Arsenio Hall Age, Height, Partner, Net Worth & Biography

Arsenio Hall is an American comedian, actor and talk show host best known as the host of The Arsenio Hall Show, the late-night talk show that ran from 1989 to 1994 and that brought hip-hop and young Black culture to late-night television, and as Semmi in Coming to America. Born on February 12, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio, Hall, 70, has built a career in comedy, film and television that includes Harlem Nights, The Real Ghostbusters and a win on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Quick Facts

Who Is Arsenio Hall?

Arsenio Hall is a comedian, actor and talk show host whose late-night show changed the landscape of American television. As the host of The Arsenio Hall Show (1989-1994), Hall brought a younger, more diverse audience to late-night television, booking hip-hop artists, R&B stars and young comedians who were rarely seen on other talk shows, and his signature gesture – pumping his fist and shouting “Woof, woof, woof!” – became a catchphrase around the country. The show’s most famous moment came in 1992, when presidential candidate Bill Clinton played the saxophone on the show, wearing sunglasses, a moment that helped Clinton connect with younger voters.

Beyond his talk show, Hall has shown a wide range. He played Semmi, the best friend and loyal servant of Prince Akeem, in Coming to America (1988), opposite Eddie Murphy, and he reprised the role in Coming 2 America (2021). He starred in Harlem Nights (1989), alongside Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, and he voiced Winston Zeddemore in The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1987), the animated series based on the film Ghostbusters. He won the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012, raising money for the Magic Johnson Foundation.

Early Life & Background

Arsenio Hall was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Fred Hall, a Baptist minister, and Anne Hall. He grew up in Cleveland, where he attended Warrensville Heights High School. He went on to study at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1977, and he began performing stand-up comedy while he was a student, appearing at clubs in Cleveland and in Chicago.

He moved to Chicago and then to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy, and he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where his stand-up comedy made him a star. He became a regular on Solid Gold (1982-1983), a music television show, and he hosted his own talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which premiered in 1989. He has a son, Arsenio Hall Jr., born in 1999, with his former partner, Cheryl Bon.

Career

Hall’s career in film and television includes Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Coming to America, Harlem Nights, The Real Ghostbusters, Blankman (1994), The Arsenio Hall Show (1989-1994, 2013-2014), The Celebrity Apprentice (2012), Coming 2 America, and Bupkis (2023). He won the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice, and he has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program for The Arsenio Hall Show.

He returned to late-night television in 2013, with a revival of The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran for one season, from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in Black Dynamite (2009), in The New Honeymooners, and in Bupkis, a comedy series starring Pete Davidson. He is known for his work as a comedian, as a talk show host, and for a career that has lasted for more than forty years.

Facts About Arsenio Hall

• He hosted The Arsenio Hall Show from 1989 to 1994, and a revival ran from 2013 to 2014.
• He played Semmi in Coming to America (1988) and Coming 2 America (2021).
• He won the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012.
• Bill Clinton famously played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1992.
• He voiced Winston Zeddemore in The Real Ghostbusters animated series.

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