Don Rickles Biography

DON RICKLES

Date of Birth: May 8, 1926

To anyone growing up and watching TV in the '60s, this New York City native was a god. Rickles showed up in everything worth watching from The Twilight Zone, Get Smart and The Beverly Hillbillies to The Munsters, Gilligan's Island and I Dream of Jeannie. In the 1980s and 1990s he was found on two must-see shows—Newhart and The Larry Sanders Show.

Although it was Rodney Dangerfield who made his trademark line "I can't get no respect," that line could easily be applied to Rickles as well. Despite all those cool TV shows and his movie career, you can't even find any mention of Rickles' name in Ephraim Katz's The Film Encyclopedia. Heck, Rickles has even appeared in such "classics" as those Annette Funicello (who's in the Encyclopedia) and Frankie Avalon (who¹s also in the Encyclopedia) Beach movies. Rickles has even played Mr. Potato Head in all three Toy Story movies and he still can't get any respect.

Believe it or not, Rickles actually started out as a serious actor before turning his talent to more comedic fare. Granted, a lot of his movies haven't been what you'd call classics, but let's give the man his due ... and some respect.

Don married Barbra Sklar in 1965 and has two children.