Whatever Happened to Dick Cavett?
What To Know
- Dick Cavett, born in 1936, rose from a simple Nebraska childhood to become a celebrated television host, writer, and performer, notably creating The Dick Cavett Show which featured a wide range of iconic guests.
- Throughout his career, Cavett appeared on various TV shows and films, wrote columns and books, and continued to influence the entertainment industry with his wit and insightful interviews.
- Now 89, Cavett lives in Connecticut with his wife Martha Rogers, and his legacy endures through classic interview reruns, ongoing influence on modern hosts, and a lasting online presence.
Dick Cavett, who turns 89 on November 19, 2025, has had an incredible career in TV. The talk show legend is still alive and well, despite a 2020 stroke — in fact, in 2024, he starred in a music video for a song called “Dick Cavett,” written by New Jersey musician Marc Ribler, that honored his incredible history and legacy. And though he’s no longer a constant presence on the big and small screen, as he was for decades, Cavett’s influence can still be felt.
How did Dick Cavett get his start?
Born on November 19, 1936, in Buffalo County, Nebraska, Cavett grew up with two teacher parents who helped him develop a love of performing. By the time he was in high school, he had already directed a radio show, acted in plays, served as student council president, and even won a state gymnastics championship. He later headed to Yale, where he shifted his major from English to drama, performed in campus productions and later decided to go to New York to pursue his career.
Cavett’s break came after he slipped Jack Paar some jokes written on Time magazine stationery, a bold move that got him hired as a writer on The Tonight Show. When Johnny Carson took over, Cavett continued writing for him and even performed a gymnastics routine on the show. From there, he launched his own career on stage and in stand-up.
Those early years led directly to the creation of The Dick Cavett Show, which debuted in 1968 and would run, in one form or another, on ABC, CBS, PBS, USA Network, CNBC, and even TCM. Over the decades, Cavett welcomed an astonishing range of guests, from Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis to Salvador Dalí and Bobby Fischer.
Everett Collection
Cavett continued appearing on television throughout the 1970s and 1980s, whether as himself on The Odd Couple and Saturday Night Live, or in cameos in movies like Annie Hall, Beetlejuice, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. He narrated documentaries, hosted HBO specials, interviewed ABBA in Stockholm, and even played the Narrator in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show. Clips from his interviews have appeared in everything from Forrest Gump to Apollo 13. Cavett once joked about the surreal experience of watching a movie and suddenly realizing he was in it.
Everett Collection
Later in life, he started writing impressive columns for The New York Times, opening up about everything from show business memories to his lifelong battle with depression. He also wrote books, co-written with Christopher Porterfield, which allowed him to dig even deeper into the stories behind his career, including friendships with icons like Groucho Marx. In the 2000s and 2010s, Cavett hosted reruns of his classic interviews on TCM, appeared in documentaries, and brought his 1980 episode with Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman to the stage in the off-Broadway production Hellman v. McCarthy.
Where is Dick Cavett now?
Cavett married actress Carrie Nye in 1964; the pair stayed together until she died in 2006. Four years later, he married author Martha Rogers, and the two now live in Ridgefield, Connecticut. For many years, the couple also spent time in Montauk, where Cavett rebuilt his home after a devastating fire and later sold the property in 2021. While his public appearances have slowed in recent years due to his age, Cavett’s influence still shows up everywhere. Stephen Colbert has openly credited him as an inspiration, and younger generations continue discovering his interviews online, proving his popularity is still going strong.
In a far-ranging 2025 interview with The Flatwater Free Press, Cavett reflected on his talk show success: “I just thought people would be interested in a wide range of stuff and luckily they were.” He also claimed that his signature wide-ranging conversation style has been inspired by advice he received from mentor Paar. “The best advice I ever got, which Jack Paar gave me,” said Cavett, “was, ‘Kid, don’t ever do an interview, make conversation.’ That’s what Jack did.”
Cavett also commented on his recovery from his 2020 stroke, noting that “I don’t feel permanently dramatically scarred or wounded by it. A lot of people cannot say that. A stroke is a wicked, wicked thing.”
Remind 
Classic Comedy Duos
March 2021
Chuckle at television & films funniest comic duos.
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