Comedian and ‘Aladdin’ voice actor Gilbert Gottfried is Dead at 67
He also appeared in movies including ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’, ‘Problem Child’ and more.
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried in the 2017 documentary 'Gilbert.'
Gilbert Gottfried, the comedian who used his trademark shrill and laugh-getting talent to score roles in a variety of movies and TV series, has died. He was 67.
Born in Brooklyn 1955, Gottfried kicked off his career aged 15 performing amateur stand-up comedy in New York, quickly acquiring a reputation as “the comedian’s comedian” for his quick-fire repartee and willingness to push the boundaries.
That got him noticed by ‘Saturday Night Live’, and he joined the cast for Season 6 in 1980. Yet what is usually seen as a major ambition for performers became something of a low point for Gottfried, who was rarely cast in sketches, lasting 12 episodes.
And surprisingly, given that he became famous for his comically screechy voice and squinting faces, Gottfried employed neither on ‘SNL’. Despite his lack of access, he did at least manage to secure one recurring character, that of talk show host Leo Waxman in fake show ‘What’s It All About?’ He also impersonated Roman Polanski and politician David Alan Stockman.
Gottfried’s talent for mimicry saw him become a regular guest on Howard Stern’s radio show, where he would regularly impersonate Andrew “Dice” Clay, Bela Lugosi, and others.
In movie terms, he enjoyed a successful career both in front of the camera and as a voice artist, making his debut in 1984 with ‘The House of God’. But his best-known roles included ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’, playing accountant Sidney Bernstein, opposite his friend Eddie Murphy, the ‘Problem Child’ movies, which saw him as adoption agent Igor Peabody.
He was an in-demand voice talent, lending his roles to an incredibly eclectic set of TV series including ‘Superboy’, ‘The Ren and Stimpy Show’, ‘Duckman’, ‘Superman: The Animated Series’, ‘Cyberchase’, and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’. Gottfried was the voice of the Aflac duck in commercials until 2011.
Gilbert Gottfried voicing Iago in 1992's 'Aladdin.' Courtesy of Walt Disney Animation.
His most famous voice role was as Iago the wise-cracking parrot in Disney’s animated ‘Aladdin’ – a character he played through various sequels and TV spin-offs. Asked how he prepared to play the bird, he replied, "I did the whole De Niro thing. I moved to South America! I lived in the trees!"
Never afraid to use vulgarity or mention sensitive topics in his comedy, Gottfried’s jokes did sometimes get him in trouble, including bits about 9/11 and the 2011 earthquake in Japan, the latter of which saw him dismissed from work with Aflac.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor,” his family wrote on Twitter.
Between 2014 and his death, Gottfried hosted a podcast, ‘Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast’, which featured interviews with veteran actors, comedians, musicians, and comedy writers and allowed him to display his considerable knowledge of classic movies.
Aladdin
