David Brenner

American comedian, actor and author David Brenner is credited with making the greatest number of guest appearances (158) on The Tonight Show.

Brenner admitted to Howard Stern, during an interview on the The Howard Stern Show, that he would turn 73 on February 4, 2009, ending years of speculation about his disputed birth date. Some accounts listed the date as February 4, 1945, and others stated it was February 4, 1936.Gather.com: How Old is Comedian... (February 3, 2009)

Prior to Brenner's national television debut on The Tonight Show, he wrote, directed and produced over 100 television documentaries, earning an Emmy Award for one of them. He followed that work with stand-up comedy performances in New York, leading to his career launch as a comedian on The Tonight Show. In 1989, Brenner was the star of The Laughs and Times of David Brenner, a one-man show on Broadway.

"I was down to 80 cents. I mean really down to 80 cents . . . I had three quarters and a nickel. And I got the phone call giving me my first job as a writer in television for documentaries. And I took the three quarters and the nickel and I put it in a rag, and I thought, someday I'm going to put these coins on black velvet and a sterling silver frame with a sterling silver placard that will read: "Lest we forget."Chicago Tribune: David Brenner's Home... (November 16, 2008)