Alan Kalter, the legendary on-air announcer with a melodramatic flair for two decades of “The Late Show with David Letterman,” died Monday at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. He was 78.
The veteran hype man’s wife Peggy Kalter confirmed his passing to the Hollywood Reporter. Kalter’s official cause of death has not yet been shared by his family.
The bombastic, ginger-haired voice-over talent had scores of A-list credits — but he remained especially loyal to the gap-toothed Hoosier who made him something of a household name for several decades.
“He’s a perfectionist,” Kalter told The Post before Letterman’s iconic final episode aired in 2015. “He keeps the people that are doing the job they were hired to do. He’s very complimentary when you do a good job.”
The 1964 Hobart College in Geneva, NY, grad later attended law school at NYU and taught English and public speaking in high school on Long Island for a number of years before launching his broadcasting career at the late, great NYC radio station WHN.
Then came the game show circuit: Kalter was the announcer on classics such as “To Tell the Truth,” “The Money Maze” (taped at The Ed Sullivan Theater, his future place of employment on Broadway) and “The $25,000 Pyramid.” The latter gig is where he met Letterman, who was a guest celebrity on the show. He also specialized in voiceovers for hundreds of national commercials — including the Michelin Man!
RIP.
Source: NY Post
