Rick Shapiro (born April 13, 1959) is a Los Angeles–based comedian and actor.[1]
| Rick Shapiro | |
|---|---|
 Rick Shapiro in the film Timeless | |
| Born | 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 |
Life and career
editShapiro 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 multiple films by Louis CK, including Ice Cream (1993) and Tomorrow Night (1998).[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 2013, Rick Shapiro was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[12] As of August 2014, he is practically symptom-free and is productive,[13] and in 2014–15, Shapiro appeared in the role of Marc Maron's eccentric neighbor, Bernie, in the IFC comedy series Maron.[14]
Style
editShapiro 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".[15][16]
Filmography (excerpt)
edit- Joey (1986) as Larry
- True Love as Kevin
- Caesar's Salad (1990) (short film)[17]
- Ice Cream (1993) as Man's Brother (short film)[18]
- Brunch (1995) as Old Woman (short film)[19][20]
- Highjacker (1998) as Highjacker (short film)[21]
- Tomorrow Night (1998) as Tina
- Pootie Tang (2001) as Shakey
- Lucky Louie (2006–2007) as Jerry
- Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) as Waylon Mason
- Louie (2010) uncredited
- The League (2011) as Bum
- Project X (2012) as T-Rick
- Top Five (2014)[22] 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
edit- ^ "Cringe Comedians: Rick Shapiro". Cringehumor.net. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ a b c d "New York Observer: Article about Shapiro". 17 May 2004. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
- ^ See filmography below
- ^ Unconditional Love Review. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1998-09-05. pp. 26–. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ Produced by Calvin Wynter at The Green Room.
- ^ Hall, Julian (2007-08-08). "A rant to remember". Independent. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "List of Australian tour dates from 2009". Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ "Official facebook-site of the film "Timeless", with production photos". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
- ^ "LOUIS CK DVD of LOUIE season 1 Extra Scene". Louis C.K. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- ^ Published by Paradisiac Publishing, ISBN 978-0692028285
- ^ Produced by Stand-Up Records
- ^ "Laughspin: Article about the diagnosis". Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ "Facebook-Note by Rick Shapiro's wife and manager Tracy DeMarzo". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ "Rick Shapiro".
- ^ "Stuttgarter Zeitung: Article about filming "Timeless", mentioning Shapiro's style". Retrieved 17 August 2014..
- ^ "Review about Shpairo's book "unfiltered"". Retrieved 2014-08-17.
- ^ "IMDB-Page of Caesar's Salad". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
- ^ "Official youtube-upload of "Ice Cream" on Louis C.K.'s profile". Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 16 August 2014..
- ^ "Official youtube-upload of "Brunch" on Louis C.K.'s profile". Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 16 August 2014..
- ^ "According to IMDB, this film was first aired in 1995. In the youtube upload abouve, the copyright reads 1998". Retrieved 16 August 2014..
- ^ "Official youtube-upload of "Highjacker" on Louis C.K.'s profile". Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. 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.
- ^ Finally Famous at IMDb 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"
External links
edit- Official website
- Rick Shapiro at IMDb
- "Recovery Rick Re-Stands Up" by Ryan Blitstein, New York Observer, May 17, 2004.
- Performance at the UCB Theater, July 3, 2008