It’s been two decades since iconic comedian Rodney Dangerfield died in Los Angeles on October 5, 2004, at 82. He got “no respect,” his signature line, and here’s a look back at his life and career.
A Legend Was Born
Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Cohen on November 22, 1921, in Babylon, Long Island, New York to Dorothy (née Teitelbaum) and Phillip Cohen, both of European Jewish ancestry. He and his elder sister were raised in Queens. His father, a vaudeville comic and juggler, abandoned the family soon after Jacob’s birth.
As he grew up, young Jacob was hired for various odd jobs, including delivering groceries after school and selling ice cream on the beach.
All the while, he suffered from low self-esteem, due to his mother’s poor parenting skills and frequent anti-Semitic abuse from his teachers.
To cope, Jacob wrote and told jokes in class. In his late teens, he began doing so on stage, changing his name to Jack Roy, and becoming a singing waiter and comic throughout New York City and New Jersey.