Rodney Dangerfield
Stand-up comedian · 1921–2004

Rodney Dangerfield

Who Rodney Dangerfield is

Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen on Long Island, later Jack Roy) was a stand-up comedian and actor known for self-deprecating one-liners built on the theme of getting no respect. He reached national prominence on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, appeared on The Tonight Show more than 70 times, opened the Dangerfield's comedy club in New York in 1969, and won a Grammy for the album No Respect (1980). He later starred in films including Caddyshack, Easy Money and Back to School.

At a glance

Born
1921
Died
2004
Style
Persona one-liners, One-liners
Came up through
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Stand-up specials
Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me, Rodney Dangerfield: I Can't Take It No More, Rodney Dangerfield: Exposed and 3 more
Albums
The Loser, I Don't Get No Respect, No Respect and 3 more
Podcasts
It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs
On screen
The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Dean Martin Show and 12 more
Official site
rodney.com ↗

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 Rodney Dangerfield

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. 1921Born
  2. 1966The Loser (1966) Album
  3. 1967The Ed Sullivan Show (himself, 17 appearances, 1967–1971) On screen
  4. 1969The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (himself, more than 70 appearances, 1969–1992) On screen
  5. 1970I Don't Get No Respect (1970) Album
  6. 1971The Projectionist (Renaldi / The Bat, 1971) On screen
  7. 1972The Dean Martin Show (regular performer, 1972–1973) On screen
  8. 1980Saturday Night Live (host, 1980) On screen
  9. 1980Caddyshack (Al Czervik, 1980) On screen
  10. 1980No Respect (1980) Album
  11. 1982Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me (1982, HBO) Special
  12. 1983Rodney Dangerfield: I Can't Take It No More (1983, ABC) Special
  13. 1983Easy Money (Monty Capuletti; also co-writer, 1983) On screen
  14. 1983Rappin' Rodney (1983) Album
  15. 1985Rodney Dangerfield: Exposed (1985, HBO) Special
  16. 1986Back to School (Thornton Melon; also co-writer, 1986) On screen
  17. 1988Rodney Dangerfield: Nothin' Goes Right (1988) Special
  18. 1991Rover Dangerfield (Rover Dangerfield, voice; also screenwriter and executive producer, 1991) On screen
  19. 1992Rodney Dangerfield: It's Lonely at the Top (1992, Paramount) Special
  20. 1992Ladybugs (Chester Lee, 1992) On screen
  21. 1994Natural Born Killers (Ed Wilson, Mallory's dad, 1994) On screen
  22. 1995La Contessa (1995) Album
  23. 1996The Simpsons (Larry Burns, voice, 1996) On screen
  24. 1997Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast (1997, HBO) Special
  25. 1997Meet Wally Sparks (Wally Sparks; also producer and co-writer, 1997) On screen
  26. 1997Casper: A Spirited Beginning (Mayor Johnny Hunt, 1997) On screen
  27. 2000Little Nicky (Lucifer, 2000) On screen
  28. 2004It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs (autobiography, 2004) Book
  29. 2004Died
  30. 2005Romeo Rodney (2005) Album

Questions about Rodney Dangerfield

What stand-up specials has Rodney Dangerfield released?

Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me, Rodney Dangerfield: I Can't Take It No More, Rodney Dangerfield: Exposed, Rodney Dangerfield: Nothin' Goes Right, Rodney Dangerfield: It's Lonely at the Top and Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast.

What podcast do they host?

It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Dean Martin Show, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons and Caddyshack, among 15 credits.

Where did they get their start?

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (more than 70 appearances).

Who are some comedians like them?

Steven Wright (also in Natural Born Killers), Flip Wilson (also in The Ed Sullivan Show), Dick Shawn (also in The Ed Sullivan Show), Shecky Greene (also in The Ed Sullivan Show) and Totie Fields (also in The Ed Sullivan Show).

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 →Their own site ↗

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026