"There is no off position on the genius switch."
~ David Letterman
There have been many late-night talk show hosts in the world but there hasn't been anyone quite like David Letterman. He blows 'em all right out of the water.
He is known for his unique sense of humor -- and he is known to be tall as well.
It was always funny that when an actor of the taller variety would come to the Late Show like Kevin Costner (6'1"), Clint Eastwood (6'3½"), Harrison Ford (6'¾" in his prime), etc, would come out on stage, Dave would wait comfortably behind his desk for them to come over and he'd shake their hands from there.
But when an actor of the shorter variety would approach the stage... like Tom Cruise (5'8"), Mel Gibson (5'9½"), Sylvester Stallone (5'9"), etc.., Dave would rush out and meet them halfway and shake hands, and actually pausing for what appeared to be a photoshoot.
That's David Letterman for you ladies and gentlemen -- he liked to rub it.
Anyway, David had mentioned his height a few times as 6-feet-2 inches. After taking a careful look at him and comparing his height to that of many other celebrities, we think he might have been just a fraction below it.
Though now in his mid-seventies, Dave seems to have lost some height with age as well.
The height of David Letterman was
6'1¾" or 187.5 cm
Present height is 6'½" or 187 cm
 |
| David Letterman |
For reference, here is the average human height around the world.
| Country | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 5'4" | 4'11" |
| India | 5'5½" | 5'½" |
| Mexico | 5'6½" | 5'1½" |
| China | 5'6½" | 5'1½" |
| Japan | 5'7½" | 5'2½" |
| Brazil | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| Russia | 5'9" | 5'3¾" |
| United States | 5'9¼" | 5'4" |
| United Kingdom | 5'9½" | 5'4¼" |
| Canada | 5'10" | 5'4½" |
| Australia | 5'10" | 5'4½" |
| Germany | 5'10½" | 5'5" |
| Sweden | 5'11" | 5'5½" |
| Netherlands | 5'11½" | 5'6" |
Data was collected from official sources wherever possible. A more detailed chart can be found here.
"There's only one requirement of any of us, and that is to be courageous. Because courage, as you might know, defines all other human behavior. And, I believe - because I've done a little of this myself - pretending to be courageous is just as good as the real thing."
~ David Letterman