Don Rickles - # 156

Don Rickles, Legendary Insult Comic, Dies at 90

He was number 156 on the list.

Abrasive comic Don Rickles, the honorary Rat Pack member and celebrity roast guest whose career spanned six decades, has died. He was 90.

Rickles died Thursday morning at his home in Los Angeles from kidney failure, his longtime publicist Paul Shefrin confirmed. He would have turned 91 on May 8.

Though he appeared in films and on television, Rickles’ mainstay was always nightclub performances, appearing in Las Vegas and elsewhere into his late 80s. He also found late success as the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” films, which were exceptional box office performers, and popped up frequently on latenight talkshows.

Rickles’ career had its ups and downs as comedic tastes changed, and his curmudgeonly persona was sometimes out of kilter with audience tastes, but he survived long after many of his contemporaries had disappeared into retirement. And when he was hot, he was a potent club headliner, insulting his audience with his two key signature phrases “dummy” and “hockey puck.”

His attempts at series TV did not succeed because of the astringency of Rickles’ personality. His serious side, however, was occasionally put to good use in guest starring roles in episodic TV and the occasional dramatic role in movies such as his first, “Run Silent, Run Deep,” and Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film “Casino.”

Donald Jay Rickles was born in Manhattan and studied acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York after serving in the Navy during WWII. He began appearing in nightclubs during the ’50s but didn’t really break through until his first appearance on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” in 1965.

In the meantime, he worked in movies. After his debut in WWII submarine drama “Run Silent, Run Deep” (1958), he appeared in the Tony Curtis-Debbie Reynolds romantic comedy “The Rat Race” and various AIP beach movies with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.

After the Carson appearance, he achieved headliner status in Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, and he was frequently seen in the company of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack.

He took to the stage in the L.A. production of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” playing Felix. Later he took “The Don Rickles Show” on tour around the country. He also made more movies, including Carl Reiner’s “Enter Laughing” and WWII heist comedy “Kelly’s Heroes.”

His first try at a TV series, CBS’ “Kibbe Hates Finch” in 1965, never got beyond a pilot. Variety series “The Don Rickles Show” lasted a single season in 1969-69, and his mid-’70s sitcom “C.P.O. Sharkey” lasted two. He co-hosted reality clip show “Foul-Ups, Bloops and Blunders” with Steve Lawrence for a single season in 1983-84 on ABC. His last attempt was Fox’s 1993 sitcom “Daddy Dearest” co-starring Richard Lewis, which quickly folded.

More successful were his guest starring appearances on TV in a variety of shows including comedies such as “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “The Lucy Show,” “F Troop” (in a recurring role as Bald Eagle), “Get Smart,” “Newhart” and, in 2011, “Hot in Cleveland.” He also acquitted himself on TV dramas like “Medical Center” and “Chrysler Theater.” He guested on “The Single Guy” and “Murphy Brown” in the late ’90s, appeared in a supporting role in 2004 telepic “The Wool Cap” and appeared as himself within a dream sequence in a 2007 episode of CBS drama “The Unit.”

In January 2005, Rickles appeared with Bob Newhart, whom he considered his best friend, on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” the day after Johnny Carson’s death to reminisce about their many guest appearances on Carson’s show.

During the late ’70s and a good part of the ’80s, Rickles’ humor was out of fashion, and while he continued appearing at casinos, the luster of his star had faded. Then, things turned around again, and a new generation of comedians that he had influenced came into favor. Rickles was once again in vogue.

Rickles’ humor, while enjoyed better in person, also landed on record with albums such as “Hello Dummy!” and “Don Rickles Speaks.”

In Scorsese’s 1995 film “Casino,” Rickles had a substantial role as a trusted cohort to Robert De Niro’s casino owner. And the “Toy Story” animated features kept Rickles busy, voicing Mr. Potato Head in the 1995 original, the 1999 sequel and the enormously successful third entry in 2010. He reprised the role in a 2011 short called “Hawaiian Vacation,” and he voiced the Frog character in the 2011 live action/animated hybrid “Zookeeper,” starring Kevin James and Rosario Dawson.

The comedian’s memoir, “Rickles’ Book,” was published in 2007. John Landis directed a documentary on Rickles, “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project,” which debuted on HBO the same year. For his performance in the documentary, Rickles won an Emmy for individual performance in a variety or music program.

In May 2014 the funnyman was saluted by the likes of David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Stewart in the Spike TV special “One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles.”

Survivors include Rickles’ wife of 52 years, Barbara; a daughter; and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Larry Rickles Endowment Fund at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1958      Run Silent, Run Deep      Quartermaster 1st Class Ruby    

1959      The Rabbit Trap                Mike O'Halloran               

1960      The Rat Race      Nellie   

1963      X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes Crane   

1964      Muscle Beach Party         Jack Fanny          

Bikini Beach        Big Drag              

Pajama Party      Big Bang The Martian    

1965      Beach Blanket Bingo       Big Drop              

1967      Enter Laughing Harry Hamburger            

The Money Jungle           Harry Darkwater              

1969      Where It's At      Willie    

1970      Kelly's Heroes    Staff Sergeant "Crapgame"         

1971      The Love Machine            Announcer          Uncredited cameo

1990      Keaton's Cop      Jake      

1992      Innocent Blood Emmanuel "Manny" Bergman    

1995      Casino   Billy Sherbert    

Toy Story             Mr. Potato Head               Voice

1997      Redux Riding Hood          The Boss              Voice

Short film

1998      Quest for Camelot           Cornwall              Voice

Dirty Work          Mr. Hamilton    

Dennis the Menace Strikes Again               George Wilson   Direct-to-DVD

1999      Toy Story 2          Mr. Potato Head               Voice

2010      Toy Story 3          Mr. Potato Head               Voice

2011      Hawaiian Vacation           Voice

Short film

Zookeeper          Jim the Bullfrog                 Voice

2012      Partysaurus Rex                Mr. Potato Head               Voice

Short film

2019      Toy Story 4          Voice  Posthumous release

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1955      Stage 7 Announcer          Episode: "A Note of Fear"

1955–1956          Cavalcade of America     Commentator    2 episodes

1956      Chevron Hall of Stars      Announcer

Four Star Playhouse        Uncredited

Episode: "The Listener"

1957      M Squad              N/A        Scenes deleted

Episode: "Pete Loves Mary"

1959      The Thin Man     Eddie     Episode: "The Cat Kicker"

1959–1960          The DuPont Show with June Allyson         Reporter / Newscaster / Announcer        3 episodes

1961      The Twilight Zone             Bettor   Episode: "Mr. Dingle, the Strong"

Wagon Train      Joe Carder           Episode: "Wagon to Fort Anderson"

Hennesey            Chief Petty Officer Ernie Schmidt               Episode: "Professional Sailor"

1962      The Dick Powell Show     Newscaster        Episode: "Seeds of April"

Cain's Hundred Dave Molloy       Episode: "Blood Money"

1963–1965          Burke's Law        Swifty Piedmont / Frank Cross / Lou Kronkeit       3 episodes

1964      The Addams Family         Claude Episode: "Halloween With the Addams Family"

The Dick Van Dyke Show               Lyle Delp              2 episodes

1965      The Beverly Hillbillies      Fred       Episode: "Jed's Temptation"

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.     Sergeant Jim Mason        Episode: "My Buddy, the War Hero"

The Munsters    "Doc" Happy Havemeyer              Episode: "Dance with Me, Herman"

The Andy Griffith Show Newton Munroe              Episode: "The Luck of Newton Munroe"

1965–1966          Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre                Linny     2 episodes

1966–1967          Run for Your Life               Willy Hatch / Leo Mazinov            2 episodes

F Troop                 Bald Eagle           Episode: "The Return of Bald Eagle"

1966      The Wild Wild West        Asmodeus           Episode: "The Night of the Druid's Blood"

The Bob Hope Show        Himself                 5 episodes

Gilligan's Island Norbert Wiley    Episode: "The Kidnapper"

1967      The Lucy Show Eddie Rickles      Episode: "Lucy the Fight Manager"

I Spy       Frank Bodie        Episode: "Night Train to Madrid"

I Dream of Jeannie           Kiski       Episode: "My Master, the Weakling"

1968–1969          The Don Rickles Show     Himself (host)    17 episodes

Get Smart            Sid Krimm / Guard           Episodes: "The Little Black Book – Parts 1&2"

Episode: "To Sire, with Love – Part 2"

1968      The Carol Burnett Show                 Shoe salesman Season 2, Episode 7

1970      The Carol Burnett Show                 Painter Season 4, Episode 11

1972      The Don Rickles Show     Don Robinson    13 episodes

1973      A Couple of Dons              Himself                 Television Special

1974      Sanford and Son               Fight Announcer (voice)                Episode: "Once a Thief"

1975      Buy This Tape, You Hockey Puck                Himself                 Stand-up special

1976      Medical Center S. Ruskin              Episode: "The Happy State of Depression"

1976–1978          C.P.O. Sharkey   "C.P.O. Otto Sharkey"     37 episodes

1982      Archie Bunker's Place     Al Snyder             Episode: "Death of a Lodger"

1983      Gimme a Break!                Max       Episode: "Nell and the Kid"

1985      George Burns Comedy Week      Mayor   Episode: "Disaster at Buzz Creek"

1989      Newhart              Don Prince          Episode: "The Nice Man Cometh"

1990      Tales from the Crypt       Mr. Ingles            Episode: "The Ventriloquist's Dummy"

1991      Hunter Harold Schwan Episode: "Ex Marks the Spot"

1993      Daddy Dearest   Al Mitchell           13 episodes

1997      The Larry Sanders Show                Himself                 Episode: "Artie and Angie and Hank and Hercules"

The Single Guy   Dr. Dick Sloan    Episode: "Big Baby"

1998      Murphy Brown Leonard, Secretary #90 Episode: "Dial and Substance"

2002      The Bernie Mac Show     Himself                 Episode: "The Sweet Life"

2004      The Wool Cap    Ira           Television film

2005      The Catch            Roy Kozikowski Pilot

2007      The Unit               Himself / Priest Episode: "Sub-Conscious"

2011      Hot in Cleveland               Bobby   2 episodes

2013      Toy Story of Terror!         Mr. Potato Head               Voice

Television film

2014      Toy Story That Time Forgot

2017      Dinner with Don               Himself (host)    13 episodes

Posthumous release

Video games

Year       Title       Role

1996      Animated Storybook: Toy Story Mr. Potato Head

1999      Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue

2001      Toy Story Racer

2003      Toy Story: Buzz Lightyear's Blast Up Together

Other

Live shows

    Toy Story: The Musical – Mr. Potato Head (voice)

Theme park attractions

    Toy Story Midway Mania! – Mr. Potato Head

Discography

    Hello, Dummy! (1968)

    Don Rickles Speaks! (1969)

Books

    Rickles, Don; Ritz, David (2007). Rickles' Book: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-9305-1.

    Rickles, Don; Ritz, David (2008). Rickles' Letters. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-9663-9.

Awards and nominations

Year       Award   Work     Result

2000      Hollywood Walk of Fame             

2008      Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program             Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project   Won

2009      Legend Award                   Won

2012      The Johnny Carson Award            For a lifetime of comedic excellence        Won

2013      Friars Club Lifetime Achievement Award                                Won