Rick Shapiro

Rick Shapiro

Rick Shapiro in the film Timeless.
Born (1959-04-13) April 13, 1959
New Jersey, United States
Medium Stand-Up
Television
Film
Writer
Nationality American
Years active early 1980s-present
Genres Improvisational comedy
Observational comedy
Black comedy
Blue comedy
Website RickShapiro.tv

Rick Shapiro (born April 13, 1959) is a Los Angeles-based comedian and actor.[1]

Life and career

Shapiro was born in New Jersey. Spending his early years in New York City and New Jersey, Shapiro started his career in the early 1980s as a comedian at Catch A Rising Star on Broadway.[2] Besides performing regularly on stage,[2] throughout the 1990s he acted and starred in numerous films by Louis CK, including Tomorrow Night.[3] Additionally, he portrayed the re-occurring character "Angry Poet" in Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[2] In 1998, Shapiro released his first comedy-CD called Unconditional Love, which Billboard called "hard-edged and uncompromising".[4]

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,[5][6] and touring Australia in 2009.[7] He had his first video game appearance in 2008, portraying the character Mason Waylon on the radio station PLR in Grand Theft Auto IV - 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 by Chris Rock, portraying T-Rick in the movie Project X, and acting in the German comedy Timeless.[8] His television credits include Jerry in Lucky Louie by Louis C.K. on HBO. Additionally, he appears in a scene originally filmed for the pilot of Louie.[9]

Shapiro's first book Unfiltered,[10] containing over 200 previously unreleased writings, was released in 2012 along with his second CD, Catalyst for Change.[11]

In 2014-15, Shapiro appeared in the role of Marc Maron's eccentric neighbor, Bernie, in the IFC comedy series Maron.[12]

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.[2] His comedic style has been described as "explosive".[13][14]

Reception

Private life

In 2013, Rick Shapiro was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[20] As of August 2014, he is practically symptom-free and is productive.[21]

Filmography (excerpt)

References

  1. ↑ "Cringe Comedians: Rick Shapiro". Cringehumor.net. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "New York Observer: Article about Shapiro". Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  3. ↑ See filmography below
  4. ↑ Unconditional Love Review. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1998-09-05. pp. 26–. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  5. ↑ Produced by Calvin Wynter at The Green Room.
  6. ↑ Hall, Julian (2007-08-08). "A rant to remember". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  7. ↑ "List of Australian tour dates from 2009.". Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Official facebook-site of the film "Timeless", with production photos.". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
  9. ↑ "LOUIS CK DVD of LOUIE season 1 Extra Scene". Louis C.K. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
  10. ↑ Published by Paradisiac Publishing, ISBN 978-0692028285
  11. ↑ Produced by Stand-Up Records
  12. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0788617/
  13. ↑ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article about filming "Timeless", mentioning Shapiro's style.". Retrieved 17 August 2014..
  14. ↑ "Review about Shpairo's book "unfiltered".". Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  15. ↑ "Article on slate.com, page 1". Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  16. ↑ "Article on slate.com, page 2.". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
  17. ↑ "Quoted on the website of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe". Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Stand Up NY: Article about Rick Shapiro". Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Article by Ryan Blitzstein". Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  20. ↑ "Laughspin: Article about the diagnosis". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Facebook-Note by Rick Shapiro's wife and manager Tracy DeMarzo". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "IMDB-Page of Caesar's Salad.". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
  23. ↑ "Official youtube-upload of "Ice Cream" on Louis C.K.'s profile.". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
  24. ↑ "Official youtube-upload of "Brunch" on Louis C.K.'s profile.". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
  25. ↑ "According to IMDB, this film was first aired in 1995. In the youtube upload abouve, the copyright reads 1998.". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
  26. ↑ "Official youtube-upload of "Highjacker" on Louis C.K.'s profile.". Retrieved 16 August 2014. Please note: Although the upload is titled "Hijacker" in the youtube-description, the film is clearly called "Highjacker" in the actual film's opening credits.
  27. ↑ Finally Famous at the Internet Movie Database 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"
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