Finally SOME RESPECT

A NEW BIOGRAPHY SHARES THE UNLIKELY STORY OF THE COMEDIAN'S LIFE AND UNEXPECTED SUCCESS

- Louise A. Barile and Katie Bruno

After his first Ed Sullivan appearance, Rodney became a popular guest on late night. His selfdepreciating, never-vulgar humor was perfect for TV.

In 1960, Rodney Dangerfield returned to stand-up comedy after nearly a decade of selling aluminum siding. “He didn’t want people to recognize him, in case he bombed,” author Michael Seth Starr tells Closer. “He asked the club owner to change his name and the club owner picked the name of Rodney Dangerfield.”

The beloved comedian, who famously “got no respect,” is the subject of Starr’s new biography Nothin’ Comes Easy: The Life of Rodney Dangerfield, on sale April 29. “It’s been over 20 years now since Rodney passed away but his humor is still vital,” he notes.

Rodney was a family man. "He was a good husband in the sense that he was faithful," says Starr. "He made a good living and he provided for his wife and his kids."