Rodney Dangerfield, born Jacob Cohen on November 22, 1921, in Deer Park, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, was a renowned comedian, actor, and entertainer. His parents, Dorothy "Dotty" (Teitelbaum) and Phillip Cohen, were both involved in vaudeville, with his father performing under the name Phil Roy. Rodney's father was born in New York to Russian Jewish parents, and his mother was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant.
Rodney began writing jokes at the age of 15 and started performing before he was 20. He took his act to the road for ten years, initially performing under the stage name "Jack Roy." During this time, he worked as a struggling comedian and a singing waiter. Despite his initial struggles, Rodney eventually made a name for himself in the comedy world.
In 1949, Rodney married Joyce Indig, and they had two children, Brian and Melanie. He continued to work as an aluminum siding salesman in New Jersey during the 1950s. Rodney's second attempt at stand-up comedy, this time as Rodney Dangerfield, began to gain traction in the 1960s.
Rodney's big break came when he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show," making Ed Sullivan laugh. He also made numerous appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and "The Dean Martin Show" throughout the 1970s. In 1971, he landed a minor supporting role in the film "The Projectionist."
By the mid-1970s, Rodney had cemented his image as a comedian constantly tugging at his red tie, always proclaiming he gets no respect. His big break came with his many appearances on "Saturday Night Live," bringing him to a wider audience and proving hysterical on many occasions.
In 1980, Rodney became a cornerstone of American comedy with the classic film "Caddyshack." He played the role of "Al Czervik," a rich golfer who was a basically nice guy who was extremely outspoken and very obnoxious. His character was often unhappy with the rich snobbery he was around, and he takes on the rich people that are so snobby to him.
The average guy that his character portrayed was an instant hit, and a formula that Rodney often stuck with. Also, in 1980, Rodney came out with a popular comedy album, "Rappin' Rodney." The album earned Rodney a Grammy for best comedy album.
In 1983, Rodney starred in the comedy film "Easy Money," playing an insulting working-class person who suddenly becomes a millionaire. The movie was a big hit. Rodney became very sparse in his roles on TV and film about this time. In 1986, he starred in his biggest film to date, "Back to School." The comedy was one of the first to gross over $100 million.
In 1994, Rodney starred in his first dramatic role in the successful Oliver Stone film, "Natural Born Killers." He played an abusive father who drove one of the killers crazy. His part was critically acclaimed.
In 1995, Rodney entered the world of cyberspace, becoming the first entertainer to have a website on the world-wide web. In 1997, he starred in "Meet Wally Sparks," a political and talk show satire that was poorly received. In 2000, Rodney starred as "the Devil" in "Little Nicky." The movie was potentially a huge hit, but was a failure by most accounts.
Rodney took a very small part, but was top-billed in the direct-to-video film "The Godson" and starred in the direct-to-video film "My 5 Wives." But it has not been all smooth sailing for this comedian. In 1997, he admitted to a lifelong bout with depression and, on his 80th birthday, had a mild heart attack.
Rodney had made a record 70 appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" and had discovered many struggling comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Roseanne Barr, Robert Townsend, Sam Kinison, and Tim Allen. The comedian owned a legendary nightclub in Manhattan called "Dangerfield's."
In the 1990s, he made highly publicized appearances on "The Simpsons," "In Living Color," "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist," "Home Improvement," and "Suddenly Susan," among others. In 1993, he married Joan Dangerfield (aka Joan Child),a woman thirty years younger than him, and a Mormon.
Rodney Dangerfield died on October 5, 2004, after falling into a coma following heart surgery.
