Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield (November 22, 1921 - October 5, 2004), born Jacob Cohen, was an American comedian and actor, best known for the line "I don't get no respect" and his monologues on that theme.

Early life and career

He was born in Babylon, Long Island, USA, the son of vaudevillian Phil Roy (Philip Cohen). As a teenager, he got his start writing jokes for standup comics; he became one himself at 19, and struggled financially for nine years under the name Jack Roy before giving up show business to support his wife.

Related Topics:
Babylon - Long Island - USA - Vaudevillian - Standup comics - Show business

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He returned to stand-up in the early 1960s; to give his career a fresh start, he changed his name to Rodney Dangerfield. The movie The Godfather inspired his trademark line about the lack of respect he received. Headlining performances in Las Vegas and dozens of performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show kept him in the public eye. Dangerfield made 70 appearances on The Tonight Show. Dangerfield also made an appearance on The Simpsons as Mr. Burns' son, Larry. Larry Burns was modeled after Dangerfield, including his tie tug.

Related Topics:
1960s - The Godfather - Las Vegas - The Ed Sullivan Show - The Dean Martin Show - The Tonight Show - The Simpsons - Mr. Burns - Larry Burns

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Wanting to remain near his children after his divorce from their mother, he became the owner of a Manhattan nightclub in 1969; the nightclub, "Dangerfield's", was the venue for an HBO show and helped popularize many stand-up comics, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr, Jeff Foxworthy, Sam Kinison, Rita Rudner, and Bob Saget.

Related Topics:
Manhattan - Nightclub - 1969 - Jerry Seinfeld - Jim Carrey - Tim Allen - Roseanne Barr - Jeff Foxworthy - Sam Kinison - Rita Rudner - Bob Saget

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Dangerfield's career peaked during the early 1980s, with his appearance in Caddyshack and the release of his Grammy Award-winning comedy album No Respect. He played an abusive father in Natural Born Killers in a scene where he wrote his own lines.

Related Topics:
1980s - Caddyshack - Grammy Award - Natural Born Killers

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In 1994, Dangerfield won an American Comedy Award for lifetime creative achievement. He was also recognized by the Smithsonian Institution, which put one of his trademark white shirts and red ties on display.

Related Topics:
1994 - American Comedy Award - Smithsonian Institution

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In 1995, his application for membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was rejected. At the time, Dangerfield commented on how then-president of AMPAS, Roddy McDowall, who acted in a monkey suit in the Planet of the Apes series of films, possibly felt that Dangerfield wasn't dignified enough to join the organization. AMPAS would later change their decision and offer membership, an offer he declined.

Related Topics:
1995 - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - Roddy McDowall - Planet of the Apes

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The confusion of Dangerfield's stage persona with his real-life personality was a conception that he long resented. Described by his wife as "classy, gentlemanly, sensitive and intelligent" http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6054693/rodneydangerfield?pageid=rs.Artistcage&pageregion=triple3&rnd=1096316510181&has-player=true, people who met the comedian nonetheless treated him as the belligerent loser whose character he adopted in performance.

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In 2004, Dangerfield's autobiography, It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs (ISBN 0066211077) was published. The book's original title was My Love Affair With Marijuana, a reference to the drug he smoked daily for sixty years.

Related Topics:
2004 - The drug

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