Don Rickles was born of Lithuanian descent on May 8, 1926 in Queens, New York City USA, and spent his childhood among Jewish people. Don was best known from “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson“, however, he was generally infamous but widely appreciated for his insulting techniques in his popular stand-up comic acts. He passed away in April 2017.
So just how rich was Don Rickles? Sources estimate that Don’s net worth was over $30 million, which he accumulated while working not only as a stand-up comedian, but also while acting, including on TV.
After graduating from Newtown High School, Don Rickles joined the US Navy, serving during World War 2 and until 1946. In 1948 he enrolled into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which led to him appearing in a few TV shows, which started his net worth growing. However, these minor roles did not lead Rickles to huge success, so he decided to pursue a career in comedy, which he started by performing in some New York City clubs as a stand-up comedian, which considerably enhanced his net worth. It was in these clubs that Don began featuring insulting humor, which idea he got from Jack E. Leonard, and was probably the reason why Rickles received so much recognition from the public. Using this unique technique, Don Rickles net worth grew much larger.
His comic abusive routines led to Don Rickles being nicknamed as The Merchant of Venom and Mr. Warmth. An interesting fact is that, at the beginning of his performance, there was always the same song played, which was called La Virgen de la Macarena.
It was in 1958 when Don Rickles started performing as an actor. His film debut is considered perhaps coincidentally to be “Run Silent Run Deep”, released in 1958 and based on the US Navy submarine corps. Don Rickles net worth increased with other movies, some of which were indeed successful. Probably it was in the 1960s when Don Rickles got most attention: he was offered roles in various productions, sitcoms as well as in dramatic TV shows and in films. One of the best movies Don Rickles appeared in is considered to be “Kelly`s Heroes”, in which Don starred along with Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland. Other notable film credits include “The Rat Race”, “Bikini Beach:, “Pajama Party”, “Enter Laughing”, “Love Machine”, “Dennis the Menace Strikes Again”, “Zookeeper”, “Small Fry”, and “Partysaurus Rex”, all contributing to his net worth.
As for television, Don Rickles was known from a wide range of shows and sitcoms, including “Four Star Playhouse”, “The Thin Man”, “Wagon Train”, “Hennesey”, “The Addams Family”, “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, “The Wild Wild West”, “The Lucy Show”, “I Spy”, “Get Smart”, and “Sanford and Son” all of which were popular in several countries around the world as well as the US, and were broadcast from the 1960s up until the present. Most recently, he was the voice of Mr Potato Head in the animated “Toy Story” films, another string to his comedic bow.
As for Don Rickles personal life, he is somewhat unusual in the entertainment world in that he was married to Barbara Sklar for 52 years; they had two children, but son Larry died in 2011. He counted comedian Bob Newhart as his best friend, which is interesting as the latter’s style is self-deprecating and laid back, the exact opposite of Don Rickle’s. They were both still in demand in this millenium, especially for appearances on late-night shows, such as with Jay Leno. Don Rickles passed away on 7 April 2017 of kidney failure, at his home in Beverley Hills California, aged 90.
Full Name | Don Rickles |
Net Worth | $30 Million |
Date Of Birth | May 8, 1926 |
Died | 7 April 2017 |
Place Of Birth | Queens, New York City, New York, United States |
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
Profession | Actor, Comedian, Voice Actor |
Education | Newtown High School, American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
Nationality | United States of America |
Spouse | Barbara Rickles (m. 1965) |
Children | Larry Rickles, Mindy Rickles |
Parents | Etta Rickles, Max Rickles |
Nicknames | Donald Jay Rickles , The Merchant of Venom , Glass Head , Mr. Warmth , Donald Jay "Don" Rickles |
Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/donrickles |
MySpace | http://www.myspace.com/mrdonrickles |
IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0725543 |
Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance - Variety Or Music Program, TV Land Legend Award |
Movies | Toy Story, Toy Story 3, Kelly's Heroes, Casino, Toy Story 2, Run Silent, Run Deep, Dirty Work, Dennis the Menace Strikes Again, Beach Blanket Bingo, X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes, Innocent Blood, Quest for Camelot, Toy Story 4, Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Toy Story That Time Forgot, The Rat R... |
TV Shows | The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, C.P.O. Sharkey, Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, The Don Rickles Show (1972), Daddy Dearest |
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|
TV Land Icon Awards 2016 | 2016 | TV Movie | Himself |
Joan Rivers: Exit Laughing | 2016 | Documentary | Himself |
Access Hollywood | 2015 | TV Series | Himself |
Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond | 2015 | TV Movie documentary | Himself - Mr. Potato Head |
Grandfathered | 2015 | TV Series | Himself |
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Single Shot | 2014-2015 | TV Series | Himself |
Late Show with David Letterman | 1993-2015 | TV Series | Himself - Guest / Himself |
The Big Interview with Dan Rather | 2015 | TV Series | Himself |
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | 2005-2014 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Larry King Now | 2014 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Dateline NBC | 2014 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Guest |
Don Rickles: One Night Only | 2014 | TV Movie | Himself - Honoree |
Inside Edition | 2014 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
The Talk | 2013 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | 2013 | TV Series | Himself |
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Shirley MacLaine | 2012 | TV Movie | Himself |
American Masters | 2007-2012 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
The 2012 Comedy Awards | 2012 | TV Special | Himself |
Inside Comedy | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
Live with Kelly and Michael | 1990-2011 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | 1994-2011 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest |
The 9th Annual TV Land Awards | 2011 | TV Special | Himself |
Toy Story 3: The Gang's All Here | 2010 | Video documentary short | Himself / Mr. Potato Head |
Entertainment Tonight | 2008-2010 | TV Series | Himself |
The Battle for Late Night | 2010 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work | 2010 | Documentary | Himself |
TMZ on TV | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers | 2009 | TV Special | Himself |
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
The 7th Annual TV Land Awards | 2009 | TV Special | Himself |
The Bonnie Hunt Show | 2009 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Late Night with Conan O'Brien | 1997-2008 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The View | 2008 | TV Series | Himself |
The Daily Show | 2007-2008 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards | 2008 | TV Special | Himself - Co-Presenter: Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and Winner: Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program |
Mr. Laughs: A Look Behind the Curtain | 2008 | Documentary | Himself |
Tavis Smiley | 2007 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project | 2007 | Documentary | Himself / Crapgame / Petty Officer Ruby / ... |
Charlie Rose | 2007 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Howard Stern on Demand | 2007 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Larry King Live | 1993-2007 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Don Adams' 75th Birthday Roast at the Playboy Mansion | 2006 | Video documentary | Himself |
Working with a Master: John Landis | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
The Early Show | 2005 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The Aristocrats | 2005 | Documentary | Himself |
The J-K Conspiracy | 2004 | | Himself |
Goodnight, We Love You | 2004 | Documentary | Himself |
Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon | 1998-2003 | TV Series | Himself |
100 Years of Hope and Humor | 2003 | TV Special | Himself |
Hollywood Squares | 2003 | TV Series | Himself - Center Square |
On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize | 2002 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Nightclub Years | 2001 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
Biography | 1999-2001 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts | 2000 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
The Story Behind 'Toy Story' | 2000 | Video documentary short | Himself (uncredited) |
The Life and Times of Kirk Douglas | 2000 | Video documentary short | Himself |
The Martin Short Show | 1999 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
E! True Hollywood Story | 1999 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
1999 Essence Awards | 1999 | TV Special | Himself |
Muppets Tonight | 1997 | TV Series | Himself |
Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's | 1997 | Documentary | Himself |
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Martin Scorsese | 1997 | TV Special documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Clint Eastwood | 1996 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
The 10th Annual American Comedy Awards | 1996 | TV Special | Himself |
Dennis Miller Live | 1996 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Sinatra: 80 Years My Way | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Showbiz Today | 1995 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Vicki! | 1993 | TV Series | Himself |
Comic Relief V | 1992 | TV Special | Himself |
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1965-1992 | TV Series | Himself - Guest / Himself - Guest Host / Himself / ... |
The Horror Hall of Fame II | 1991 | TV Movie | Himself |
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gregory Peck | 1989 | TV Special | Himself (uncredited) |
Late Night with David Letterman | 1983-1988 | TV Series | Himself |
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC | 1988 | TV Special | Himself |
Las Vegas: An All-Star 75th Anniversary | 1987 | TV Special | Himself |
Don Rickles: Rickles on the Loose | 1986 | TV Movie | Himself |
All-Star Party for Clint Eastwood | 1986 | TV Special | Himself |
Bob Hope's All-Star Superbowl Party | 1986 | TV Special | Himself |
George Burns' 90th Birthday Party: A Very Special Special | 1986 | TV Special | Himself - Cameo |
50th Presidential Inaugural Gala | 1985 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Merv Griffin Show | 1983-1985 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon | 1984 | TV Special | |
Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders | 1984 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Mr. T | 1984 | TV Special | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Joan Collins | 1984 | TV Special | Himself |
Saturday Night Live | 1984 | TV Series | Himself - Host / Various |
Star Search | 1983 | TV Series | Introducer |
George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business | 1983 | TV Movie | Himself |
Bob Hope's All-Star Super Bowl Party | 1983 | TV Special | Himself |
Hollywood's Private Home Movies | 1983 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
The 1982 Annual Vision Awards | 1982 | TV Special | Himself - Speaker |
The Regis Philbin Show | 1982 | TV Series | Himself |
Two Top Bananas | 1982 | TV Movie | Himself |
Ladies and Gentlemen... Bob Newhart, Part II | 1981 | TV Special | |
All-Star Salute to Mother's Day | 1981 | TV Special | Himself |
People Are Talking | 1981 | TV Series | Himself |
The Big Show | 1980 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
The Mike Douglas Show | 1969-1980 | TV Series | Himself - Comedian / Himself - Co-Host |
The Annual Friars Club Tribute Presents a Salute to Milton Berle | 1980 | TV Movie | Himself |
The First 40 Years | 1980 | TV Special | Himself |
The Alan Hamel Show | 1979 | TV Series | Himself |
Good Morning America | 1979 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
George Burns' 100th Birthday Party | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself |
Happy Birthday, Bob | 1978 | TV Special | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: George Burns | 1978 | TV Special | Himself |
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Jimmy Stewart | 1978 | TV Special | Himself |
A Tribute to Mr. Television Milton Berle | 1978 | TV Special | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Jack Klugman | 1978 | TV Special | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Frank Sinatra | 1978 | TV Special | Himself |
The Frank Rosenthal Show | 1977 | TV Series | Himself |
Happy Birthday, Las Vegas | 1977 | TV Special | Himself |
The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1977 | TV Special | Himself - Presenter |
US Against the World | 1977 | TV Movie | Himself - Host |
Paul Anka ... Music My Way | 1977 | TV Special | Himself - Cameo |
The People's Command Performance: '77 | 1977 | TV Movie | Himself |
Super Night at the Super Bowl | 1977 | TV Movie | Himself |
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Redd Foxx | 1976 | TV Special | Himself |
Bob Hope's World of Comedy | 1976 | TV Movie | Himself |
Joys | 1976 | TV Special | Himself |
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Dean Martin | 1976 | TV Special | Himself - Roastmaster |
Dinah! | 1975-1976 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Friars Club Tribute to Gene Kelly | 1976 | TV Movie | Himself - Speaker |
Don Rickles: Buy This Tape You Hockey Puck | 1975 | Video documentary | Himself |
Rickles | 1975 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Evel Knievel | 1975 | TV Special | Himself |
The Irv Kupcinet Show | 1975 | TV Series | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Michael Landon | 1975 | TV Special | Himself |
Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Sammy Davis Jr. | 1975 | TV Special | Himself |
The 1975 Annual Entertainment Hall of Fame Awards | 1975 | TV Special | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Lucille Ball | 1975 | TV Special | Himself |
Don Adams' Screen Test | 1975 | TV Series | |
The 26th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1974 | TV Special | Himself - Presenter |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Telly Savalas | 1974 | TV Special | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Bob Hope | 1974 | TV Special | Himself |
The Hollywood Squares | 1967-1974 | TV Series | Himself - Center Square / Himself / Himself - Guest |
The Dean Martin Show | 1967-1974 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Honoree |
Jack Benny's Second Farewell Special | 1974 | TV Special | Himself |
The Bob Hope Show | 1966-1973 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
NBC Follies | 1973 | TV Series | Himself |
A Couple of Dons | 1973 | TV Special | Himself / Various Characters |
Stand Up and Cheer | 1973 | TV Series | Himself |
The Vin Scully Show | 1973 | TV Series | Himself |
Laugh-In | 1969-1973 | TV Series | Himself - Guest Performer / Himself |
Don Rickles: Alive and Kicking | 1972 | TV Special | Himself |
The Julie Andrews Hour | 1972 | TV Series | Himself |
The New Bill Cosby Show | 1972 | TV Series | Himself |
The Dick Cavett Show | 1970-1972 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest |
This Is Your Life | 1972 | TV Series | Himself |
Flip | 1971 | TV Series | Himself |
The David Frost Show | 1970-1971 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The Kraft Music Hall | 1968-1971 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Host / Himself - Co-Host |
The Carol Burnett Show | 1968-1970 | TV Series | Himself |
The Jim Nabors Hour | 1970 | TV Series | Himself |
The Many Sides of Don Rickles | 1970 | TV Special | Himself |
The Ed Sullivan Show | 1968-1970 | TV Series | Himself - Comedian / Himself - Audience Bow |
The Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood | 1970 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Joan Rivers Show | 1969 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
The Hollywood Palace | 1969 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
Playboy After Dark | 1969 | TV Series | Himself |
The Joey Bishop Show | 1967-1969 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Host |
The Don Rickles Show | 1968-1969 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
Mike and Liberace | 1968 | TV Movie | Himself |
It's Happening | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
The 20th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | 1968 | TV Special | Presenter |
Operation: Entertainment | 1968 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
The Jerry Lewis Show | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
The Danny Thomas Hour | 1967 | TV Series | Himself |
Everybody's Talking | 1967 | TV Series | Himself |
P.D.Q. | 1967 | TV Series | Himself |
Dream Girl of '67 | 1967 | TV Series | Himself - Bachelor Judge |
That Regis Philbin Show | 1964-1965 | TV Series | Himself - Co-Host / Himself |
Here's Edie | 1963 | TV Series | Himself |
The Jack Paar Tonight Show | 1962 | TV Series | Himself |
The Tonight Show | 1962 | TV Series | Himself |
Here's Hollywood | 1961 | TV Series | Himself |
The Eddie Fisher Show | 1957 | TV Series | Himself |
Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come | 2016 | TV Movie | Himself |
Today | 2016 | TV Series | Himself - Guest / Himself |
Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 2007-2016 | TV Series | Himself - Guest / Himself |
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 2015-2016 | TV Series | Himself |