Rick Shapiro (born April 13, 1959) is a

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' ...

-based

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

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 ...

Life and career

Shapiro was born in New Jersey. Spending his early years in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and New Jersey, Shapiro started his career in the early 1980s as a comedian at Catch A Rising Star on Broadway. Besides performing regularly on stage, throughout the 1990s he acted and starred in numerous films by

Louis CK Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...

, including '' Tomorrow Night''. Additionally, he portrayed the re-occurring character "Angry Poet" in ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

''. In 1998, Shapiro released his first comedy CD called ''Unconditional Love'', which Billboard called "hard-edged and uncompromising". In the 2000s, Shapiro's career continues in multiple fields. He is performing stand-up comedy nationally and internationally, debuting a one-man show in 2007 in the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

, and touring Australia in 2009. He had his first video game appearance in 2008, portraying the character Mason Waylon on the radio station PLR in ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...

'', a guest on a talk show who eventually drills holes in the heads of the two other guests. Shapiro has an active acting career, appearing in numerous film and television productions. In film, his most recent roles are in ''

Top Five ''Top Five'' is a 2014 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Rock. Produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, the film stars Rock, Rosario Dawson, and Gabrielle Union, and follows New York City comedian and film star Andre Allen (Rock), ...

'' by

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

, portraying T-Rick in the movie '' Project X'', and acting in the German comedy '' Timeless''. His television credits include Jerry in ''

Lucky Louie ''Lucky Louie'' is an American television sitcom created by Louis C.K., which aired on HBO in the U.S. for one season in 2006 — and in Canada on Movie Central, The Movie Network, and The Comedy Network. As the show's creator, writer and executi ...

'' by Louis C.K. on

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 ...

. Additionally, he appears in a scene originally filmed for the pilot of ''

Louie Louie may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Louie'' (American TV series), by comedian Louis C.K. * ''Louie'' (French TV series), animated series about a young rabbit who draws pictures which come to life * "Louie" (song), by Blood Raw * ''L ...

''. Shapiro's first book ''Unfiltered'', containing over 200 previously unreleased writings, was released in 2012 along with his second CD, ''Catalyst for Change''. In 2013, Rick Shapiro was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. As of August 2014, he is practically symptom-free and is productive, and in 2014–15, Shapiro appeared in the role of Marc Maron's eccentric neighbor, Bernie, in the IFC comedy series ''Maron''.

Style

Shapiro is mainly known for his stream-of-consciousness monologues on stage that can run for more than an hour, in which he addresses many topics that are controversial or considered taboo by most comedians. His comedic style has been described as "explosive".

Filmography (excerpt)

* ''

Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horac ...

'' (1986) as Larry * '' True Love'' as Kevin * '' Caesar's Salad'' (1990) (short film) * ''

Ice Cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

'' (1993) as Man's Brother (short film) * ''

Brunch Brunch is a meal eaten between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks (typically champagne or a cocktail). The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word ''brunch'' is a portmanteau of ''breakfast'' a ...

'' (1995) as Old Woman. (short film) * '' Highjacker'' (1998) as Highjacker (short film) * '' Tomorrow Night'' (1998) as Tina * ''

Pootie Tang ''Pootie Tang'' is a 2001 American comedy film written and directed by Louis C.K. Adapted from a comedy sketch that first appeared on ''The Chris Rock Show'', the character Pootie Tang is a satire of the stereotyped action heroes who appeared in ...

'' (2001) as Shakey * ''

'' (2006–2007) as Jerry * ''

'' (2008) as Waylon Mason * ''

'' (2010) uncredited * ''

The League ''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football league ...

'' (2011) as Bum * '' Project X'' (2012) as T-Rick * ''

'' (2014) Please note: IMDB refers to the film as "Finally Famous". According to the film's wikipedia-page, its title has officially been changed to "Top Five". In the filmography it is therefore listed as "Top Five" as Biker AA Guy; Uncredited * ''Maron'' (2014–2016) as Bernie * '' Timeless'' (2016) as State's Attorney / Special Agent / Paratrooper / Repairman * '' Heart, Baby'' (2017) as Shaky J

References

External links

* *
"Recovery Rick Re-Stands Up"
by

Ryan Blitstein Ryan Blitstein (born July 1979 in San Francisco, California) is Vice President of Sales Strategy & Operations at the Industrial AI software company Uptake. He was the first Executive Director of the education innovation grantmaking foundation SCE ...

, ''New York Observer,'' May 17, 2004.
Performance at the UCB Theater, July 3, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Rick 1959 births American male comedians American male film actors Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American male television actors People with Parkinson's disease 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Stand Up! Records artists