Jay Leno will receive the Vanguard Award at next month’s Burbank International Film Festival, organizers announced Monday.
The prolific standup comic and longtime host of “The Tonight Show” will be honored as part of the festival’s awards gala at the Marriott Burbank on Aug. 8.
Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi will declare Aug. 8 Jay Leno Day in the city and issue a special proclamation recognizing the comedian’s impact on the city.
Leno hosted the “The Tonight Show” at NBC Studios in Burbank for more than 20 years, and the city is home to his famous garage housing more than 100 rare cars. He also performs regularly at Flappers Comedy Club in downtown Burbank.
The 76-year-old Leno will participate in a roughly hour-long conversation about his career moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, the publication reported Monday.
“Jay Leno represents the very best of the entertainment industry,” BIFF president Anna Maybury said in a statement. “His contributions to television have shaped generations of comedy and late-night entertainment, while his dedication to philanthropy demonstrates the character and generosity that inspire us all.”
Born in New Rochelle, New York, Leno grew up in Massachusetts, attending Andover High School and later Emerson College in Boston. He performed standup in comedy clubs throughout the 1970s and had a few small parts on sitcoms before he first appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson in 1977.
A string of legendary appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman” in the 1980s made him an even bigger star, and he eventually guest-hosted several times for Carson. In 1992 he emerged the victor in a highly publicized battle with Letterman to take over “The Tonight Show” from the retired Carson.
After a slow start, Leno took the show to No. 1 in the ratings and kept it there for years, until he became involved in another controversial succession imbroglio. Leno gave up the desk to Conan O’Brien in 2009 under a previously agreed arrangement with NBC, only to return as host a year later amid sinking ratings for O’Brien.
The move soured a section of the public on Leno, who was criticized for what many felt was a Machiavellian power grab. Leno continued to host “The Tonight Show,” again atop the ratings, until February 2014, when Jimmy Fallon took over.
He hosted the popular “Jay Leno’s Garage” on CNBC from 2015-23, and continues to perform at local comedy clubs.