Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 â€" April 6, 2017) was an American
stand-up comedian, actor, and author, known especially for his insult
comedy. His film roles included Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) with Clark
Gable, Kelly's Heroes (1970) with Clint Eastwood and Casino (1995)
with Robert De Niro; beginning in 1976, he enjoyed a two-year run
starring in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey and had his own
sitcom called The Don Rickles Show (1972). A headline performer at Las
Vegas hotel-casinos and peripheral member of the Rat Pack via
friendship with Frank Sinatra, Rickles received widespread exposure as
a frequent guest on talk and variety shows, including The Dean Martin
Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Show with David
Letterman, and later voicing Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story
franchise. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for the 2007 documentary Mr.
Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.Rickles was born Donald Jay Rickles in
Queens, New York, on May 8, 1926, to Jewish parents. His father Max
Rickles (1897â€"1953) emigrated in 1903 with his Lithuanian parents
from Kaunas (then in the Russian Empire); his mother Etta Rickles
(née Feldman; 1898â€"1984) was born in New York City to Austrian
immigrant parents. Rickles grew up in Jackson Heights.After graduating
from Newtown High School in 1944, he enlisted in the United States
Navy and served during World War II on the motor torpedo boat tender
USS Cyrene as a seaman first class. He was honorably discharged in
1946. Two years later, intending to be a dramatic actor, he studied at
the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and then played bit parts on
television. Frustrated by a lack of acting work, Rickles began
performing comedy in clubs in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. He
became known as an insult comedian when he responded to his hecklers.
The audience enjoyed these insults more than his prepared material, so
he incorporated them into his act.
stand-up comedian, actor, and author, known especially for his insult
comedy. His film roles included Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) with Clark
Gable, Kelly's Heroes (1970) with Clint Eastwood and Casino (1995)
with Robert De Niro; beginning in 1976, he enjoyed a two-year run
starring in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey and had his own
sitcom called The Don Rickles Show (1972). A headline performer at Las
Vegas hotel-casinos and peripheral member of the Rat Pack via
friendship with Frank Sinatra, Rickles received widespread exposure as
a frequent guest on talk and variety shows, including The Dean Martin
Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Show with David
Letterman, and later voicing Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story
franchise. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for the 2007 documentary Mr.
Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.Rickles was born Donald Jay Rickles in
Queens, New York, on May 8, 1926, to Jewish parents. His father Max
Rickles (1897â€"1953) emigrated in 1903 with his Lithuanian parents
from Kaunas (then in the Russian Empire); his mother Etta Rickles
(née Feldman; 1898â€"1984) was born in New York City to Austrian
immigrant parents. Rickles grew up in Jackson Heights.After graduating
from Newtown High School in 1944, he enlisted in the United States
Navy and served during World War II on the motor torpedo boat tender
USS Cyrene as a seaman first class. He was honorably discharged in
1946. Two years later, intending to be a dramatic actor, he studied at
the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and then played bit parts on
television. Frustrated by a lack of acting work, Rickles began
performing comedy in clubs in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. He
became known as an insult comedian when he responded to his hecklers.
The audience enjoyed these insults more than his prepared material, so
he incorporated them into his act.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.