Lester Holt, anchor of Weekend Today, was born in March 1959 in Marin County, Calif., and grew up on the West Coast. His heritage includes ties to Jamaica (his grandparents hail from there). Holt graduated from California State University, Sacramento, Calif., where he studied government.

Holt began his broadcast career with CBS in 1981. He worked in New York City for a year before moving to the West Coast and the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles.

Reporting and anchoring stints back in New York and Chicago followed. While in Chicago, he served as anchor and news reporter, covering international and national stories.

In 2000, Holt joined the NBC family by landing at MSNBC. By 2005, he was substitute anchor for NBC Nightly News and Today. By 2007, he was anchoring both the weekend edition of Today and the Nightly News.

Work at NBC and NBC owned stations includes stints with The History Channel and the SyFy channel. Movie and TV fans love Lester's cameos, too. He's appeared in The Fugitive, Miracle on 34th Street, and 30 Rock.

Hold lives in New York City with his wife, Carol, and their two children. He's an avid musician, playing the bass guitar.