Topic: Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen, November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme. He is also famous for his 1980s film roles, notably in Easy Money, Caddyshack and Back To School.

Dangerfield was born on Long Island in the town of Deer Park, the son of Jewish parents, the vaudevillian performer Phil Roy (Philip Cohen) and Dotty Teitelbaum. His ancestors came to the United States from Hungary. He would later say that his father "was never home—he was out looking to make other kids," and that his mother "brought him up all wrong."

At the age of 15, he got his start writing jokes for standup comics, and started performing himself at the age of 20 under the name Jack Roy. He struggled financially for nine years, at one point performing as a singing waiter until he was fired, and also working as a performing acrobatic diver before giving up show business to take a job selling aluminum siding to support his wife and family. He later said that he was so little known then that "at the time I quit, I was the only one who knew I quit!"