Actors - Rodney Dangerfield

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	Actors - 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 the Long Island, New York town of Babylon, the son of vaudevillian Phil Roy (Philip Cohen). Rodney would later say that his father "was never home — he was out looking to make other kids," and that his mother "brought him up all wrong". As a teenager, he got his start writing jokes for standup comics; he became one himself at 19 under the name Jack Roy. He struggled financially for nine years, at one point performing as a singing waiter (he was fired), before giving up show business to take a job selling aluminum siding to support his wife and family.

It is sometimes said that Rodney resented this early rejection by audiences, but he would later state in his typical fashion that they were absolutely right — he was terrible. In the early 1960s he started down what would be a long road toward rehabilitating his career, still working as a salesman by day. He came to realize that what he lacked was an "image" — a well-defined on-stage persona that audiences could relate to and that would distinguish him from similar comics. He took the name Rodney Dangerfield, a pseudonym which had been used by Ricky Nelson on the TV program The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

His trademark line was inspired by the 1972 film The Godfather
, with its memorable depiction of Mafia bosses who place tremendous value on being treated with "respect". Rodney saw that the reverse — a character who got no respect from anyone at all — would be seen by audiences as funny and sympathetic.

His very first "no respect" joke: "I don't get no respect. I played hide-and-seek, and they wouldn't even look for me." He would write thousands more over the years.

With his image established, Rodney began headlining shows in Las Vegas and made dozens of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show. He would appear on The Tonight Show a total of 70 times.

In November of 1996 he appeared on The Simpsons as Mr. Burns' son Larry. The character was modeled on Rodney, right down to his tie tug. A sample of "Larry's" dialogue: "Man, it was rough getting a ride out here. The only car that stopped was a hearse that thought I fell out. It was rough, I tell ya."

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

His career peaked during the early 1980s, with his appearance in Caddyshack
, starring roles in Easy Money and Back To School 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.

In 1994, Rodney 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.

In 1995, his application for membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was rejected. At the time, Rodney 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 Rodney wasn't dignified enough to join the organization. AMPAS would later change their decision and offer membership, an offer he declined.

The confusion of Rodney'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" , people who met the comedian nonetheless treated him as the belligerent loser whose character he adopted in performance.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Rodney Dangerfield ]

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Actors - Rodney Dangerfield

Early life and career

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