23, 2013, and Frances Cole Fallon, born December 3, 2014. He counts Justin Timberlake and Drew Barrymore among his close friends; he and his wife co-own Flower Films with Barrymore. Fallon speaks publicly about his early struggles with alcoholism. He lives in a Gramercy Park building that once housed Margaret Hamilton and James Cagney.

Legacy

Fallon modernized late-night television by embracing digital content and viral moments, such as the lip-sync battle with Tom Cruise to Undercover of the Night. A George Mason University study found he made 231 jokes about President Trump’s first 100 days in office. He is the first permanent host of The Tonight Show since Steve Allen who had not previously served as guest host. His tendency to break character, sometimes called Jimmy Falloning, became a hallmark of his comedic style. He brought youthful energy and musical parody back to late night.

Filmography.

FILMS · 134

Browse the complete filmography of Jimmy Fallon — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

  1. TV Poster for The Boys

    The Boys

  2. TV Poster for Family Guy

    Family Guy

  3. TV Poster for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  4. TV Poster for The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  5. TV Poster for Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  6. TV Poster for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  7. TV Poster for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  8. TV Poster for Conan

    Conan

  9. TV Poster for The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  10. TV Poster for The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  11. TV Poster for Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  12. TV Poster for Gossip Girl

    Gossip Girl

  13. TV Poster for Sesame Street

    Sesame Street

  14. TV Poster for Hot Ones

    Hot Ones

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 3

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Jimmy Fallon — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

  • Primetime Emmy Award
  • Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
  • Diamond Play Button

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 6

A wall of memorable lines from Jimmy Fallon — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

  • I Like to See People Laugh Who Are Normally Serious. Everyone Looks so Much Better When They Smile.

  • ‘Have Fun’ Is My Message. Be Silly. You’re Allowed to Be Silly. There’s Nothing Wrong with It.

  • Time Slot Doesn’t Matter to Me. If People Want to See You, They’ll Find You.

  • The One Thing You Shouldn’t Do Is Try to Tell a Cab Driver How to Get Somewhere.

  • Everyone Looks so Much Better When They Smile.

  • Leno, Conan. They Are Both Really Funny. They Really Know How to Land One.

Did you know?

FACTS · 42

Little-known facts about Jimmy Fallon — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 60

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Jimmy Fallon.

Audited & updated by

Emma Richardson

Senior Editorial Director & Managing Editor

Emma has 8 years of editorial experience and a very clear idea of what a good biography looks like. At Famousy, she runs the editorial operation and decides what meets the bar and what doesn't. She's the kind of editor who remembers the profiles she pushed back on more clearly than the ones she approved. That's not a complaint. That's exactly why the site reads the way it does.

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