Born in Long Island, New York Rodney Dangerfield began writing jokes at the age of fifteen and started performing before he was 20, taking his act on the road with the stage name Jack Roy. Married at 27, he quit showbiz and made a living as an aluminum siding salesman. At age 42 he returned to comedy, this time under the name Rodney Dangerfield and began to attract some attention. He was among the very few to provoke any kind of reaction from the legendary Ed Sullivan, making him laugh when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. His film debut came in 1971 with The Projectionist.
Rodney Dangerfield died from complications after undergoing heart surgery at age 82
