Editing Rodney Dangerfield (section)

==Career==
===Early career===
At the age of 15, he began to write for stand-up comedians while performing at the [[Nevele Grand Hotel|Nevele]], a former resort in [[Ellenville, New York]].<ref name= silent>{{cite news |title= That Laughter You Hear Is the Silent Majority |first= Albert |last= Goldman |work= The New York Times |date= June 14, 1970 |page= 111 |url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/118849740/}}</ref> Then, at the age of 19 he legally changed his name to Jack Roy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movieactors.com/actors/rodneydangerfield.htm |title=Rodney Dangerfield|publisher=Movieactors.com |access-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= A "Born Loser" Who Gets Laughs |work= The Baltimore Sun |date= July 13, 1969 |page= TW6 |url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/539155980/ }}</ref> He struggled financially for nine years, at one point performing as a singing waiter until he was fired, before taking a job selling aluminum siding in the mid-1950s to support his wife and family.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-rodney-dangerfield.html|title=Letter of Recommendation: Rodney Dangerfield|last=Halberstadt |first=Alex|date=January 26, 2018|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2014/05/dave-holmes-no-respect-rappin-rodney-1984-chart.html|title=Respect to 'Rappin' Rodney' and 99 Other Hits From 1984|last=Holmes |first=Dave|date=May 29, 2014|publisher=Vulture|access-date=August 2, 2018}}</ref> He later quipped he was so little known that when he gave up show business, "I was the only one who knew I quit."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbaAF5Zwax0C&q=at+the+time+I+quit%2C+I+was+the+only+one+who&pg=PT55 |title=It's not easy bein' me: a lifetime of no respect but plenty of sex and drugs |date=2005 |access-date=April 20, 2019|isbn=9780061957642|last=Dangerfield |first=Rodney |publisher=Zondervan }}</ref>

In the early 1960s, he started reviving his career as an entertainer. Still working as a salesman by day, he returned to the stage, performing at hotels in the [[Borscht Belt|Catskill Mountains]], but still finding minimal success. He fell into debt, about $20,000 by his own estimate and couldn't get booked. He later joked, "I played one club; it was so far out, my act was reviewed in ''[[Field & Stream]]''."<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=96052&page=1 "Rodney Dangerfield Remarries ... And This Time He's Sober"]. ABC News. August 24, 2000.</ref>

Dangerfield came to realize that what he lacked was an "image", a well-defined on-stage persona that audiences could relate to, one that would distinguish him from other comics. After being shunned by some premier comedy venues, he returned home where he began developing a character for whom nothing goes right.

Roy took the name Rodney Dangerfield from an episode by [[Jack Benny]] on his radio program in a 1941 broadcast.<ref>{{Citation |title=Jack Benny - JB 1941-12-21 The Christmas tree | date=2 January 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV0VhpPo0y8 |access-date=2023-03-24 |language=en}}</ref> The name was referenced as an actor whom Jack had invited to his upcoming Christmas Party, but [[Mary Livingstone]] had never heard of him. The name surfaces again in the December 15, 1946, episode as a "movie star" on Jack's Christmas Card list.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTysLG6zCDQ | title=Jack Benny - JB 1946-12-15 Exchanging Shoelaces | website=[[YouTube]] | date=7 January 2018 }}</ref> The name was also used by [[Ricky Nelson]] in a 1962 television episode of ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]]'', as a phony name for a blind date.<ref>{{Citation |title=Ricky Nelson is Rodney Dangerfield | date=24 May 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJkLBO2AbjQ |access-date=2024-02-14 |language=en}}</ref>

===Career surge===
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|title=Dangerfield's one-liner style of comedy|
* "My fan club broke up. The guy died."
* "Last week my house was on fire. My wife told the kids, 'Be quiet, you'll wake up Daddy.{{'"}}
* "I was ugly, very ugly. When I was born, the doctor smacked my mother."<ref name=NYT/>
* "I went to the fights last night, and a hockey game broke out."}}

Dangerfield reached national prominence appearing on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in March 1967.<ref name="Edsullivan.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.edsullivan.com/artists/rodney-dangerfield/ |title=Rodney Dangerfield |work=[[The Ed Sullivan Show]] |date=March 5, 1967 |access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref> He soon began headlining shows in [[Las Vegas]] and continued making frequent appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040053/fullcredits|title=The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series 1948–1971) |website=IMDb|access-date=October 23, 2020}}</ref> He also became a regular on ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' and appeared on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' more than 70 times.<ref name="The New York Times">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/06/arts/rodney-dangerfield-comic-seeking-respect-dies-at-82.html | work=The New York Times | title=Rodney Dangerfield, Comic Seeking Respect, Dies at 82 | date=October 6, 2004}}</ref>

In 1969, Dangerfield teamed up with Anthony Bevacqua to build the [[Dangerfield's]] comedy club in New York City, a venue where he could perform on a regular basis without having to constantly travel. The club remained in continuous operation until October 14, 2020. Dangerfield's was the venue for several [[HBO]] comedy specials starring such stand-up comics as [[Jerry Seinfeld]], [[Jim Carrey]], [[Tim Allen]], [[Roseanne Barr]], [[Robert Townsend (actor)|Robert Townsend]], [[Jeff Foxworthy]], [[Sam Kinison]], [[Bill Hicks]], [[Rita Rudner]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]], [[Louie Anderson]], [[Dom Irrera]], and [[Bob Saget]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

In 1978, Dangerfield was invited to be the keynote speaker at [[Harvard University]]'s Class Day, an annual ceremony for seniors the day before commencement.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1978/5/2/dangerfield-will-speak-at-class-day | work=The Harvard Crimson | title=Dangerfield Will Speak at Class Day | date=May 2, 1978}}</ref>

[[Image:Album no respect.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|Dangerfield's 1980 comedy album ''No Respect'']] His 1980 comedy album ''No Respect'' won a [[Grammy Award]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards|title=Awards Nominations & Winners|date=April 30, 2017|website=Grammy.com|access-date=August 21, 2019}}</ref> One of his TV specials featured a musical number, "Rappin' Rodney", which appeared on his 1983 follow-up album, ''[[Rappin' Rodney]]''. In December 1983, the "Rappin' Rodney" single became one of the first Hot 100 rap records, and the associated video was an early [[MTV]] hit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fourthgradenothing.com/2011/08/rappin-rodney-dangerfield-no-respect-in_10.html |title=Rappin' Rodney Dangerfield - No Respect in 1983 |publisher=Fourth Grade Nothing |date=August 10, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref> The video featured cameo appearances by [[Don Novello]] as a [[last rites]] priest munching on Rodney's [[last meal]] of fast food in a styrofoam container and [[Pat Benatar]] as a masked executioner pulling a [[hangman's knot]]. The two appear in a dream sequence wherein Dangerfield is condemned to die and does not get any respect, even in Heaven, as the gates close without him being permitted to enter.

===Career peak===
Though his acting career had begun much earlier in obscure movies like ''[[The Projectionist]]'' (1971),<ref name= silent/> Dangerfield's career took off during the early 1980s, when he began acting in hit comedy movies.

One of Dangerfield's more memorable performances was in the 1980 golf comedy ''[[Caddyshack]]'', in which he plays an obnoxious [[nouveau riche]] property developer who is a guest at a [[country club]], where he clashes with the uptight Judge Elihu Smails (played by [[Ted Knight]]). His role was initially smaller, but because he and fellow cast members [[Chevy Chase]] and [[Bill Murray]] proved adept at improvisation, their roles were greatly expanded during filming, much to the chagrin of some of their castmates.<ref>[http://www.biography.com/listings/episode_details.do?episodeid=510360&airingid=511286 ''Caddyshack: The Inside Story''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610130346/http://www.biography.com/listings/episode_details.do?episodeid=510360&airingid=511286 |date=2011-06-10 }}, Bio.HD December 13, 2009.</ref> Initial reviews of ''Caddyshack'' praised Dangerfield's standout performance among the wild cast.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-sun-times/20200730/282376926911752 | work= Chicago Sun-Times | title=In a Wild Cast, It's Dangerfield Who Wins Our Respect | date=July 20, 1980}}</ref> 

Dangerfield's appearance in ''Caddyshack'' led to starring roles in ''[[Easy Money (1983 film)|Easy Money]]'' and ''[[Back to School]]'', for which he also served as co-writer. Unlike his stand-up persona, his comedy film characters were portrayed as successful, confident and generally popular despite being characteristically loud, brash, and detested by the wealthy elite.

Throughout the 1980s, Dangerfield also appeared in a series of commercials for [[Miller Lite]] beer, including one in which various celebrities who had appeared in the ads were holding a bowling match. With the score tied, after a bearded [[Ben Davidson]] told Rodney, "All we need is one pin, Rodney", Dangerfield's ball went down the lane and bounced perpendicularly off the head pin, landing in the gutter without knocking down any of the pins. He also appeared in the endings of [[Billy Joel]]'s music video of "[[Tell Her About It]]" and [[Lionel Richie]]'s video of "[[Dancing on the Ceiling (Lionel Richie song)|Dancing on the Ceiling]]".<ref>{{IMDb title|7126632|Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling}}</ref>
[[File:RodneyDangerfield1978.jpg|thumb|upright|Dangerfield in 1978]]
In 1990, Dangerfield was involved in ''Where's Rodney?'', an unsold TV pilot for [[NBC]]. The show starred [[Jared Rushton]] as a teenager, also named Rodney, who could summon Dangerfield whenever he needed guidance about his life.<ref>{{Cite web|title=...Where's Rodney?|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0224983/|website=IMDb|access-date=2020-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/wheres-rodney-was-one-of-many-questions-raised-by-wheres-rodney.html |title='Where's Rodney?' Was One of the Many Questions Raised By 'Where's Rodney?'|last= Cormier| first=Roger|date=2013-07-22| website= Vulture.com| language=en| access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref>

In a change of pace from the comedy persona that made him famous, he played an [[child abuse|abusive]] father in ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' in a scene for which he wrote or rewrote all of his own lines.<ref>De Vries, Hilary. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-21-ca-29578-story.html "Natural Born Actor : Comic titan Rodney Dangerfield is getting respect for his performance as a hateful dad in 'Natural Born Killers.'"] ''L.A. Times''. August 21, 1994.</ref>

Dangerfield was rejected for membership in the [[Motion Picture Academy]] in 1995 by the head of the academy's Actors Section, [[Roddy McDowall]]. After fan protests, the academy reconsidered, but Dangerfield then refused to accept membership.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/dangerfield-dies-20041006-gdjv9i.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=Dangerfield dies | date= October 6, 2004 | access-date= October 24, 2020}}</ref>

In March 1995, Dangerfield was the first celebrity to personally own a website and create content for it.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Kim |first= Albert |date= August 11, 1995 |title= Rodney Dangerfield on the World Wide Web |url= https://ew.com/article/1995/08/11/rodney-dangerfield-world-wide-web |magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date= July 28, 2020}}</ref> He interacted with fans who visited his site via an "E-mail me" link, often surprising people with a reply.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.culturesonar.com/rodney-dangerfield-website | work=Culture Sonar | title=Rodney Dangerfield Finally Gets Some Respect | date=August 10, 2016}}</ref> By 1996, Dangerfield's website proved to be such a hit that he made ''Websight'' magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People on the Web".<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/jokers-in-cyberspace-1345719.html | work=The Independent | title=Jokers in cyberspace | date=May 5, 1996}}</ref>

Dangerfield appeared in "[[Burns, Baby Burns]]", an episode of the animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in which he played [[Mr. Burns]]'s son Larry Burns, a character who is essentially a parody of Dangerfield's onstage persona. He also appeared as himself in an episode of ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]''.

Dangerfield appears in the 2000 [[Adam Sandler]] film ''[[Little Nicky]]'', playing [[Lucifer]], the father of [[Satan]] ([[Harvey Keitel]]) and grandfather of Nicky (Sandler).

Dangerfield was recognized by the [[Smithsonian Institution]], which has displayed one of his trademark white shirts and red ties. When he handed the shirt to the museum's curator, Rodney joked, "I have a feeling you're going to use this to clean [[Charles Lindbergh|Lindbergh]]'s plane."<ref>{{cite web| url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19820429&id=kLRPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6577,8156255 |title=news report | work= Ocala Star-Banner| date= April 29, 1982 | agency= Associated Press |access-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref>

Dangerfield played an important role in comedian [[Jim Carrey]]'s rise to stardom. In the 1980s, after watching Carrey perform at the [[Comedy Store]] in Los Angeles, Rodney signed Carrey to open for Dangerfield's Las Vegas show. The two toured together for about two more years.<ref>{{Cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2hHyD0oOWYC&q=rodney+dangerfield+smithsonian&pg=PR11|title=It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs| first=Rodney|last=Dangerfield|date=March 1, 2005|publisher=Harper Collins |via=Google Books| isbn= 9780060779245}}</ref> When Dangerfield celebrated his 80th birthday on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'' in November 2001, Carrey made a surprise appearance to thank Dangerfield for his years of support.