Richard Jeni

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Richard Jeni
Birth name Richard John Colangelo
Born April 14, 1957(1957-04-14)[1]
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died March 10, 2007 (aged 49)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium Improv/Stand up
Nationality American

Richard John Colangelo (April 14, 1957[1] – March 10, 2007), better known by the stage name of Richard Jeni,[2] was an American stand-up comedian and actor.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Raised in an Italian-American family in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn,[3], he graduated with honors from Hunter College, earning a bachelor's degree in Comparative Politics.[4]

[edit] Career

Jeni first received recognition through a series of Showtime stand-up specials and frequent appearances on The Tonight Show. Top executives at HBO picked up his first appearance on The HBO Comedy Hour in 1992, titled Richard Jeni: Platypus Man.

The show was well-received and Jeni would return for two more shows, going on to receive a CableACE Award for one of his HBO specials. Jeni would also star on the short-lived UPN sitcom Platypus Man and appeared in the Jim Carrey film The Mask. Jeni composed the theme song ("I'm A Platypus Man") for his TV series.[5] He appeared in The Aristocrats, National Lampoon's Dad's Week Off, Burn, Hollywood, Burn, and his last screen credit was in Chasing Robert. He starred in commercial campaigns for Certs and Arby's, and won a Clio Award for his work as a writer/performer in an advertising campaign for the American Dairy Association.

Jeni appeared on The Tonight Show more than any other stand-up comedian, dating back to when the program was hosted by Johnny Carson.[6] Jeni's death was referenced on the show by Jay Leno on March 12, 2007, with accompanying footage of Jeni's last appearance on The Tonight Show.

In 2004, Jeni was ranked #57 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.[7]

[edit] Death

On March 10, 2007, Jeni was found by his girlfriend with an apparent self-inflicted handgun wound to the face[8], in West Hollywood, California.[9] Police found him alive, but gravely injured when they arrived.[2] He was quickly transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he died.[10]Jeni was 49 years old. Suicide was suspected but was not officially confirmed by police.[10] His family later stated with certainty that the death was in fact a suicide, and that Jeni had recently been diagnosed with "severe clinical depression coupled with fits of psychotic paranoia."[11] Jeni's death was marked by many homages, including specials on XM Satellite Radio, Carlos Mencia's reference on Mind of Mencia, Turner Classic Movie Channel, and Bill Maher's HBO show, Real Time with Bill Maher (Season 5, Episode 5) being dedicated to Jeni's memory.

[edit] HBO Specials

  • Richard Jeni: Platypus Man (1992)
  • Richard Jeni: A Good Catholic Boy (1997)
  • Richard Jeni: A Big Steaming Pile of Me (2005)

[edit] Showtime Specials

  • Richard Jeni: Boy from New York City (1990)
  • Richard Jeni: Crazy from The Heat (1992)

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b DOB according to Jeni's Website and Social Security Death Index.
  2. ^ a b Cohen, Sandy. Autopsy results, cause of death pending for comic Richard Jeni. Associated Press. March 13, 2007.
  3. ^ Richard Jeni (2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  4. ^ Richard Jeni bio. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  5. ^ Richard Jeni at IMDB.
  6. ^ Richard Jeni. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  7. ^ 2004, "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time" at IMDB.
  8. ^ BBC News. "US comic dies in apparent suicide", BBC News: Entertainment, Monday, 12 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-12. 
  9. ^ Ryan, Jack. "A Comedian's Sad Demise - Coroner: Before suicide, Richard Jeni was involuntarily hospitalized", The Smoking Gun, June 27, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-27. 
  10. ^ a b Cholo, Ana Beatriz. "Comic Richard Jeni dead, police investigating possible suicide", San Francisco Chronicle. 
  11. ^ "Family Says Jeni Committed Suicide." Associated Press via Washington Post. March 13, 2007. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Persondata
NAME Jeni, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Colangelo, Richard John
SHORT DESCRIPTION American comedian
DATE OF BIRTH April 14, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH March 10, 2007
PLACE OF DEATH Los Angeles, California, United States