Calvert DeForest, the actor who immortalized over 90 different characters as Larry 'Bud' Melman, has moved to CBS with David Letterman and the "Late Show" gang. The man who introduced such memorable moments as: The Big Man, Ask Mr. Melman, Toast On A Stick, and being hurled through the Berlin Wall, now has his own web site, www.calvertdeforest.com.
"How did Dave discover Calvert?" Calvert starred as a crazy movie mogul in an N.Y.U. graduate student film called King Of The Zs which, unbeknownst to Calvert, was submitted to David Letterman by filmmakers as a writing sample. Well, not only did the filmmakers get hired, but Dave discovered the perfect straight man for his irreverent off-the-wall humor. Calvert dismissed Dave's first telegram to audition as a practical joke...Later, Calvert opened the very first segment in 1982!
Lee DeForest, Calvert's great uncle, invented the 3-element vacuum tube, which set the stage for the creation of radio and television - without which Calvert would never have brought to life his 90-plus memorable characters, and wouldn't be the cult hero to his millions of fans today!
Yes, the ill-fated trip to Central America with Calvert as Dave's "Goodwill Ambassador" was real. And yes, that was Calvert truly pleading with Dave on the phone to "Please let me come home".
There are too many favorite moments to single out, but here's a try: "Hanging" with Bette Davis backstage; The Big Man; Toast On A Stick; as Roy Orbison; in a bird suit asking for change; handing out hot towels at New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal; Viewer Mail; and of course, opening the first "Late Show" on CBS.
Calvert is an avid film and theater buff. He attends many fund-raising events and loves to travel. As a real life "goodwill" ambassador, he books several hugely-successful personal appearances all over the United States and Canada at colleges, radio stations, and nightclubs. To watch huge crowds "go nuts" when he walks into a venue or even down a street, you can easily understand why Calvert says "I feel like Elvis, ha ha hah!"
Calvert receives over two hundred pieces of fan mail and over two dozen interview requests a week. He was voted one of the top ten celebrities among college students and is constantly being told "Cal, you're my hero!"
Why? Because he's good, damn good!
