Richard John Colangelo (April 14, 1957DOB according to Jeni's Website
and Social Security Death Index. – March 10, 2007), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Richard Jeni, was an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Early life

Jeni was born and raised in an Italian-American

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

family in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He graduated with honors from

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...

, earning a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in comparative politics. After graduating, Jeni went on to do public relations work, but was let go from five different firms in two years before doing an open-mic night in Brooklyn and deciding to pursue standup comedy as a career in 1982.

Career

Jeni first received recognition through a series of

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

stand-up specials and frequent appearances on '' The Tonight Show''. After making his ''Tonight Show'' debut in 1988 with

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

, Jeni returned often and later made appearances on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'', with more appearances than any other stand-up comedian. In 1989, he won Comedy USA's Best Nightclub Comedian, as voted by comedy club owners and comedians, and his first Showtime special ''Richard Jeni: The Boy From New York City'' won a CableACE Award. Top executives at

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

picked up his first appearance on ''The HBO Comedy Hour'' in 1992, titled ''Richard Jeni: Platypus Man''. The show was well received, and Jeni returned for two more shows, going on to receive another CableACE Award for one of his HBO specials. Jeni starred in the short-lived 1995

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...

sitcom ''

Platypus Man ''Platypus Man'' is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23 to May 15, 1995, during the network's first season.Carter, Bill (October 6, 1994). A New Network Hopes To Lure Fox Viewers. ''New York Times'' Starring comedian Richard Jeni, ...

'' and appeared in the

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

film '' The Mask''. Jeni composed the theme song ("I'm A Platypus Man") for his TV series. He appeared in ''

The Aristocrats "The Aristocrats" is a taboo-defying off-color joke that has been told by numerous stand-up comedians since the vaudeville era . It relates the story of a family trying to get an agent to book their stage act, which is revealed to be remarkably ...

'', ''

Dad's Week Off ''Dad's Week Off'' is an American television film that premiered on Showtime on March 29, 1997. It was written and directed by Neal Israel, and starred Henry Winkler, Olivia d'Abo and Richard Jeni. Plot A computer salesman charged with marketing ...

'', '' An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn'', and ''Chasing Robert''. He starred in commercial campaigns for

Certs __NOTOC__ Certs is a breath mint (or, according to some, a candy mint) manufactured by Mondelēz International, and it has long been one of America's most popular mints. Certs was the first breath/candy mint to be nationally marketed in the U ...

and Arby's, and he won a Clio Award for his work as a writer/performer in an advertising campaign for the American Dairy Association. In 2004, Jeni was ranked #57 on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

's list of the ''100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time''.

Death

On March 10, 2007, Jeni was found by his girlfriend, Amy Murphy, a weather anchor and reporter for KTTV in Los Angeles, with a .38-caliber

Colt Detective Special The Colt Detective Special is a six-shot, carbon steel framed, 2" or 3" barreled, double-action revolver, and the first example of a class of firearms known as "snubnose revolvers". Made by Colt's Manufacturing Company, this model revolver, as th ...

between his feet and an apparent self-inflicted handgun wound to the head on the bathroom floor in his

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

home. Jeni and Murphy had been conversing in bed, discussing breakfast and their plans for the day, when Murphy left to cook breakfast downstairs. After a few minutes, she heard the sound of a gunshot, ran upstairs, discovered Jeni's condition, and called

9-1-1 , usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...

. Police and paramedics arrived and transported Jeni to

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he died. His family later stated with certainty that the death was a suicide and that Jeni had recently been diagnosed with "severe

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...

coupled with fits of psychotic

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

." According to the coroner's report released in June 2007, Jeni had a history of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

and had been taking

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...

s and a sleeping aid. The report further indicated that his girlfriend heard him talking to himself about a week earlier, saying "just squeeze the trigger." Jeni's death was marked by many tributes, including thousands of messages on his website and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

as well as on the radio. On March 12, 2007, Jeni's death was mentioned on ''The Tonight Show'' by

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

, with accompanying footage of Jeni's last appearance on the show. On March 16,

Bill Maher William Maher (; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' (2003–present) and the similar la ...

, who had performed with Jeni as a young comic, dedicated the fifth episode of the fifth season of his

show, ''

Real Time with Bill Maher ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' is an American television talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous series ''Politically Incorrect'' on Comedy Central and later on ABC, ''Real Ti ...

'', to Jeni and discussed his death on '' Larry King Live''.

Filmography

* ''

Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

'' (1988) as Morello * '' The Mask'' (1994) as Charlie Schumaker * ''

'' (1997) as Bernie * '' An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn'' (1998) as Jerry Glover * ''Chasing Robert'' (2007) as Rich the Bookie

Television series

* ''

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist ''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an American adult animated sitcom that ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to February 13, 2002. The series starred the voice talents of Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. The show wa ...

'' (1995-2002) as Himself * ''

'' (1995) as himself * ''

Shorties Watchin' Shorties ''Shorties Watchin' Shorties'' is an American adult animated comedy television series that aired on Comedy Central from April 28 to December 16, 2004. The show is made up of various short animated clips with audio from comedians' stand up routine ...

'' (2004) as himself

HBO specials

* ''Richard Jeni: Platypus Man'' (1993) * ''Richard Jeni: A Good Catholic Boy'' (1997) * ''Richard Jeni: A Big Steaming Pile of Me'' (2005)

Showtime specials

* ''Richard Jeni: Boy from New York City'' (1989) * ''Richard Jeni: Crazy from The Heat'' (1991)

Other works

* OfficeMax commercial (voice) (1995-1999) *

commercial Coca-Cola commercial for concession stands at the movie theater 1997

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeni, Richard 1957 births 2007 deaths American male film actors American people of Italian descent American stand-up comedians Television personalities from New York City Hunter College alumni Male actors from New York (state) People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn People with mood disorders Suicides by firearm in California Comedians from New York (state) 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors Burials in New York (state) 2007 suicides