Early life

Gottfried was born on February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York.

Career

Early career (1980-1998)

At age 15, Gottfried began doing amateur stand-up in New York City and, after a few years, became known around New York as "the comedian's comedian." In 1980, Saturday Night Live was being retooled with a new staff and new comedians; the producers noticed Gottfried and hired him as a cast member for season 6. Gottfried's persona in SNL sketches was very different from his later characterization: he rarely (if ever) spoke in his trademark screeching, obnoxious voice and never squinted. During his 12-episode stint, he was given very little airtime and seldom used in sketches. Gottfried recalls a low point was having to play a corpse in a sketch about a sports organist hired to play inappropriate music at a funeral. Despite this, he had one recurring character (Leo Waxman, husband to Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman on the recurring talk show sketch, "What's It All About?") and two celebrity impersonations: David A. Stockman and controversial film director Roman Polanski.

Gottfried also played lawyer Sidney Bernstein in the 1987 film Beverley Hills Cop 2.

Although not a regular, he also appeared in The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys, as well as voicing the crazed dentist Dr. Bender and his son Wendell in The Fairly OddParents and the voice of Jerry the Belly Button Elf on Ren and Stimpy. Three of his most prominent roles came in 1990, 1991, and 1992, when he was cast as the adoption agent Igor Peabody in Problem Child and Problem Child 2 and the parrot Iago in Aladdin. When asked how he prepared for the role, Gottfried said, "I did the whole DeNiro thing. I moved to South America! I lived in the trees!" Gottfried reprised the role in Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the television series and various related media, such as Kingdom Hearts and House of Mouse. Gottfried also voiced Berkely Beetle in 1994's Thumbelina.

Gottfried was the host of the Saturday edition of USA Up All Night for its entire run from 1989-1998.

Voice acting, television and films (1999-present)

On the most recent version of Hollywood Squares, Gottfried was a regular guest.

Gottfried has provided the voice of the duck in the Aflac commercials and Digit in Cyberchase, as well as Mr. Mxyzptlk in Superman: The Animated Series. He also voiced a nasty wisecracking criminal genius named Nick-Nack in two episodes of Superboy (he also co-wrote an issue of Superboy: The Comic Book, which featured Nick-Nack's origin). On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Gottfried has made regular appearances.

In 2004, Comedy Central featured Gottfried's stand-up material for Shorties Watchin' Shorties. Gottfried was part of an online advertising campaign for Microsoft's Office XP software, showing, in a series of Flash-animated cartoons, that the Clippy office assistant would be removed. In 2006, Gottfried topped the Boston Phoenix's tongue-in-cheek list of the world's 100 Unsexiest Men. In April 2006, Gottfried performed with the University of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club in their annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival. Also in 2006, he made an appearance on the Let's Make a Deal portion of Gameshow Marathon (as a baby in a large high chair, he says "Hey Ricki, I think I need my diaper changed!"), and in the Dodge Viper in the big deal (where he tells the contestants "What were you thinking?!" because neither one picked it). He also guest-starred in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy as Santa Claus in the one-hour Christmas Special. He voiced Rick Platypus in an episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey entitled "That Darn Platypus".

He appeared as Peter's horse in an episode of Family Guy entitled "Boys Do Cry" (in which Peter Griffin is enthused to learn that Gottfried is providing the horse's voice). He also guest-starred in Hannah Montana as Barny Bittmen. In January 2009, Gottfried worked again with David Faustino for an episode of Faustino's show Star-ving. In 2011, Gottfried appeared in the episode "Lost Traveler" on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Leo Gerber, a sarcastic computer professional working for the NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit, which producer Warren Leight said could become a recurring character. Gottfried read a section from the hit book Fifty Shades of Grey in a June 2012 YouTube video, which was created with the aim of using Gottfried's trademark voice to make fun of the book's graphic sexual content.

In 2013, Gottfried became a member of "Team Rachael" on the second season of Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. In March 2013 he appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap. He swapped wives with Alan Thicke. He is also a commentator on truTV Presents: World's Dumbest....

On May 28, 2014, Sideshow Network premiered Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, an interview series where Gottfried and his co-host Frank Santopadre discuss classic movies and talk to "Hollywood legends and behind-the-scenes talents" who shaped Gottfried's childhood and influenced his comedy. His first guest was Dick Cavett.

Gottfried was the third contestant fired during the seventh season of the NBC reality show The Celebrity Apprentice.

Gilbert's most recent role comes in 2016 where he plays the 'Pig Man' in a comedy/fantasy film Abnormal Attraction.

Personal life

In the late 1990s, Gottfried met Dara Kravitz at a Grammy Awards party. In 2007, they married. They have two children together, daughter Lily and son Max.

Controversy

September 11 joke

During his monologue at a Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner 3 weeks after the September 11 attacks, Gottfried joked that he had intended to catch a plane, but could not get a direct flight because "they said they have to stop at the Empire State Building first." This was one of the first public examples of 9/11 humor. Audience members responded with hisses and a cry of "Too soon!" Gottfried then abandoned his prepared remarks and launched into the venerable Aristocrats joke, winning back the audience. Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza used Gottfried's monologue as a segment in their 2005 film The Aristocrats.

Japanese tsunami jokes

In March 2011, Gottfried made a series of jokes on his Twitter account about the earthquake disaster in Japan. Aflac, which does 75% of its business in Japan, responded by firing Gottfried on March 14, 2011, and announced a casting call for his replacement as the voice of its duck mascot. He was replaced by Daniel McKeague (who did an impression of Gottfried) on April 26, 2011.

Filmography

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Section needs to be divided into film and tv series/shows Please help improve this article if you can.

• Saturday Night Live: Various sketches (1980-1981)
• Bad Medicine: Tony Sandoval (1985)
• Beverly Hills Cop II: Sidney Bernstein (1987)
• The Cosby Show Mr. Babcock in the season 3 episode "Say Hello to a Good Buy" (1987)
• Hot to Trot: Dentist (1988)
• Never on Tuesday: Lucky Larry Lupin (1989)
• The Adventures of Ford Fairlane: Johnny Crunch (1990)
• Superboy: Nick-Nack (1990)
• seriously phil Collins social executive
• Problem Child: Mr. Peabody (1990)
• Problem Child 2: Mr. Peabody (1991)
• Night Court (TV series): as Oscar Brown (1991)
• Aladdin: Iago the Parrot (voice) (1992)
• Highway to Hell: Hitler (1992)
• Bonkers: Two-Bits (1993-1995)
• Problem Child: Mr. Peabody (1993)
• Aladdin: The Return of Jafar: Iago the Parrot (voice) (1994)
• Aladdin (TV series): Iago the Parrot (1994-1995)
• Thumbelina: Berkeley Beetle (voice) (1994)
• Saved By The Bell: Wedding In Las Vegas: Burt Banner (1994)
• Double Dragon (1994)
• Beavis and Butthead: Gus Baker (1994)
• The Ren & Stimpy Show: Jerry the Bellybutton Elf / Porkchop Monster (voice) (1994)
• Duckman: (recurring role) Art DeSalvo (1994-1997)
• Married... With Children: Ship Happens: Part 2 (1995)
• Adventures in Wonderland (TV series) : Mike McNasty (1995)
• Problem Child 3: Junior In Love: Dr. Peabody (1995)
• Bump in the Night: Stink Bug (1995)
• Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat: Additional Characters (1995-1996)
• Aladdin and the King of Thieves: Iago the Parrot (1996)
• Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Roy (1996)
• In the House: Mr. Comstock (1996)
• Be Cool About Fire Safety: Seymour Smoke (1996)
• Superman: The Animated Series: Mr Mxyzptlk (1996-2000)
• Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996)
• Big Bag (Troubles the Cat segment) (1996)
• Def Jam's How to Be a Player (1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House: Large Possum (voice) (1997)
• Cosby Cellmate in the season 2 episode "Fifteen Minutes of Fame" (1998)
• Noddy (1998) - Jack Frost in episode: "Jack Frost is Coming to Town"
• Hercules: Cilon (1998)
• Dr. Dolittle: Compulsive Dog (voice) (1998)
• Goosed: Alan Levy (1999)
• Dilbert TV Series ep. Hunger: Accounting Troll (voice) (1999)
• Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (TV series): As himself in episodes 503 and 506 (1999)
• Disney's Arcade Frenzy: Iago the Parrot (1999)
• Clerks: The Animated Series: the voice of Jerry Seinfeld and Patrick Swayze (2000)
• Longshot: Mr. Chadwick (2001)
• Timon & Pumbaa: The Woodpecker
• The Fairly OddParents: Dr. Bender / Wendel (2001-2005)
• Disney's House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains: Iago the Parrot
• Back by Midnight (2002): Security Guard
• Cyberchase: Digit and Widget (2002-present)
• Kingdom Hearts: Iago the Parrot (2002)
• Son of the Beach: Noccus Johnstein in both "Chip's A Goy" and Hamm Stroker's Suck My Blood:(2002)
• Becker: Alan (2003)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Season 3, Episode: Last Laugh: Comic (2003)
• Funky Monkey: Dr. Spleen (2004)
• Home Movies: Tonko the Parrot (2004)
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Duck (2004)
• Celebrity Deathmatch: As himself in episode Gottfried in the Arena***
• The Aristocrats (2005)
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: various sketches
• VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project and I Love Toys
• Billy and Mandy Save Christmas: Santa Claus (voice)
• Kingdom Hearts II: Iago the Parrot (2006)
• The Emperor's New School Season 2, Episode 11 (12.03.2007)
• Farce of the Penguins: "I'm Freezing My Nuts Off" Penguin (voice) (2007)
• Family Guy: Peter's Horse (voice)
• My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Rick Platypus (voice)
• Hannah Montana Season 2 Episode "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl": Barney Bitman (2008)
• VH1's I Love the New Millennium: 4 Episodes (2008)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Bob Saget (2008)
• The Replacements: Himself (2008)
• Back at the Barnyard: Barn Buddy (2008)
• Big & Small: Small (2008)
• Sesame Street: Denny the Distractor (2008)
• Gilbert Gottfried: Dirty Jokes (1 hour Showtime Special) (2008) - live stand-up performance in Manhattan, NY. Gottfried promises 'the dirtiest joke ever told'
• The Lindabury Story (2009)
• The View - Horny the Dwarf (Joy's Month in ReView)
• The Weird Al Show: himself
• Pyramid: Himself (Celebrity Guest)
• Hollywood Squares: Himself (Regular)
• Back at the Barnyard: Security System (2009)
• Star-ving: Himself (episode "Gilbert's Kid", 2009)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Joan Rivers (2009)
• Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy Himself (2009)
• Jack and the Beanstalk: Grayson (2010)
• 'Til Death: Guest starred as Tommy (2010)
• The Comedy Central Roast: David Hasselhoff (2010)
• Robotomy: Tickle Me Psycho (2010)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Donald Trump (2011)
• Miss December: The Police Officer (2011)
• Law & Order: SVU (2011)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Roseanne Barr (2012)
• The Burn with Jeff Ross (2012)
• TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest... (2013-present)
• Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off (2013)
• Celebrity Wife Swap (Episode: "Gilbert Gottfried/Alan Thicke") (2013)
• Beecher Baby Bouncer (2013)
• MAD: Linkong, Father and Crash (2013)
• Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja: Ranginald Bagel (2014)
• A Million Ways to Die in the West: Abraham Lincoln (2014)
• The Celebrity Apprentice 7 (2014)
• Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends (2014)
• Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas: Mr. Greenway (2014)
• Last Comic Standing: Himself (2014)
• Big Brother 16: Otev (voice) (2014)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Kraang Subprime (voice) (2014)
• Newbridge Tourism Board Presents: "We're Newbridge, We're Comin' To Get Ya!" (2014)
• Anger Management: Guest starred as Dudley (2014)
• Animal Crackers: Mario Zucchini (voice) (2016)
• The Comedian's Guide to Survival: Himself (2016)
• Abnormal Attraction: Pig Man (2016)
• Director's Cut: Superintendent (2016)
• Unbelievable: Major le Brande (2016)
• Hospital Arrest: Jerome Carter (2016)
• the comedian spencer
• Neutron Zombies: Red Head Zombie (2017)

Commercials

• MTV (1980s)
• Pepsi (1991)
• Pop-Tarts: Voice of the Toaster (1995)
• Aflac: Voice of the Aflac duck (2000-2011)
• Subway (2000)
• Office XP: Voice of Clippy (2001)
• Glad (2003)
• Shoedini (2010)
• Eastern Automotive Group commercials (2012)
• Eat24 (2015 Super Bowl commercial)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]