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Rodney Dangerfield

Comedy history · 28 facts, each from at least two of 17 independent sources · last reviewed 2026-10-17

Rodney Dangerfield, born Jacob Cohen, was a stand-up comedian who became a film star in the 1980s.1,2,3,4,5 He was known for a persona of someone who could never earn respect, an idea at the heart of his signature catchphrase and routine.3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11 He died in 2004 at age 82.8,9

Early Life and Beginnings

Dangerfield was born in Babylon, New York, on November 22.3,9,10,12 His full birth name was Jacob Rodney Cohen.9,13 His father, Phil Roy, worked the vaudeville circuit as a comic and juggler.10,14 At 17, Dangerfield started appearing at amateur nights.3,10 By the age of 19, he was working in stand-up comedy under the stage name Jack Roy.3,4,10

Television and Live Performance

In 1963, at 42, he went back to comedy and started to attract notice.14,15 His big break came on The Ed Sullivan Show.9,10,13 He was also a guest on The Dean Martin Show, and he made more than 70 appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.2,3,4,10,14 He performed in Las Vegas as well.3,15 He also reached a wide audience through a series of Miller Lite beer commercials.15,16

Films and Recordings

His first film was The Projectionist, released in 1971.10,14 During the 1980s, Caddyshack, Easy Money and Back to School made him a movie star.1,2 His comedy album No Respect earned him a Grammy.10,17 He also put out a single called Rappin' Rodney.2,18

Later Years and Legacy

Dangerfield was married to Joan Child.5,10,14,17,19 He had his own home page on the Web by August 1995.3,9 He had a double coronary bypass operation in 2000.1,20 He was scheduled to provide his own voice for an appearance on Family Guy.3,6 The Smithsonian holds the white shirt and red tie that he was known for wearing.17,19,21 The Rodney Dangerfield Institute at LACC offers courses covering improvisation, stand-up, film comedy, and the craft of writing jokes.8,22

Sources

  1. Dangerfield Undergoes Brain Surgery (eonline.com)
  2. Dangerfield is no laughing matter | The San Diego Union-Tribune (utsandiego.com) · archived copy
  3. Rodney Dangerfield. (rodney.com) · archived copy
  4. Rodney Dangerfield - Ed Sullivan Show (edsullivan.com)
  5. Strange, unhappy life of Rodney Dangerfield (spokesman.com)
  6. Rodney Dangerfield to Have Heart Surgery | Fox News (foxnews.com)
  7. Jokers in cyberspace | The Independent | The Independent (the-independent.com)
  8. LA City College giving comic respect with Rodney Dangerfield Institute – Daily News (dailynews.com)
  9. Rodney Dangerfield's widow keeps bottle of his sweat in the refrigerator (today.com)
  10. Rodney Dangerfield - Movies, Quotes & Death (biography.com)
  11. Chuck Lorre, Steve Tisch, William Friedkin Honored at UCLA Visionary Ball (variety.com)
  12. Rodney Dangerfield Has Known Worse—It's Usually An Albatross (people.com) · archived copy
  13. ’Where’s Rodney?’ Was One of the Many Questions Raised By ‘Where’s Rodney?’ (vulture.com)
  14. Rodney Dangerfield Dies At 82 - CBS News (cbsnews.com)
  15. Rodney Dangerfield: He Whines That We May Laugh (rollingstone.com)
  16. You guys have got to be joking | The Harvard Crimson (thecrimson.com)
  17. RollingStone.com: News - Rodney Dangerfield - Gone to Pot (rollingstone.com) · archived copy
  18. Dave Holmes Pays Respect to ‘Rappin’ Rodney’ and 99 Other Hits From 1984 (vulture.com)
  19. MOVIES : Natural Born Actor : Comic titan Rodney Dangerfield is getting respect for his performance as a hateful dad in 'Natural Born Killers.' - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
  20. RODNEY STILL GETS THE JOKE – Daily Press (dailypress.com)
  21. Rodney Dangerfield Remarries . . . And This Time He's Sober - ABC News (abcnews.com)
  22. Whitney Cummings to Receive Award at LACC Foundation Gala (hollywoodreporter.com)

Updated November 12, 2026.

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