He worked part-time as a receptionist at a drug rehabilitation center until February 1984, when his supervisor learned of his employment with NBC and his resulting ineligibility for the position (as it was part of a program designed for those who made under $6,000 a year) and asked him to resign.
His late-blossoming television career began with a New York University student film project called King of the Zs, by future Letterman writers Stephen Winer and Karl Tiedemann, who brought him along when they joined the Late Night writing staff.
[2] The Associated Press noted: "DeForest's gnomish face was the first to greet viewers when Letterman's NBC show debuted on February 1, 1982, offering a parody of the prologue to the Boris Karloff film Frankenstein.
The character's teenage son, Troy "Chipper" Melman (who rarely spoke, and usually just coughed uncontrollably) was seen occasionally alongside his father in various ads.
Outside the pre-taped ads, Melman would sometimes be given odd chores to perform by Letterman, such as handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
As a result of his frequent appearances, he became hugely popular with fans of Late Night, often being greeted with loud cheers and applause before even speaking.
DeForest often "drew laughs by his bizarre juxtaposition as a Late Show correspondent at events such as the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway and the Woodstock anniversary concert that year.
Letterman noted after DeForest's death: "Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself: a genuine, modest, and nice man.
In 1999, he recorded the lounge compilation CD Calvert DeForest's Erotic Experience, a collection of cover songs, released on October 12, 1999 by Mars Entertainment.
[11] DeForest also appeared on the albums Americana and Ixnay on the Hombre by The Offspring, doing some of the voices that can be heard before and after certain tracks (examples are: “Hand Grenades,” “Change the World,” and “Cocktails”.)
[12] After years of poor health, DeForest died at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York, on Long Island, on March 19, 2007.