The Man Who Only Wanted Respect: Rodney Dangerfield

From Jacob Rodney Cohen to Rodney Dangerfield

It took a while, but he finally realized that if he wanted to make a name for himself in show biz, he would have to create an on-stage image. By the age of 44, the man born Jacob Rodney Cohen had become Rodney Dangerfield – the man who gets no respect – the everyman people could relate to.

Rodney Dangerfield performs on a television show.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

His style of one-liners and self-deprecation took his career from the trenches to the skies and turned him into one of the best and most successful stand-up comics of the 1960s to the ‘80s. He then used his fame to make a difference.

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