Gilbert Gottfried was a comedian and actor known for his comically screechy persona and for voice roles including Iago the parrot in Disney’s “Aladdin” and the Aflac Duck.
- Died: April 12, 2022 (Who else died on April 12?)
- Details of death: Died after a long illness at the age of 67.
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Legendary comedian known for his voice
Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up comedy as a teenager in New York City. He developed a following at the clubs and his big break came in 1980 when he was hired as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” He was not utilized often during his one season on the iconic late night comedy show and he mostly used his natural voice during skits, not the recognizable screechy voice that would be his trademark. One of his first major movie roles was playing an accountant in Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop II.” He became a popular guest on Howard Stern’s radio show in the 1980s and had a major role in the 1990 John Ritter (1948–2003) film “Problem Child.” In 1992, Gottfried parlayed his unique voice into his biggest role, playing Iago the parrot in the animated Disney film “Aladdin.” Later, he was a regular on the Comedy Central celebrity roasts, and he started a podcast in 2014 titled “Gilbert’s Amazing Colossal Podcast,” in which he would interview celebrity guests. A documentary film about his life, titled “Gilbert,” was released in 2017.
Edgy comedy
Though beloved by comedian friends and many fans, Gottfried’s material was adult oriented and he sometimes made controversial jokes. He did a questionable 9/11 joke a few weeks after the terror attack and tweeted a series of jokes on Twitter about the earthquake disaster in Japan in 2011, which got him fired from his role as the voice of the Aflac Duck in their TV commercials. He appeared in the 2005 documentary film “The Aristocrats,” which featured many comedians talking about the legendary dirty joke.
Notable quote
“I have always felt comedy and tragedy are roommates.” “If you look up comedy and tragedy, you will find a very old picture of two masks. One mask is tragedy. It looks like it’s crying. The other mask is comedy. It looks like it’s laughing. Nowadays, we would say, ‘How tasteless and insensitive. A comedy mask is laughing at a tragedy mask.” – he wrote in CNN according to the Hollywood Reporter
Tributes to Gilbert Gottfried
Full Obituary: Variety
