Nothin' Comes Easy: The Life of Rodney Dangerfield

The first-ever biography of the legendary comic and the most improbable rise to fame in the history of American comedy. Getting there wasn’t always a laughing matter.

Rodney Dangerfield’s fidgety delivery, self-deprecating humor, and catchphrase “I don’t get no respect” made him a comedy icon in nightclubs, on television, and in movies. But Rodney’s long road to stardom was as rocky as his real life. Born Jacob Cohen in 1921 to a coldhearted mother and absentee father, anxiety-prone Jacob found escape from reality by writing and performing jokes. It led to 10 years going nowhere in the “toilets” of the club circuit. What followed was marriage, fatherhood, selling aluminum siding, and depression, self-doubt, and debt. That’s when he decided to give comedy one last shot . . .

Thanks to a fortuitous prime-time set on The Ed Sullivan Show, at the age of 45, the newly christened Rodney Dangerfield was an “overnight” success.

Rodney mined his insecurities, personal and professional setbacks, and dismal childhood into comedy gold on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Dean Martin Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Mike Douglas Show. A new generation discovered him in a string of hits, including Caddyshack, Easy Money, Back to School—he even popped up in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. And behind that iconic comedy persona was a caring, compassionate man who took in a hard-luck friend for the rest of his life; a dedicated father who almost single-handedly raised two children; and a selfless mentor to such up-and-comers as Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, and George Carlin. Nobody didn’t love him.

Honest, moving, and funny, Nothin’ Comes Easy gives the legend, the man, the father, and the friend all the respect he deserves.