Rodney Rude facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rodney Rude
Rude in 2020
Birth name	Rodney Malcolm Keft
Born	(1943-01-29) 29 January 1943 (age 82) Nowra, New South Wales, Australia
Medium	Stand-up, music
Nationality	Australian
Years active	1961–2006, 2011–2016, 2024–present
Genres	Observational comedy
Subject(s)	Australian culture, current events, pop culture

Rodney Rude (born Rodney Malcolm Keft, 29 January 1943) is an Australian stand-up comedian and musician. He was born in Nowra, New South Wales, Australia.

Rodney Rude is famous for his lively and sometimes cheeky humor. He has released 12 albums and five videos. These were all shared in Australia by EMI Records. He was nominated nine times for the ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release. This is a big award for Australian music and comedy. He also won two Mo Awards, which celebrate live entertainment in Australia. Rodney Rude officially stopped doing live shows on 9 December 2016. However, he returned to performing live shows in 2024.

Rodney Rude's Early Career

Rodney Rude started his career in the early 1960s. He performed with traveling tent shows. He would sing and play the guitar at these shows. He enjoyed changing the words of songs to make people laugh. This led him to become a comedian.

In the mid-1960s, he traveled the world. He lived and worked in the United States, Canada, and Europe. He used different stage names during this time. In 1981, he was asked to come back to Australia. He helped set up Sydney's Comedy Store. He then worked there as the main host, also known as the compere.

Rodney Rude's Comedy Style

Rodney Rude's comedy is very energetic and bold. He is known for his special rat-tat-tat laugh. His shows were mostly for grown-ups. He often used funny items on stage. These included a small ukulele for short songs. He also wore hats that were too small for his head. Sometimes he wore oversized clown shoes. He even used metal tea strainers to pretend to be a fly. He also used jokes from his grandfather's old joke book.

He had several regular characters in his act. One was 'Bishop Rude', who would carry a toilet plunger. Another was 'Half Rude'. For this, Rodney would bend his knees into fake legs. He would also add foam to his backside to create a false bottom. He often did a quick twist of his upper body and head. This was followed by a loud "naaaaahhhh!".

Rodney Rude loved talking with his audience, whom he called 'trendsetters'. A fun part of his show was when he told limericks near the end. People in the audience often shouted out funny things. Rodney was very quick with his replies. Getting a funny comeback from him was like a special badge of honor for audience members. He also had a famous catchphrase: "You know what I hate?". When he said this, the audience would always shout back, "What do you hate, Rodney!?"

Rodney Rude's Albums

Rodney Rude has released many live and compilation albums. These albums have been very popular in Australia.

Live and Compilation Albums

Video Releases

Rodney Rude has also released several videos of his live performances.

Awards and Recognition

Rodney Rude has received several awards for his comedy.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards in Australia. They celebrate great achievements in all types of Australian music. Rodney Rude has been nominated for ten of these awards.

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards, or Mo Awards, were yearly awards. They honored live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Rodney Rude won two of these awards.