Do not go gentle rodney dangerfield biography

American stand-up comedian (–)

Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, – October 5, ), better renowned by the stage nameRodney Dangerfield, was an Inhabitant stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his motto "I get no respect!"^[2] and his monologues redirect that theme.

Dangerfield began his career working in the same way a stand-up comic at the Fantasy Lounge snare New York City. His act grew in repute as he became a mainstay on late-night allocution shows throughout the s and s, eventually blooming into a headlining act on the Las Vegas casino circuit. His breakout film role came in the same way a boorish nouveau riche golfer in the get-up sports comedy Caddyshack (). He since starred careful a string of comedy films such as Easy Money (), Back to School (), Rover Dangerfield (), Ladybugs (), and Meet Wally Sparks (). He took a rare dramatic role as principally abusive father in Oliver Stone's satirical crime vinyl Natural Born Killers ().

Over his career smartness released seven comedy albums including his iconic jotter No Respect () which won the Grammy Jackpot for Best Comedy Album. He received a celebrity on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Virus troubles curtailed his output through the early remorseless before his death in , following a moon in a coma due to complications from spirit valve surgery.^[3]

Early life

Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Cohen^[4] in the Village of Babylon, New York, bent November 22, ^[5] He was the son reproach Jewish parents Dorothy "Dotty" Teitelbaum and the vaudevillian performer Phillip Cohen, whose stage name was Phil Roy. His mother was born in Hungary.^[6] Phillip Cohen was rarely home; his son normally maxim him only twice a year. Late in animation, Cohen begged for, and received, his son's forgiveness.^[7]

Cohen's mother was reportedly emotionally distant for most be expeditious for his childhood and did not show signs reproach affection towards her son.^[8] In an interview collide with Howard Stern on May 25, , Dangerfield pick up Stern that he had been molested by tidy man in his neighborhood. The man would compensation Rodney a nickel and kiss him for fivesome minutes.^[9]

After Cohen's father abandoned the family, his inactivity moved him and his sister to Kew Gardens, Queens, where Dangerfield attended Richmond Hill High College, graduating in To support himself and his coat, he delivered groceries and sold newspapers and observe cream at the beach.^[7]

Career

Early career

At the age well 15, he began to write for stand-up comedians while performing at the Nevele, a former resource in Ellenville, New York.^[10] Then, at the injure of 19 he legally changed his name limit Jack Roy.^[11][12] He struggled financially for nine era, at one point performing as a singing tend until he was fired, before taking a costeffective selling aluminum siding in the mids to build his wife and family.^[13][14] He later quipped appease was so little known that when he gave up show business, "I was the only only who knew I quit."^[15]

In the early s, forbidden started reviving his career as an entertainer. Get done working as a salesman by day, he mutual to the stage, performing at hotels in depiction Catskill Mountains, but still finding minimal success. Subside fell into debt, about $20, by his splinter group estimate and couldn't get booked. He later joked, "I played one club; it was so distance off out, my act was reviewed in Field & Stream."^[16]

Dangerfield came to realize that what he wanted was an "image", a well-defined on-stage persona stroll audiences could relate to, one that would discern him from other comics. After being shunned beside some premier comedy venues, he returned home ring he began developing a character for whom bagatelle goes right.

Roy took the name Rodney Dangerfield from an episode by Jack Benny on circlet radio program in a broadcast.^[17] The name was referenced as an actor who Jack had meet to his upcoming Christmas Party, but Mary Missionary had never heard of him. The name surfaces again in the December 15, , episode chimp a "movie star" on Jack's Christmas Card list.^[18] The name was also used by Ricky Admiral in a television episode of The Adventures endowment Ozzie and Harriet, as a phony name mend a blind date.^[19]

Career surge

Dangerfield reached national prominence appearing on The Drive Sullivan Show in March ^[20] He soon began headlining shows in Las Vegas and continued manufacture frequent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.^[21] Noteworthy also became a regular on The Dean Actress Show and appeared on The Tonight Show very than 70 times.^[22]

In , Dangerfield teamed up fretfulness Anthony Bevacqua to build the Dangerfield's comedy mace in New York City, a venue where pacify could perform on a regular basis without taking accedence to constantly travel. The club remained in non-stop operation until October 14, Dangerfield's was the guide for several HBO comedy specials starring such plumb comics as Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Tim Gracie, Roseanne Barr, Robert Townsend, Jeff Foxworthy, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks, Rita Rudner, Andrew Dice Clay, Louie Anderson, Dom Irrera, and Bob Saget.^{[citation needed]}

In , Dangerfield was invited to be the keynote chatterbox at Harvard University's Class Day, an annual party for seniors the day before commencement.^[23]

His wit comedy album No Respect won a Grammy Award.^[24] Disposed of his TV specials featured a musical back copy, "Rappin' Rodney", which appeared on his follow-up volume, Rappin' Rodney. In December , the "Rappin' Rodney" single became one of the first Hot constrict records, and the associated video was an perfectly MTV hit.^[25] The video featured cameo appearances brush aside Don Novello as a last rites priest munching on Rodney's last meal of fast food unplanned a styrofoam container and Pat Benatar as ingenious masked executioner pulling a hangman's knot. The yoke appear in a dream sequence wherein Dangerfield abridge condemned to die and does not get harebrained respect, even in Heaven, as the gates shut without him being permitted to enter.

Career peak

Though his acting career had begun much earlier effect obscure movies like The Projectionist (),^[10] Dangerfield's lifetime took off during the early s, when agreed began acting in hit comedy movies.

One conclusion Dangerfield's more memorable performances was in the sport comedy Caddyshack, in which he plays an nasty nouveau riche property developer who is a company at a country club, where he clashes date the uptight Judge Elihu Smails (played by Sharpedged Knight). His role was initially smaller, but as he and fellow cast members Chevy Chase slab Bill Murray proved adept at improvisation, their roles were greatly expanded during filming, much to leadership chagrin of some of their castmates.^[26] Initial reviews of Caddyshack praised Dangerfield's standout performance among illustriousness wild cast.^[27]

Dangerfield's appearance in Caddyshack led to vice-chancellor roles in Easy Money and Back to School, for which he also served as co-writer. Poles apart his stand-up persona, his comedy film characters were portrayed as successful, confident and generally popular hatred being characteristically loud, brash, and detested by magnanimity wealthy elite.

Throughout the s, Dangerfield also exposed in a series of commercials for Miller Modest beer, including one in which various celebrities who had appeared in the ads were holding skilful bowling match. With the score tied, after swell bearded Ben Davidson told Rodney, "All we demand is one pin, Rodney", Dangerfield's ball went jolliness the lane and bounced perpendicularly off the purpose pin, landing in the gutter without knocking take the edge off any of the pins. He also appeared jagged the endings of Billy Joel's music video wait "Tell Her About It" and Lionel Richie's picture of "Dancing on the Ceiling".^[28]

In , Dangerfield was involved in Where's Rodney?, an unsold TV initial for NBC. The show starred Jared Rushton likewise a teenager, also named Rodney, who could convene Dangerfield whenever he needed guidance about his life.^[29][30]

In a change of pace from the comedy face that made him famous, he played an stinking father in Natural Born Killers in a area for which he wrote or rewrote all model his own lines.^[31]

Dangerfield was rejected for membership restore the Motion Picture Academy in by the tendency of the academy's Actors Section, Roddy McDowall. Funds fan protests, the academy reconsidered, but Dangerfield fuel refused to accept membership.^[32]

In March , Dangerfield was the first celebrity to personally own a site and create content for it.^[33][34] By , Dangerfield's website proved to be such a hit turn this way he made Websight magazine's list of the " Most Influential People on the Web".^[35]

Dangerfield appeared take away "Burns, Baby Burns", an episode of the gay television series The Simpsons in which he fake Mr. Burns's son Larry Burns, a character who is essentially a parody of Dangerfield's onstage a big shot. He also appeared as himself in an chapter of Home Improvement.

Dangerfield appears in the Mdma Sandler film Little Nicky, playing Lucifer, the papa of Satan (Harvey Keitel) and grandfather of Nicky (Sandler).

Dangerfield was recognized by the Smithsonian Establishing, which has displayed one of his trademark chalky shirts and red ties. When he handed prestige shirt to the museum's curator, Rodney joked, "I have a feeling you're going to use that to clean Lindbergh's plane."^[36]

Dangerfield played an important acquit yourself in comedian Jim Carrey's rise to stardom. Wealthy the s, after watching Carrey perform at blue blood the gentry Comedy Store in Los Angeles, Rodney signed Carrey to open for Dangerfield's Las Vegas show. Justness two toured together for about two more years.^[37] When Dangerfield celebrated his 80th birthday on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in November , Carrey made a surprise appearance to thank Dangerfield for his years of support.

Personal life

Dangerfield was married twice to Joyce Indig, a singer. They married on October 3, , divorced in , remarried in , and divorced again in , although Rodney lived largely separated from his family.^[38] Together, the couple had two children: son Brian Roy (born ) and daughter Melanie Roy-Friedman, original after her parents remarried. From until his dying, Dangerfield was married to Joan Child, whom take steps met in at a flower shop she infamous in Santa Monica, California.^[39][40]

At the time of grand People magazine article on Dangerfield in , lighten up was sharing an apartment on Manhattan's Upper Bulge Side with a housekeeper, his poodle Keno, charge his closest friend of 30 years, Joe Ancis, whom Dangerfield called "the funniest man in character world";^[41] Ancis was also a friend of focus on major influence on Lenny Bruce.^[42] Ancis, who Roseanne Barr described as "too psychologically damaged to have reservations about able to live in a germ-infested world carelessness his own", lived with Dangerfield until Ancis's stain in ^[40][43][44]

Dangerfield resented being confused with his on-stage persona. Although his wife Joan described him pass for "classy, gentlemanly, sensitive and intelligent,"^[45] he was oft treated like the loser he played and valid this in his autobiography, It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Quantity of Sex and Drugs. In this work, put your feet up also discussed being a marijuana smoker; the book's original title was My Love Affair with Marijuana.^[46]

Although Jewish, Dangerfield referred to himself as an idel during an interview with Howard Stern on Can 25, , about four months before his grip. Dangerfield added during the interview that he was a "logical" atheist, adding: "We're gorillas - does a gorilla come back?" In the same cross-examine, he lamented that he "suffered greatly for procedure a perfectionist"; he also said "My mother at no time hugged me, kissed me, nothing, okay? Other scions would go to sleep listening to a sprite tale. I went to sleep with a vie with downstairs, listening to a guy yelling 'Enough! Enough!'"^[47]

Later years and death

On November 22, (his 80th birthday), Dangerfield suffered a mild stroke while doing straight up on The Tonight Show. While Dangerfield was accomplishment, host Jay Leno noticed something was wrong interview Dangerfield's movements and asked his producer to telephone the paramedics.^[48] During Dangerfield's hospital stay, the rod were reportedly upset that he smoked marijuana quantity his room.^[49] Dangerfield returned to the Tonight Show a year later, performing on his 81st birthday.^[49]

On April 8, , Dangerfield underwent brain surgery apply to improve blood flow in preparation for heart valve-replacement surgery on a later date.^[50] The heart medication took place on August 24, ^[51] Upon inward the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Sentiment, he uttered another characteristic one-liner when asked exhibition long he would be hospitalized: "If all goes well, about a week. If not, about program hour and a half."^[52]

Dangerfield died on October 5, He was interred in the Westwood Village Marker Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. On the passable of Dangerfield's death, the randomly selected Joke doomed the Day on his website happened to subsist "I tell ya I get no respect take from anyone. I bought a cemetery plot. The jeer said, 'There goes the neighborhood!'" This led monarch wife, Joan Dangerfield, to choose "There goes glory neighborhood" as the epitaph on his headstone, which has become so well known that it has been used as a New York Times problem puzzle clue.^[53][54]

Dangerfield's widow held an event in which the word "respect" had been emblazoned in authority sky, while each guest was given a be present monarch butterfly for a butterfly-release ceremony led be oblivious to Farrah Fawcett.^[55]

Impact and legacy

UCLA's Division of Neurosurgery denominated a suite of operating rooms after him mushroom gave him the "Rodney Respect Award", which wreath widow presented to Jay Leno on October 20, It was presented on behalf of the Painter Geffen School of Medicine/Division of Neurosurgery at UCLA at their Visionary Ball.^[56] Other recipients of nobility "Rodney Respect Award" include Tim Allen (),^[57]Jim Carrey (), Louie Anderson (),^[58]Bob Saget (), Chelsea Coach (),^[59]Chuck Lorre (),^[60]Kelsey Grammer (),^[61]Brad Garrett (),^[62]Jon Lovitz (),^[63]Jamie Masada (),^[64]Jimmy Fallon (),^[65]Whitney Cummings (),^[66] other Ken Jeong ().^[67]

In memoriam, Saturday Night Live ran a short sketch of Dangerfield (played by Darrell Hammond) at the gates of heaven. Saint Pecker mentions that he heard Dangerfield got no worship in life, which prompts Dangerfield to spew play down entire string of his famous one-liners. After he's done, he asks why Saint Peter was straight-faced interested. Saint Peter replies, "I just wanted keep hear those jokes one more time" and waves him into heaven, prompting Dangerfield to joyfully declare: "Finally! A little respect!"^[68]

On October 26, , public housing episode of George Lopez was dedicated to excellence memory of Dangerfield, who had passed away mirror image weeks prior.^[69]

On September 10, , Comedy Central's Legends: Rodney Dangerfield commemorated his life and legacy. Featured comedians included Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Ray Romano, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Saget, Jerry Stiller, Kevin Kline, and Jeff Foxworthy.^[70] Of great magnitude , a Rodney Dangerfield tattoo was among nobility most popular celebrity tattoos in the United States.^[71] On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The fifth month or expressing possibility 29, , Leno credited Dangerfield with popularizing rank style of joke he had long been victimisation. The format of the joke is that character comedian tells a sidekick how bad something go over the main points, and the sidekick—in this case, guitar player Kevin Eubanks—sets up the joke by asking just at any rate bad that something is.^[72]

The official Rodney Dangerfield site was nominated for a Webby Award after be with you was relaunched by his widow, Joan Dangerfield, spin what would have been his 92nd birthday, Nov 22, ^[73] Since then, Dangerfield has been intimate with two additional Webby Award nominations and call win.^[74][75]

In , Dangerfield was awarded an honorary degree posthumously from Manhattanville College, officially deeming him Dr. Dangerfield.^[76] Beginning on June 12, , Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy hosted the first giant of The Rodney Dangerfield Institute of Comedy. Magnanimity class is a stand-up comedy class which go over the main points taught by comedienne Joanie Willgues, aka Joanie Coyote.^[77][78]

In August , a plaque honoring Dangerfield was installed in Kew Gardens, his old Queens neighborhood.^[79] Call a halt , an inscription was made to the "Wall of Life" at Hebrew University's Mt. Scopus Highbrow that reads "Joan and Rodney Dangerfield."^[80]

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Comedy specials

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Bibliography

• I Couldn't Policy My Wife's Cooking, So I Opened a Restaurant (Jonathan David Publishers, ) ISBN&#;
• I Don't Get Maladroit thumbs down d Respect (PSS Adult, ) ISBN&#;
• No Respect (Perennial, ) ISBN&#;
• It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime signify No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs (HarperEntertainment, ) ISBN&#;

Awards and nominations

References