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Lester Holt, wearing a red apron, cooking on Weekend Today.

Lester Holt (born March 8, 1959 in Marin County, California) is a popular news broadcaster in the United States, beginning as a local Chicago news anchor and presently is the host of NBC's "Weekend Today" seen on Saturday and Sunday mornings on most NBC stations and affiliates, and is the weekend anchor of "NBC Nightly News."

From 1981-1982, he was a reporter on WCBS-TV in New York City. In 1982, he became a reporter and weekend anchor on KNXT in Los Angeles. He came back to WCBS-TV in 1983 as a reporter and weekend anchor.

In 1986, Holt began working with WBBM-TV in Chicago where he spent 14 years anchoring the evening news. Holt not only worked at the anchor desk, he also reported extensively from trouble spots around the world including Iraq, Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador and Haiti.

In 2000, Holt joined MSNBC and in August 2005 assumed full-time duties at NBC News, where in addition to his work on "Weekend TODAY," he reports for "NBC Nightly News" and "TODAY." Holt from time to time fills-in for Matt Lauer on The Today Show.

In 2003, Holt began full-time with Weekend Today when NBC News correspondent and "Weekend Today" host David Bloom died in Iraq.

In 2003, Holt became the co-anchor of NBC's "Weekend Today." Until late 2005, Holt also anchored a 2-hour daily newscast on MSNBC.

On May 9, 2007, Holt was named anchor of the weekend edition of NBC Nightly News, succeeding John Seigenthaler. He will continue to co-anchor Weekend Today.

In 2007, Holt hosted a special for The History Channel about 9/11 conspiracy theories. The special aired August 20, 2007.

1990 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award for his work on CBS's “48 Hours: No Place Like Home.”

• In 1993 Holt appeared in the motion picture The Fugitive as a newscaster.
• In 1994 Holt appeared in the motion picture Miracle on 34th Street as a newscaster.
• In 1996 Holt appeared in the motion picture Primal Fear as WBBM anchor Lester Holt.
• In 1999 Holt appeared in the television show Early Edition, episode Fate, as a reporter.
• Holt announced the 2006 and 2007 westminster dog show for USA Networks*
• In the "30 Rock" episode "Cleveland", he played himself anchoring a NBC newscast, but when he turns towards another camera he looks straight towards a paranoid Tracy Jordan, who was watching the newscast, and told him that "The Black Crusaders", a group of African-American performers, are going to get him (Tracy believes that this "group" exists).

• Holt is a musician, playing the Bass.[1]

He graduated from Cordova High School, Rancho Cordova, CA in 1977 [2] and holds a degree in government from California State University in Sacramento. [3]

• Lester Holt at the Internet Movie Database
• Lester Holt at MSNBC