Don Rickles

He married Barbara Sklar on March 14, 1965. They had two children; a daughter Mindy and a son, Larry who died in 2011.

‘Rickles’ Book’ mentions that his grandchildren, Ethan and Harrison are much more impressed by his work as Mr. Potato Head than any other work.

His best friend is Bob Newhart and the two often vacation together with their wives. They have appeared together on many shows including ‘Newhart’.

He was born in Queens, New York. His father, Max was in the clothing business and his mother, Etta was a housewife.

He attended the Newton High School in Elmhurst, Long Island.

After graduating, he enlisted in the U.S Navy and served during World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

He then studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts because he wanted to be a serious actor.

He could only find small roles in television upon his graduation. He began performing stand-up comedy to supplement his income, eventually developing his ‘insult comedian’ persona.

He made his film debut in 1958 as a serious actor in ‘Run Silent, Run Deep’. He started making a lot of appearances in television sitcoms and dramatic series over the next few years.

After his first guest appearance in 1965, he went on and made more than a 100 appearances as a guest and host in ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’.

During the 1960s he made many guest appearances in shows like ‘The Rick Van Dyke Show’, ‘The Munster’. ‘The Adam’s Family’, and ‘The Mothers-in-law’.

He kick started the 1970s with a very important role in the hit movie ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ (1970) starring Clint Eastwood. He made a number of appearances in television comedies like ‘The Don Rickles Show’ (1972) and ‘The Dean Martin Roasts’ (1973).

An important breakthrough for Rickles was when he signed on for his first appearance on ‘The Dean Martin Show’. His first guest appearance on the popular prime-time variety show was a major success for Rickles.

Rickles’ live comedy album ‘‘Hello, Dummy!’’ hit No. 54 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

He is remembered as the voice of the outspoken and sarcastic Mr. Potato Head in the computer animated comedy adventure film ‘Toy Story’ franchise.

The documentary film based on his life, ‘Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project’ is one of the best known works of his career. The film received favourable reviews and two Primetime Emmy Awards.