Rodney Dangerfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rodney Dangerfield
Dangerfield performing in 1972
Birth name	Jacob Rodney Cohen
Born	(1921-11-22)November 22, 1921 Deer Park, New York, U.S.
Died	October 5, 2004(2004-10-05) (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary
Medium	Stand-up comedy film television
Years active	1936–2004
Genres	Self-deprecation, observational comedy, insult comedy, black comedy, surreal humor, one-liners
Spouse	Joyce Indig ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1961)​ ​ ​ (m. 1963; div. 1970)​ Joan Child ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	2
Signature

Rodney Dangerfield was a famous American comedian, actor, and writer. He was born Jacob Rodney Cohen on November 22, 1921, and passed away on October 5, 2004. He was best known for his funny one-liner jokes and his famous saying, "I don't get no respect!" This phrase became a big part of his comedy.

He started his comedy career in New York City. Over time, he became very popular on TV talk shows in the 1960s and 1970s. He even performed as a main act in Las Vegas. His famous "I don't get no respect!" line came from trying to make a joke funnier. He realized that adding "I get no respect" made audiences laugh a lot. This line then became his signature.

Rodney Dangerfield appeared in some smaller movies in the 1970s. His big break in films came in 1980 with the comedy Caddyshack. He played a rich, funny golfer in that movie. After Caddyshack, he starred in two more successful films: Easy Money in 1983 and Back to School in 1986. He continued acting in comedies for the rest of his life.

Early Life and Beginnings

Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Rodney Cohen in Deer Park, New York, on November 22, 1921. His parents were Jewish. His father, Phillip Cohen, was a performer who used the stage name Phil Roy. Rodney's father was rarely home.

Rodney's mother was not very warm or loving towards him. She never showed him much affection when he was growing up.

After his father left the family, Rodney and his sister moved to Kew Gardens, Queens. He went to Richmond Hill High School and graduated in 1939. To earn money, he delivered groceries and sold newspapers and ice cream.

When he was 15, he started writing jokes for other comedians. He also performed himself at a resort in Ellenville, New York. At 19, he legally changed his name to Jack Roy. He struggled financially for nine years. He even worked as a singing waiter before getting a job selling aluminum siding in the mid-1950s. He needed to support his wife and family. He later joked that when he quit show business, "at the time I quit, I was the only one who knew I quit."

Comedy Career

Finding His Style

In the early 1960s, Rodney decided to try comedy again. He still worked as a salesman during the day. He performed at hotels in the Catskill Mountains, but he wasn't very successful. He was in debt and couldn't get many shows. He joked that one club he played was "so far out, my act was reviewed in Field & Stream."

He realized he needed a special "image" or character for his act. This would help audiences remember him and make him different from other comedians. After being turned down by some big comedy clubs, he went home. There, he started creating a character for whom nothing ever went right.

He chose the name Rodney Dangerfield. This name had been used before by comedian Jack Benny for a funny cowboy character who also "got no respect." This character inspired Rodney a lot. Rodney's legal name remained Jack Roy, but he was known as Rodney Dangerfield.

Becoming Famous

In March 1967, Rodney Dangerfield got a last-minute chance to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. He was a huge hit!

After that, Dangerfield became a main performer in Las Vegas. He also appeared many times on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show. He was on The Tonight Show over 70 times.

In 1969, Rodney Dangerfield opened his own comedy club in New York City called Dangerfield's. This allowed him to perform regularly without always traveling. The club stayed open for many years. Many famous comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Carrey performed there early in their careers.

In 1978, he was asked to speak at Harvard University's Class Day, which is a special event for students before graduation.

Dangerfield's 1980 comedy album No Respect

His 1980 comedy album No Respect won a Grammy Award. He also had a musical song called "Rappin' Rodney" on his 1983 album. The "Rappin' Rodney" song and its music video were very popular. The video even showed famous people like Pat Benatar.

Movie Star

Rodney Dangerfield's acting career really took off in the early 1980s. He starred in several hit comedy movies.

One of his most famous roles was in the 1980 golf comedy Caddyshack. He played Al Czervik, a loud and funny rich man who caused trouble at a fancy golf club. His part was supposed to be small, but he was so good at making up jokes on the spot that his role grew bigger. Critics praised his performance in Caddyshack.

After Caddyshack, he starred in Easy Money and Back to School. He also helped write these movies. Unlike his stand-up character, his movie characters were often successful and liked by many, even if they were still loud and bothered some wealthy people.

Throughout the 1980s, Dangerfield also appeared in commercials for Miller Lite beer. He was also in music videos for Billy Joel and Lionel Richie.

Dangerfield in 1978

In 1994, he played a serious role as a violent father in the movie Natural Born Killers. He even wrote some of his own lines for that part.

In March 1995, Rodney Dangerfield was one of the first celebrities to have his own website. He would even email fans back, which was very surprising at the time! His website was so popular that he was named one of the "100 Most Influential People on the Web" in 1996.

Dangerfield also lent his voice to characters in cartoons. He played Mr. Burns's son, Larry Burns, in an episode of The Simpsons. He also appeared as himself in an episode of Home Improvement. In the 2000 Adam Sandler film Little Nicky, he played Lucifer.

The Smithsonian Institution honored him by displaying one of his famous white shirts and red ties. He joked that they would use it to clean Lindbergh's plane.

Rodney Dangerfield helped comedian Jim Carrey become famous. In the 1980s, Rodney saw Jim Carrey perform and asked him to open for his shows in Las Vegas. They toured together for about two years. When Rodney turned 80, Jim Carrey surprised him on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to thank him.

Personal Life

Rodney Dangerfield was married twice to Joyce Indig. They married in 1951, divorced in 1961, then remarried in 1963, and divorced again in 1970. They had two children: a son named Brian and a daughter named Melanie. From 1993 until his death, Rodney was married to Joan Child. He met her on Santa Monica beach.

Rodney Dangerfield did not like being confused with his "loser" stage character. His wife, Joan, described him as "classy, gentlemanly, sensitive and intelligent." However, people often treated him like the character he played.

Later Years and Passing

Dangerfield's headstone at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary

On his 80th birthday, November 22, 2001, Rodney Dangerfield had a mild heart attack while performing on The Tonight Show. The host, Jay Leno, noticed something was wrong and called paramedics. Rodney returned to the show a year later for his 81st birthday.

In 2003, he had brain surgery to help with blood flow. This was to prepare for heart valve surgery later. The heart surgery happened on August 24, 2004. When he arrived at the hospital, he made a joke about how long he would stay. He said, "If all goes well, about a week. If not, about an hour and a half." Sadly, he never woke up from the anesthesia. He passed away six weeks later, on October 5, 2004, at age 82, due to problems from the surgery.

Rodney Dangerfield was buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. On the day he died, a random joke on his website was: "I tell ya I get no respect from anyone. I bought a cemetery plot. The guy said, 'There goes the neighborhood!'" Because of this, his wife, Joan Dangerfield, chose "There goes the neighborhood" as the words on his headstone.

Legacy and Influence

UCLA's Division of Neurosurgery named a suite of operating rooms after him. They also created the "Rodney Respect Award." His wife presented this award to Jay Leno in 2005. Other comedians like Tim Allen and Jim Carrey have also received this award.

After he passed away, Saturday Night Live did a short skit about him. In the skit, Rodney (played by Darrell Hammond) arrives at the gates of heaven. Saint Peter says he heard Rodney got no respect in life. This makes Rodney tell a string of his famous jokes. After he finishes, Saint Peter waves him into heaven, and Rodney happily says, "Finally! A little respect!"

In 2006, Comedy Central aired a special called Legends: Rodney Dangerfield. It honored his life and career. Many famous comedians like Adam Sandler and Chris Rock were featured.

In 2007, a Rodney Dangerfield tattoo was one of the most popular celebrity tattoos in the United States.

On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2009, Jay Leno said that Rodney Dangerfield helped make his style of joke popular. This is where the comedian tells a sidekick how bad something is, and the sidekick asks "how bad?" to set up the punchline.

Rodney Dangerfield's official website was nominated for a Webby Award in 2013 after his widow relaunched it. Since then, the website has received two more Webby Award nominations and one win.

In 2014, Manhattanville College gave Rodney Dangerfield an honorary doctorate after he passed away. This officially made him Dr. Dangerfield.

In 2017, a plaque honoring Dangerfield was placed in Kew Gardens, his old neighborhood in Queens, New York.

Film and TV Appearances

Movies

Television Shows

Discography

Albums

Compilation Albums

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Dangerfield performing in 1972

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  Dangerfield's 1980 comedy album No Respect

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  Dangerfield in 1978

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  Dangerfield's headstone at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary

See also

In Spanish: Rodney Dangerfield para niños