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Paul Shaffer

Acting

Born November 28, 1949 · Fort William, Ontario, Canada

Biography

Paul Shaffer is a Canadian musician, composer, vocalist, and band leader, among the highlights being the de facto leader of the early Saturday Night Live house band, and serving for 33 years (1982-2015) as the leader of David Letterman's house band.

Filmography43 titles

Marty, Life Is Short

2026as Self

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd

2005as Blues Brothers Band (archive footage)

How I Met Your Mother

2005as Paul Shaffer

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music

2025as Self - SNL Band Member 1975 - 1980

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice

2019as Self (archive footage)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

2001as Paul Shaffer

Hollywood Squares

1998as Self - Panelist

The Masked Singer

2019as Skeleton

Hercules

1997as Hermes (voice)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962as Self

This Is Spinal Tap

1984as Artie Fufkin

Celebrity Ghost Stories

2008as Self

Love, Gilda

2018as Self

Man on the Moon

1999as Letterman Band (uncredited)

My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

2022Original Music Composer

CBS News Sunday Morning

1979as Self

I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not

2025as Self

Hercules

1998as Hermes (voice)

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self - Various Characters

Scrooged

1988as Street Musician

Jeopardy!

1984as Self

Always at The Carlyle

2018as Self

SNL50: The Homecoming Concert

2025as Self

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

2025as Artie Fufkin

Spector

as Self

Running Wilde

2010as Self

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015as Self - Musical Guest

Gilda Live

1980as Don Kirshner / Arnie Schnachtman / Student Body President / The Candy Slice Group

My Next Guest with David Letterman and Shah Rukh Khan

2019Original Music Composer

Flash Gordon

as Dr. Zarkov (voice)

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014as Self - Musical Guest

Being Canadian

2015as Self

Look Who's Talking Too

1990as Taxi Businessman

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003as Self

Blues Brothers 2000

1998as Marco

A Very Murray Christmas

2015as Paul Schaffer

The Concert for New York City

2001as Self

Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man

2020as Self

Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens

2016as Paul Shaffer

The View

1997as Self

The Voice That Rocked America: The Dick Biondi Story

2023as Self

Bachman

2018as Self