Richard John Colangelo
(April 14, 1957 [1] – March 10 2007 [2]), better known by the stage name of Richard Jeni
, [3] was an American stand-up comedian and actor.
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Early life
Raised in an
Italian-American family in
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn,
[4] he graduated with honors from
Hunter College, earning a
bachelor's degree in
Comparative Politics.
[5]
Career
Jeni first received recognition through a series of
Showtime stand-up specials and frequent appearances on
The Tonight Show
. Top executives at
HBO picked up his first appearance on
The HBO Comedy Hour
in 1992, titled
Richard Jeni: Platypus Man
.
The show was well-received and Jeni would return for two more shows, going on to receive a
CableACE Award for one of his HBO specials. Jeni would also star on the short-lived
UPN sitcom
Platypus Man
and appeared in the
Jim Carrey film
The Mask
. Jeni composed the theme song ("I'm A Platypus Man") for his TV series.
[6] He appeared in
The Aristocrats
,
National Lampoon's Dad's Week Off
,
Burn, Hollywood, Burn
, and
Chasing Robert
[7]. He starred in commercial campaigns for
Certs and
Arby's, and won a
Clio Award for his work as a writer/performer in an advertising campaign for the
American Dairy Association.
After making his "Tonight Show" debut in 1989 with Johnny Carson, Jeni appeared on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
more than any other stand-up comedian. Jeni's death was referenced on the show by
Jay Leno on
March 12 2007, with accompanying footage of Jeni's last appearance on
The Tonight Show
.
In 2004, Jeni was ranked #57 on
Comedy Central's list of the
100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time
.
[8]
Death
On
March 10,
2007, Jeni was found by his girlfriend with an apparent self-inflicted handgun wound to the face,
[9] in
West Hollywood, California.
[10] Police found him alive, but gravely injured when they arrived.
He was quickly transported to
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in
Los Angeles, where he died.
[11]Jeni was 49 years old.
Suicide was suspected but was not officially confirmed by police.
His family later stated with certainty that the death was in fact a suicide, and that Jeni had recently been diagnosed with "severe
clinical depression coupled with fits of
psychotic paranoia."
[12] According to the coroner's report that was released in June 2007, Jeni had a history of schizophrenia and had been taking antidepressants and a sleeping aid. The report further indicated that his girlfriend heard him talking to himself about a week earlier, saying "just squeeze the trigger."
[13] Jeni's death was marked by many
homages, including specials on
XM Satellite Radio,
Turner Classic Movie Channel, and
Bill Maher's
HBO show,
Real Time with Bill Maher
(Season 5, Episode 5) being dedicated to Jeni's memory.
HBO Specials
- Richard Jeni: Platypus Man
(1992)
- Richard Jeni: A Good Catholic Boy
(1997)
- Richard Jeni: A Big Steaming Pile of Me
(2005)
Showtime Specials
- Richard Jeni: Boy from New York City
(1990)
- Richard Jeni: Crazy from The Heat
(1992)
Filmography
- Bird
(1988) as Morello
- The Mask
(1994) as Charlie Schumaker
- An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
(1998) as Jerry Glover
Notes
- DOB according to Jeni's Website and Social Security Death Index.
- Richard Jeni
- Cohen, Sandy. Autopsy results, cause of death pending for comic Richard Jeni. ''Associated Press''. March 13 2007.
- Richard Jeni
- Richard Jeni bio
- {{imdb name | id = 0420732 }}
- Title Unavailable
- {{imdb title | id = 0429332/ | title= Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time (2004)}}
- US comic dies in apparent suicide
- A Comedian's Sad Demise - Coroner: Before suicide, Richard Jeni was involuntarily hospitalized
- Comic Richard Jeni dead, police investigating possible suicide
- "Family Says Jeni Committed Suicide." ''Associated Press'' via ''Washington Post.'' March 13, 2007. Retrieved on March 13 2007.
- "Coroner's Report: Jeni Was Mentally Ill." ''Associated Press'' via ''Washington Post.'' June 29, 2007. Retrieved on August 16 2009.