Don Rickles is a standup comedian who is most famous for not telling "jokes" but dishing out insults. He can be credited for defining what we know as the insult comic shtick commonly used today. It should be noted however, that vulgarity was not a part of the equation, but instead employed light hearted ribbing that skirted on edge between good taste and bad taste.
Rickles started out in the late 1950's and worked his way through the Las Vegas clubs and ended up on the Tonight Show with Jonny Carson in 1967, which helped him lauch a television and movie career.
While born in 1926, the 75 year old can still be seen in movies and on TV, often on late night talk shows with David Letterman, Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. One of his most famous comedy bits is to call someone a hockey puck, which although tame today, earned him nick names like "Mr Wrath", "The Insult King", and "The Merchant of Venom". His two comedy albums "Hello, Dummy !" and "Don Rickles Speaks" have been best sellers.
Editors Note:
Rickles died of renal failure, hypertension, and Type II diabetes on April 6, 2017, at his home in Beverly Hills, California; he was 90 years old.