- Born
- Died
- Birth nameDonald Jay Rickles
- Nicknames
- Mr. Warmth
- The Merchant of Venom
- Glass Head
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Donald Jay Rickles was born May 8, 1926 in New York. Following the Golden Era of Hollywood, he remained active until early 2017. He got his start in night clubs, toiling for over 20 years, until 1958, when he made his film debut in Run Silent Run Deep (1958). The movie was a big hit. Afterward, Rickles continued acting, starring in films like The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), Bikini Beach (1964), Enter Laughing (1967), and Kelly's Heroes (1970). In 1973, Don became a regular on Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts.
From 1973-84, he appeared frequently on Dean's show, paying tribute to some of his friends, like Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and was even the roast master on the roast for Dean Martin himself. In 1976, he had his own TV series CPO Sharkey (1976), which enjoyed a two year run. After 1984, he slowed down, appearing in a few minor film roles. In 1995, he made a comeback, appearing with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in Toy Story (1995) in the role of the grouchy Mr. Potato Head. In 1999, he returned as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 2 (1999). He died on April 6, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, aged 90. He is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, in the Courts of Tanach.- IMDb mini biography by: gironda@verizon.net
- SpouseBarbara Rickles(March 14, 1965 - April 6, 2017) (his death, 2 children)
- Children
- ParentsEtta Rickles (Feldman)Max Sidney Rickles
- Good-natured insulting of the audience and society in general
- Short stature
- Bald with a comb-over
- Portly stocky physique
- Uses the word "moron" in most of his movies.
- When he guest-hosted the December 13, 1976 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), he accidentally broke the wooden cigarette box which Johnny Carson kept on his desk. When Carson returned to the show the following night and discovered what had happened, he interrupted filming of CPO Sharkey (1976), which Rickles was filming, for a confrontation.
- He never wrote down any of his jokes. He always came up with jokes on the spot.
- Served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Cyrene in World War II.
- He got his nickname "Mr. Warmth" from Johnny Carson.
- Aspired to be a serious actor and studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) before doing stand-up comedy. His classmates included Grace Kelly, Anne Bancroft and Jason Robards.
- If I were to insult people and mean it, that wouldn't be funny.
- Whatever you do to gain success, you have to hang in there and hope good things happen. Always think positive.
- [Asked by Jay Leno if he ever worries that his insult comedy might be too offensive for the audience] You know, every night when I go out on stage, there's always one nagging fear in the back of my mind. I'm always afraid that somewhere out there, there is one person in the audience that I'm NOT going to offend!
- [to Frank Sinatra, who arrived during his act] Come on in, Frank. Make yourself at home--hit somebody.
- [on Sammy Davis Jr.] You can't get Negro help like that, anymore. Wow, to have a guy who can sing, dance--and dust!
- The Kraft Music Hall (1967) - $12,500 / episode (1968-69 season)
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