Date of Birth
12 May 1937, New York, New York, USABirth Name
George Dennis CarlinNickname
Georgie PorgieCurious George
Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)Mini Biography
George Carlin, arguably, is the greatest and -- after Lenny Bruce -- most influential stand-up comedian of all time. An Irish Catholic born and raised in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City, Carlin started out as a conventional comedian and had achieved a fair degree of success as a Bill Cosby style raconteur in nightclubs and on TV until the late 1960s, when he radically overhauled his persona. The new persona, which is more in line with who and what George Carlin is, has been "George Carlin" ever since and is what made him a great stand-up comedian. Carlin's forte is Lenny Bruce-style social and political commentary, spiced with nihilistic observations about people and religion peppered with black humor. He is also noted for his use of language. Carlin's notorious "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine was part of a radio censorship case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. HopwoodSpouse
| Brenda Carlin | (3 July 1963 - 11 May 1997) (her death) 1 child |
Trade Mark
Stand-up comedy that usually focuses on one of three categories: peculiarities of the English language, "the little world" (observational humor), and "the big world" (social commentary), often with a disparaging edge.
Salty standup comedy monologues with a strong content emphasis on social commentary and language.
Since the 1990s, wears all black clothing for his stand-up performances.
Trivia
Has received two Grammys: for his albums "FM & AM" (1972) and "Jammin' in New York" (1993).
Has starred in 11 HBO specials since 1977.
He was the first-ever host of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) on 10/11/75, as well as the first-ever host of "Fridays" (1980), an ABC show fashioned after "SNL".
Inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame in November 1994.
Received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in January of 1987. It's located at the corner of Vine and Selma Streets, between Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards. Milton Berle presided over the ceremony.
Jack Burns and Carlin were a comedy team from 1960-1962. When they parted ways in 1962, Burns joined the Second City comedy group in Chicago, and Carlin pursued a solo stand-up comedy career.
The radio broadcast of an uncensored version of his routine "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on Radio or Television" became the center of a debate over censorship, and FCC legislation over profanity.
Was educated mostly in Catholic schools in New York City.
Some of his comedy influences include Spike Jones, The Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Lenny Bruce and Bob Newhart.
His wife, Brenda, died one day before his sixtieth birthday.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 91-93. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Chosen as #2 in Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time (April 2004).
His list of the Seven Words You Can't Say on TV are referenced in Private Parts (1997).
Appeared in "The Simpsons" (1989) episode "D'oh-in' in the Wind," playing a former hippie. In a previous episode of the show, Krusty the Clown is told he's being sued by Carlin for stealing the "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television."
Daughter Kelly born in 1963.
Irish-American.
Attended (but was expelled from) Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, New York--the same alma mater as Regis Philbin and Martin Scorsese.
Has many popular writings on the Internet being falsely attributed to him, such as the anonymous commentaries "I Am a Bad American" and "The Paradox of Our Time," along with several lists of one-liner jokes. Carlin states on his website that he did not write them, and "nothing you see on the Internet is mine unless it came from one of my albums, books, HBO shows, or appeared on my website.
Just before Christmas 2005, he experienced significant shortage of breath and other heart-related symptoms. On Christmas Day he entered Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills. During an eight-day stay he was treated for a lung infection and narrowed arteries. He received antibiotics and an angioplasty that included the placement of a double stent. The procedure was successful, but he was advised to take things slowly in the New Year.
Awarded the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
-------------------Personal Quotes
Most people are not particulary good at anything.
If acting was hard for me, I wouldn't do it, it is something that I like to do.
If someone loves you and they leave and don't come back, it was never meant to be. If someone loves you and they leave and come back, set them on fire.
When evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve.
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
Somehow I enjoy watching people suffer.
Heart disease has changed my eating habits, but I still cook bacon for the smell.
I'm completely in favor of the separation of church and state. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.
I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it.
[March 1997] We use up words like "spiritual" so fast in this culture. Twenty years ago "spiritual" had a distinct meaning. But now there's a lot of jack-off thinkers who just love to talk about the spiritual. And there is a lot of bogus -- is "bogosity" a word? It should be -- a lot of bogosity in these spiritual seekers. So you have to find another way to express it. I just call it "how I fit.
I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood.
I'm not afraid of heights, I'm just afraid of falling from them.
To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated, but not be able to say it.
The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.
Don't confuse my point of view with cynicism. The real cynics are the ones who tell you that everything's gonna be all right.
Dusting is a good example of the futility of trying to put things right. As soon as you dust, the fact of your next dusting has already been established.
Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done".
Standing ovations have become far too commonplace. What we need are ovations where the audience members all punch and kick one another.
--------------- Happily N'Ever After (2006) (voice) .... The Wizard
... aka Es war k'einmal im Märchenland (Germany) - Cars (2006) (VG) (voice) .... Fillmore
- Cars (2006) (voice) .... Fillmore
- Tarzan II (2005) (V) (voice) .... Zugor
... aka Tarzan 2 (Australia: DVD title) - Jersey Girl (2004) .... Bart Trinke
- Scary Movie 3 (2003) .... Architect
... aka Scary Movie 3.5 (USA: DVD box title) - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) .... Hitchhiker
- "Mad TV" .... Mr. Conductor (1 episode, 2000)
- Episode #5.24 (2000) TV episode .... Mr. Conductor - Dogma (1999) .... Cardinal Ignatius Glick
- "The Simpsons" .... Munchie (1 episode, 1998)
- D'oh-in' in the Wind (1998) TV episode (voice) .... Munchie - "Streets of Laredo" (1995) TV mini-series .... Billy Williams
... aka Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo - "The George Carlin Show" .... George O'Grady (12 episodes, 1994)
- George Runs Into an Old Friend (1994) TV episode .... George O'Grady
- George Lifts the Holy Spirit (1994) TV episode .... George O'Grady
- George Looks Down the Wrong End of a Thirty-Eight (1994) TV episode .... George O'Grady
- George Loses His Thermos (1994) TV episode .... George O'Grady
- George Destroys a Way of Life (1994) TV episode .... George O'Grady
(7 more) - "Shining Time Station" .... Mr. Conductor (2 episodes, 1991-1993)
- Once Upon a Time (????) TV episode .... Mr. Conductor
- Second Chances (????) TV episode .... Mr. Conductor - "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" (1984) TV series .... US Narrator / ... (unknown episodes)
... aka Thomas & Friends (International: English title: short title)
... aka Thomas the Tank Engine (International: English title)
... aka Tomas a'i Ffrindiau (UK: Welsh title) - The Prince of Tides (1991) .... Eddie Detreville
- Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) .... Rufus
- Working Tra$h (1990) (TV) .... Ralph
- "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures" (1990) TV series .... Rufus (unknown episodes)
- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) .... Rufus
- Justin Case (1988) (TV) .... Justin Case
- Outrageous Fortune (1987) .... Frank Madras
- Apt. 2C (1985) (TV)
- Americathon (1979) .... Narrator
- "Welcome Back, Kotter" .... Wally 'The Wow' Wechsel (1 episode, 1977)
- Radio Free Freddie (1977) TV episode .... Wally 'The Wow' Wechsel - "Tony Orlando and Dawn" (1974) TV series .... Regular (unknown episodes, 1976)
... aka The Tony Orlando and Dawn Rainbow Hour (new title) - Car Wash (1976) .... Taxi Driver
- With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) .... Herbie Fleck
... aka A Man in Mommy's Bed
... aka With 6 You Get Eggroll (Australia: TV title) - "Away We Go" (1967) TV series .... Regular Performer (unknown episodes)
- "That Girl" .... George Lester (1 episode, 1966)
- Break a Leg (1966) TV episode .... George Lester
George's comedy specials are hilarious & classic! An outstanding career!!
