Gilbert Gottfried facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gilbert Gottfried |
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Gottfried at the 2020 GalaxyCon Richmond
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| Birth name | Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried |
| Born | February 28, 1955 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 2022 (aged 67) Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Kensico Cemetery |
| Medium | Stand-up, film, television, podcast |
| Genres |
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| Spouse |
Dara Kravitz
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relative(s) | Arlene Gottfried (sister) |
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (born February 28, 1955, died April 12, 2022) was an American comedian and actor. He was famous for his unique, loud, and screechy voice, his strong New York accent, and the way he squinted his eyes. People also knew him for his bold and sometimes surprising sense of humor.
Gilbert had many roles in movies and TV shows. He was the voice of the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin movies and TV show. He also voiced Mister Mxyzptlk in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Action. For PBS Kids, he was the voice of Digit LeBoid in the show Cyberchase. He also voiced Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and was famously the voice of the Aflac duck in commercials for many years until 2011. Another role he played was Mr. Peabody in the Problem Child movies and cartoon.
From 2014 to 2022, Gilbert Gottfried co-hosted a popular podcast called Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast. On the show, he and Frank Santopadre talked about old movies and interviewed famous actors, comedians, and writers. In 2017, a movie called Gilbert was made about his life and work.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Gilbert Gottfried was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on February 28, 1955. His dad, Max Gottfried, owned a hardware store, and his mom, Lillian Zimmerman, was a homemaker. The family lived in an apartment above their hardware store. Gilbert grew up in a Jewish family. He had an older sister, Karen Gottfried, and another older sister, Arlene Gottfried, who became a photographer.
The family first lived in Coney Island, then moved to other neighborhoods in Brooklyn like Crown Heights and Borough Park.
Gilbert's Comedy Career
Starting Out in Comedy
Gilbert started doing comedy when he was just 15 years old! His first time on stage was at a club called the Bitter End in New York City. His sisters, Arlene and Karen, went with him because they thought his jokes were funny enough for an audience.
At first, Gilbert did impressions, which means he would imitate famous old actors like Boris Karloff and Humphrey Bogart. He started performing at different comedy clubs and became known as a "comedian's comedian." This means other comedians really respected his talent.
Joining Saturday Night Live
In 1980, the famous TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL) was looking for new comedians. The producers saw Gilbert and hired him for the show's sixth season. When he was on SNL, Gilbert didn't use the loud, screechy voice he later became famous for, and he didn't squint his eyes as much. He was on the show for 12 episodes.
After SNL, Gilbert appeared on other TV shows. From 1983 to 1984, he was on Alan Thicke's show, Thicke of the Night. In 1987, he had his own comedy special on TV. He also played a character named Sidney Bernstein in the movie Beverly Hills Cop II with Eddie Murphy. That same year, he started appearing on The Howard Stern Show, a popular radio program, and would be a guest over 100 times.
Famous Voice Roles and Movies
Gilbert Gottfried became very well-known for his voice acting. He voiced Jerry the Belly Button Elf in the cartoon Ren and Stimpy.
Some of his biggest roles were:
- Mr. Peabody in the movies Problem Child (1990) and Problem Child 2 (1991).
- Iago the parrot in Disney's movie Aladdin (1992). This became one of his most famous roles. He continued to voice Iago in the Aladdin sequels like The Return of Jafar, the Aladdin TV series, and video games like Kingdom Hearts.
- Digit in the PBS Kids math show Cyberchase.
- The Aflac duck in TV commercials from 2000 until 2011.
- Mister Mxyzptlk (pronounced "Mix-yez-pittle-ick") in Superman: The Animated Series, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Justice League Action, and Lego DC Super-Villains.
- Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
He also voiced Berkeley Beetle in the movie Thumbelina (1994). From 1989 to 1998, Gilbert hosted a TV show called USA Up All Night on Saturdays, where they showed movies late at night.
TV Game Shows and More Work
Gilbert was a frequent guest on the game show Hollywood Squares. He was part of a very memorable episode on October 1, 1999, where he and other stars started saying "You fool!" to contestants.
He also voiced Dr. Bender and his son Wendell in The Fairly OddParents. He played a smart villain named Nick Knack in the TV show Superboy. Gilbert often appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, sometimes dressing up as characters like Harry Potter or Yoda.
Gilbert Gottfried stayed busy throughout his career. He appeared in many TV shows and movies. He voiced Santa Claus in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Christmas special and played Peter Griffin's horse in an episode of Family Guy. He also appeared on reality shows like Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and Celebrity Wife Swap.
Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast
On May 28, 2014, Gilbert started a podcast called Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast with his friend and comedy writer Frank Santopadre. Gilbert's wife, Dara, was the executive producer. The show's title was a nod to an old science fiction movie called The Amazing Colossal Man.
On the podcast, they talked about classic movies and interviewed many famous entertainers, writers, and directors like Dick Cavett, George Takei, and Dick Van Dyke. The episodes were usually about an hour long. Gilbert would often make funny, spontaneous jokes while Frank Santopadre would ask thoughtful questions.
His last guest before he passed away was Brenda Vaccaro. After Gilbert's death, the podcast continued by sharing older episodes to honor him.
He also made guest appearances on shows like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and voiced God in an episode of Smiling Friends. Even after his death, some of his voice work was released, like in Somebody Feed Phil and Royal Crackers.
His Unique Comedy Style
Gilbert Gottfried was known for a very original style of comedy. His most famous trait was his loud, screechy voice, which was very different from his natural speaking voice. He also often squinted his eyes while performing. This made him instantly recognizable.
People described him as a "squinting, squawking mass of contradictions." This was because he could tell very bold and surprising jokes for adults, but at the same time, he was a very successful voice actor in shows and movies for children, like Iago in Aladdin.
He was also known for making jokes about current events very quickly. Gilbert himself once wrote that he felt comedy and sad things (tragedy) were like roommates, saying they are often found together.
Personal Life
In the late 1990s, Gilbert Gottfried met Dara Kravitz at a party. They got married in 2007 and had two children, a daughter named Lily and a son named Max. The family lived in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Gilbert was known for being very careful with his money, a trait called frugality. For example, he often preferred to walk long distances instead of paying for a bus or subway.
In 1992, Gilbert had to have emergency surgery for appendicitis (a problem with a small part of the intestines), but he recovered well.
Passing and Tributes
Gilbert Gottfried passed away on April 12, 2022, in a hospital in Manhattan. He was 67 years old. The cause of his death was a heart problem called recurrent ventricular tachycardia. This was made worse by a condition called type II myotonic dystrophy, a type of muscular dystrophy that he had for many years but kept private.
His family shared a sad message on his Twitter page. They said, "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor."
A funeral service was held for him on April 14 in Westchester County, New York. Many famous friends attended. He was buried in Kensico Cemetery. The words on his gravestone say "Too Soon." This was a phrase often linked to his comedy and also reflected that many felt he died too young.
How He Is Remembered
After his death, many people and organizations honored Gilbert Gottfried. The Ebertfest film festival, where he was supposed to be a special guest, dedicated its 2022 event to him and actor Sidney Poitier. He was also added to the Monster Kid Hall of Fame by the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.
Some projects released after his death were dedicated to him. The video game Justice League: Cosmic Chaos (2023) was dedicated to his memory, as he was originally going to voice Mister Mxyzptlk in it. The animated movie Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match was also dedicated to him, and it included one of his last voice performances.
Where You Might Have Seen or Heard Him
Gilbert Gottfried had a long career in movies, TV shows, and video games. Here are some of the places you might have seen or heard his unique voice:
- Movies: Problem Child (Mr. Peabody), Aladdin (Iago), Thumbelina (Berkeley Beetle), Beverly Hills Cop II (Sidney Bernstein), A Million Ways to Die in the West (Abraham Lincoln).
- Television Shows: Saturday Night Live, Aladdin (Iago), Cyberchase (Digit), Superman: The Animated Series (Mister Mxyzptlk), The Fairly OddParents (Dr. Bender), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Kraang Subprime), Hollywood Squares, Family Guy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Smiling Friends (God).
- Video Games: Kingdom Hearts (Iago), Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Mister Mxyzptlk), Lego DC Super-Villains (Mister Mxyzptlk).
- Web Series: CollegeHumor (Gilbert Gottfried Reads 50 Shades of Grey), Angry Video Game Nerd (Fred Fuchs).
Images for kids
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Gilbert Gottfried in 1999
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Gilbert Gottfried at a writers' event in 2007
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Gilbert Gottfried in 2016
See also
In Spanish: Gilbert Gottfried para niños
