Rodney Dangerfield Biography

“Rodney Dangerfield” was the stage name of Jacob Rodney Cohen, a New York stand-up comedian. He was known for his self-deprecating humor, which included being stupid, ugly, sexually undesirable, and constantly wronged. His catch phrase, “I don’t get no respect,” was reflective of his early life. Growing up as “Jacob Cohen,” he was a fatherless “ugly duckling” in a poor Jewish family in Long Island in the 1920s and the 1930s. Despite changing his name to “Jack Roy” in 1940, he found that he could not succeed as a performer. He took up a variety of sales jobs, while still trying to work in the New York comedy circuit. In 1967, at the age of 46, Jack Roy’s ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ was slowly becoming a recognized name in the comedy club scene. By pure luck, he was invited to ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ as a late replacement. Following this, he instantly became a star. His unique appearance and his relentless stream self-deprecating one-liners stole the show. After 30 years in the business, he became an overnight success. Dangerfield ended up headlining in Vegas. He eventually owned his own club in New York, named ‘Dangerfield’s.’ He also became a regular on chat shows and starred in movies such as ‘Caddyshack,’ ‘Easy Money,’ and Adam Sandler’s ‘Little Nicky. ‘