Don Rickles
Stand-up comedian · 1926–2017 · Los Angeles, CA

Don Rickles

Who Don Rickles is

Don Rickles was a stand-up comedian and actor from Queens, New York, known for insult comedy and as a veteran headliner at Las Vegas hotel-casinos. He began performing in clubs in New York, Miami and Los Angeles in the early 1950s, appeared more than 100 times on The Tonight Show during Johnny Carson's era as a guest and guest host, and starred in the NBC sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey from 1976 to 1978. He released the comedy albums Hello Dummy! (1968) and Don Rickles Speaks! (1969), voiced Mr. Potato Head in the first three Toy Story films and won a Primetime Emmy Award for the HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.

At a glance

Born
1926
Died
2017
Based in
Los Angeles, CA
Came up through
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Stand-up specials
Don Rickles and His Wise Guys
Albums
Don Rickles Speaks! and Hello Dummy!
Podcasts
Rickles' Letters and Rickles' Book: A Memoir
On screen
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, C.P.O. Sharkey, The Don Rickles Show and 5 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Podcasts

Where they got their start

Came up the same way

Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson:

The Launching Pads: the shows the comedians came through →

Comedians like Don Rickles

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1926Born
  2. 1965The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (frequent guest and guest host, first appearance 1965; more than 100 appearances during Carson's era) On screen
  3. 1968The Don Rickles Show (star, ABC variety series, 1968) On screen
  4. 1968Hello Dummy! (1968) Album
  5. 1969Don Rickles Speaks! (1969) Album
  6. 1972The Don Rickles Show (star, CBS sitcom, 1972) On screen
  7. 1973The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (dais comedian, from 1973) On screen
  8. 1976C.P.O. Sharkey (star, NBC, 1976–1978) On screen
  9. 1980Don Rickles and His Wise Guys (1980, HBO) Special
  10. 1995Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 (voice of Mr. Potato Head, 1995–2010) On screen
  11. 1995Casino (Billy Sherbert, 1995) On screen
  12. 2007Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (documentary subject, HBO, 2007) On screen
  13. 2007Rickles' Book: A Memoir (book, 2007) Book
  14. 2008Rickles' Letters (book, 2008) Book
  15. 2017Died

Questions about Don Rickles

What stand-up specials has Don Rickles released?

Don Rickles and His Wise Guys.

What podcast do they host?

Rickles' Letters and Rickles' Book: A Memoir.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, C.P.O. Sharkey, The Don Rickles Show, The Don Rickles Show, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast and Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, among 8 credits.

Where did they get their start?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (more than 100 appearances as guest and guest host).

Where are they based?

Los Angeles, CA, as their record gives it.

Who are some comedians like them?

Freddie Prinze (also in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast), Andy Kaufman (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Bill Engvall (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson), Bob Newhart (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) and Buddy Hackett (also came through The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026