Patrice O'Neal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patrice O'Neal
O'Neal in January 2006
Born	(1969-12-07)December 7, 1969 New York City, U.S.
Died	November 29, 2011(2011-11-29) (aged 41) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Comedian actor
Years active	1992–2011

Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (born December 7, 1969 – died November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor. He was well-known for his stand-up comedy. He also often appeared on the TV talk show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and the radio show Opie and Anthony.

Early life

Patrice Malcolm O'Neal was born in New York City on December 7, 1969. His mother named him after Patrice Lumumba, a leader of the Congolese independence movement. He was also named after Malcolm X, an important African-American human rights activist. Patrice was sometimes teased at school because of his name. However, he later said it helped him learn to be strong. He and his sister, Zinder, grew up with their mother in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. This area was mostly home to working-class Black families. O'Neal never knew his father, but he did know who he was.

Patrice went to West Roxbury High School. There, he played football and was very good at it. He earned three varsity letter awards. In his senior year, his team won a state championship. He was offered a sports scholarship to Northeastern University in Boston. This scholarship included money for housing. But Patrice chose to study performing arts at the university instead. He majored in theater studies. By this time, he was very interested in comedy. He started working as a bouncer at the Comedy Connection in Boston. He also sold food at the Boston Garden arena.

Career

Stand-up comedy

O'Neal on stage in 2007

O'Neal first performed stand-up comedy in October 1992. This was at Estelle's in Boston. He had gone to an open-mic night there the week before. He joked with a performer, who then dared him to try comedy himself. O'Neal worked on his comedy act in the Boston area for six years. His early shows were sometimes under the name Bruiser O'Neal. In the mid-1990s, he met comedian Jim Norton. They became close friends.

In 1998, O'Neal moved to New York City. He performed regularly at the Comedy Cellar. In early 1998, he took part in the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. He then moved to Los Angeles, hoping to become more famous. He said he "tap danced like you wouldn't believe" trying to get noticed. O'Neal did not change his direct comedy style, even when club owners asked him to. This made it hard for him to earn enough money. He felt like he was "thrown out of America." So, he accepted offers to perform in the UK. English comedian John Simmit first invited him to his Upfront Comedy circuit. O'Neal worked hard to earn respect from other comedians. He remembered it took months for them to see he was serious. By mid-1999, he was headlining a comedy tour in Australia. From 2000 to 2002, he performed stand-up across Europe. This included shows at the Black International Comedy Awards in London. He also performed in Edinburgh with comedians Lewis Schaffer and Rich Vos.

In 2006 and 2007, O'Neal joined the Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour. He performed in large arenas across the US.

In 2010, O'Neal recorded his only hour-long comedy special for Comedy Central. It was called Elephant in the Room. This happened after comedian Dave Attell praised O'Neal's jokes to his manager. The manager then talked to Comedy Central about making the special. O'Neal really wanted to film it in Washington, D.C. But the network wanted it in New York City, and O'Neal eventually agreed. The special first aired on February 19, 2011. An uncut version was released on CD and DVD three days later. O'Neal promoted the special with an interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. This was his first time on network television in four years.

Television

In late 2000, O'Neal started working as a writer for WWE. An associate of the company saw him perform and offered him the job. He was a big fan of professional wrestling. He suggested an idea for a wrestling storyline that would last three weeks. It would end with a big pay-per-view event. This idea got him the job. He visited Vince McMahon's house. He also traveled with the wrestling organization for a week of live shows on their private jet. He even directed some short video clips. He was then offered a 13-week contract. But he turned it down because he had other plans. He later said it was fun because "it was short and sweet." Later in his career, he also turned down other acting chances. These included roles on Web Junk 20, The Office, and Arrested Development. However, he did eventually guest star on The Office and Arrested Development.

By 2002, O'Neal had returned to the U.S. He received an offer to record a half-hour comedy special on Showtime. He then started making many television appearances. He began with the sketch show The Colin Quinn Show. After that, he appeared on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn from 2002 until it ended in 2004. In 2003, he recorded a special for Comedy Central Presents. His very first TV appearance was on The Apollo Comedy Hour. From there, he appeared on Showtime at the Apollo and FNight Videos. He also had guest roles on MTV's Apartment 2F, Assy McGee, Yes Dear, Arrested Development, Chappelle's Show, and The Office.

O'Neal was a regular on the Fox series The Jury. He also starred in the Comedy Central animated show Shorties Watchin' Shorties with Nick Di Paolo. He was the voice of Harold Jenkins on Noggin's animated show O'Grady High. He was also featured as Jesus in Denis Leary's Searchlight. In 2005, he filmed a half-hour One Night Stand special for HBO. He then became the host of the first two seasons of Web Junk 20 on VH1 in 2006. After two seasons, O'Neal decided not to host the third. This was even though they offered to pay him four times more. Jim Breuer took his place.

In 2007, O'Neal said he turned down a chance to be on Celebrity Fit Club. He felt his comedy career was more important to him. O'Neal performed five times at the annual Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. This included a one-man show for a week in 2008.

In 2007, O'Neal wrote and starred in a web series called The Patrice O'Neal Show – Coming Soon!. His girlfriend, Nero, and comedians Bryan Kennedy, Harris Stanton, and Wil Sylvince were in it. The series did not last long. It could not find a sponsor because its humor was very strong and adult. He also guest starred in another show called Break a Leg. He played a character called "Adult-Sized Gary Coleman".

In 2011, O'Neal was one of the comedians for The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen. He wanted to do it because he respected Charlie Sheen. The show aired on September 19, 2011. O'Neal was the last comedian to perform. It was watched by 6.4 million viewers. This is still the highest-rated Comedy Central roast ever. O'Neal's appearance on this roast was his last TV show before he passed away two months later. After the show, O'Neal met William Shatner and his wife. They offered him support about his diabetes.

Radio

In 2002, O'Neal moved back to the New York City area. He first appeared on the Opie and Anthony radio show on January 17, 2002. His friend, comedian Rich Vos, brought him onto the show. At that time, it was on WNEW. The show was cancelled in 2002. But it started again on XM Satellite Radio in 2004. O'Neal returned as a guest. Sometimes he filled in for Jim Norton when he was away. He became one of the show's most popular guests.

In 2006, O'Neal settled in Jersey City. From 2006 to 2008, O'Neal hosted a relationship advice show on XM. The show aired on Saturday evenings. Dante Nero was his co-host. Different female comedians also joined them. The show ended after XM and Sirius merged. The new management could not agree on the budget for Saturday night shows.

In March 2010, O'Neal made a deal with Comedy Central. This was for a stand-up special and a script for a possible reality TV show. The show was called Patrice O'Neal's Guide to White People. He got the idea after joining a conversation between two white men about guitar music. He thought it would be funny to try and "learn about white folks." The show was cancelled before filming could start.

Other projects

O'Neal also appeared as a guest on other shows. These included The Alex Jones Show and segments on Fox News. He was the voice of Jeffron James in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV. He was heard on its in-game radio station Fizz!.

On October 27, 2011, O'Neal's last interview was released. It was with Jay Mohr for his podcast, Mohr Stories. He said his appearance at Charlie Sheen's roast did not change his career much. It only helped him sell out a weekend of stand-up shows at Caroline's. He also mentioned a meeting with FX about a possible animated series. And he had a project where his friends would come to his home to record interviews.

After O'Neal's death, BSeen Media announced the release of his first comedy album, Mr. P. He had been working on it. The album was recorded in April 2011 at D.C. Improv in Washington, D.C. It was released on February 7, 2012. O'Neal had been involved in its creation before he passed away. Money from the sales was given to his mother, girlfriend, and stepdaughter. The album reached number one on the Billboard Comedy Albums chart. It also reached number 35 on the overall Billboard 200 chart. On November 6, 2012, a 20-minute selection of jokes not released before was put out. It was called Better Than You. It was available on O'Neal's website and iTunes.

On February 19, 2021, Comedy Central released Patrice O'Neal: Killing is Easy. This was a documentary about O'Neal's life and career. Michael Bonfiglio directed it. He also helped produce it with Bill Burr, Al Madrigal, Michael Bertolina, and Vondecarlo Brown.

Comic style

O'Neal said George Carlin and Richard Pryor were his favorite comedians. His comedy style was described as conversational. His shows often felt like he was talking off the cuff. He often talked about adult themes. He was very direct when sharing his opinions, especially about race and gender roles. He was also known for his strong and honest humor. Sometimes, his jokes were so direct that people would leave the club.

Personal life

Patrice O'Neal was engaged to actress Vondecarlo Brown when he passed away.

Death

On November 29, 2011, O'Neal died from problems caused by a stroke. The stroke was due to type 2 diabetes, which he had since his early 20s. He was 41 years old. At the time, he was trying to improve his health. He was trying veganism, using sugar-free foods, and avoiding sweets and soda. His funeral was held on December 5 at New York's Park Avenue Christian Church. Many comedians attended, including Chris Rock, Colin Quinn, Nick DiPaolo, Artie Lange, Louis C.K., Jim Norton, Dave Attell, Dane Cook, Bill Burr, Wanda Sykes, Gregg Hughes, Anthony Cumia, Jay Oakerson and Kevin Hart.

The day after O'Neal's death, comedians gathered to remember him on Opie and Anthony. These included Bill Burr, Robert Kelly, Colin Quinn, Joe Rogan, Dave Attell, Jim Florentine, Russ Meneve, Joe DeRosa, Amy Schumer, Kurt Metzger, and Louis C.K.. The radio channel dedicated its programming that weekend to O'Neal. They aired a 16-hour special called A Tribute to Patrice O'Neal. It featured some of his best appearances and memories from other comedians. Comedy Central aired his special Elephant in the Room on November 30 after his death. Rolling Stone magazine published a four-page article about O'Neal's career and death in its February 2012 issue. In June 2012, Jim Norton dedicated his 1-hour EPIX comedy special Please Be Offended to O'Neal. On September 23, 2012, during the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, O'Neal was remembered in the "In Memoriam" tribute.

Discography

• Elephant in the Room (2011)
• Mr. P (2012)
• Better Than You (2012)
• Patrice O'Neal: Unreleased (2013)

Filmography

Television

Film

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Patrice O’Neal para niños