Rodney Dangerfield was a stand-up comedy powerhouse for many years. He became well-known because of how strange he looked and how funny he was, but it wasn't easy for him to get there. This article talks about Dangerfield's life and career, including how he made a mark on TV and theatre audiences.
"I don't get no respect" was a phrase that everyone knew him by.
Rodney Dangerfield was born on November 22, 1921, in Babylon, New York. By the time he was 15, he was writing jokes and by the time he was in his late teens, he was doing stand-up comedy. He tried to make money as a stand-up comedian and a singing waiter for ten years. Dangerfield worked in entertainment as Jack Roy, but when his comedy career didn't take off, he quit and got a regular job. During the 1950s, he lived in New Jersey and sold aluminium siding to support his first wife and two children.
After he got divorced in 1961, he tried again in show business and became known as Rodney Dangerfield for the rest of his life. He was getting close to his 40th birthday at this point. When he was a guest on "The Ed Sullivan Show," that was his big break. He was one of the few people who could make Ed Sullivan laugh. During the 1960s, he appeared on many of the best variety shows. On "The Joey Bishop Show," "The Merv Griffin Show," and "The Jackie Gleason Show," he did stand-up comedy. In 1969, he went on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" for the first of 35 times. In addition to appearing on TV, he went from comedy club to comedy club all over the country.
In 1969, the comic opened his own stand-up comedy club in New York City called Dangerfield's. Since it opened, it has been one of the most popular comedy clubs in America, and top newspapers and entertainment guides have given it high marks. Jay Leno, Jim Carey, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen, and Jerry Seinfeld have all performed at Dangerfield's since it opened almost 40 years ago. Many of the most popular comedians at the comedy club have appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" or "Late Night with David Letterman."
After he had made a name for himself in the history of stand-up comedy, Dangerfield turned his attention to acting. In 1971, he had his first movie role in The Projectionist. Later in the decade, he had a role on the TV show "Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover." Slowly, he got acting jobs, but in 1980, he got a role that made him famous. In the hit comedy Caddy Shack, he played the annoying real estate developer Al Czervik. People who didn't know much about comedians suddenly knew everything there was to know about Rodney Dangerfield.
He made two more comedies in the 1980s after Caddy Shack. These were Easy Money and Back to School. In 1991, he made an animated movie called Rover Dangerfield. It was about a dog who doesn't get any respect. Throughout his career, he was known for his line about not getting any respect.
Dangerfield then took on a more serious role. In the controversial movie Natural Born Killers, he played Juliette Lewis's abusive father. People say that Dangerfield was able to write his own lines for the part. This was going to be his only major role in a movie. He made more comedies after that, such as Meet Wally Sparks and The Godson. In the movie Little Nicky, which came out in 2000, the almost 80-year-old comedian shared a role with Adam Sandler.
In Angels with Angels, which came out in 2005, he played God. It came out after his death. On October 5, 2004, Dangerfield died. After he had surgery on his heart, he went into a coma and never woke up. His tombstone shows that he was funny. "Rodney Dangerfield: There Goes the Neighborhood" is written on it.
He did comedy for more than 60 years. In addition to everything he did on stage and screen during those years, he also won two awards for his work. In 1981, he won a Grammy for a comedy album called "No Respect." In 1995, he was given a Creative Achievement Award by the American Comedy Awards.
One thing that not many people know about him is that he was the first person in the entertainment industry to have his own website. He made Rodney.com in 1995, and it is still around today.
During his career, Rodney Dangerfield did well as a stand-up comedian on stage, in movies, and on TV. He let a lot of other comedians perform at his own comedy club. His catchphrase, "I don't get no respect," will always be linked to the comedian, who was loved and respected by millions of fans despite what he seemed like on stage.
~Ben Anton, 2007
