Don Rickles
("Ira")

Don Rickles has appeared in top showrooms in Atlantic City, Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, as well as concert halls throughout the United States and internationally for the past 45 years. Throughout his career, Rickles has been highly visible on television, as well as in theatrical motion pictures, including appearances in Casino; Toy Story and Toy Story 2 as the voice of Mr. Potato Head; and the cult classic Kelly's Heroes, as well as early career roles in Run Silent, Run Deep and Rat Race. Additionally, he has starred in stage productions and, along the way, has had two best-selling comedy albums.

Rickles performed at small Hollywood nightclubs early in his career, including one into which Frank Sinatra wandered one night. Rickles, still "unknown," eyed Sinatra and targeted him for a few laughs. Sinatra doubled up laughing and became one of Rickles' biggest boosters among Hollywood celebrities. Rickles soon became the "in" comic among the Hollywood stars, who flocked to his nightclub engagements to become the targets of his "insults." A few years later, Rickles signed for his first Las Vegas appearance and has since headlined there every year. He believes the ball really started rolling during his first appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Rickles' freewheeling performance that night became the talk of the show business industry and caused nationwide comment among the press and public. Until then, Rickles' television appearances had been limited to acting assignments on situation comedy and dramatic shows. As an actor who graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, Rickles frequently received rave reviews for his acting ability. But now, the door was wide open for him to appear on TV as a comedian. The next important breakthrough for Rickles occurred when he was signed to appear on The Dean Martin Show. Rickles, in his first guest appearance on a major prime time variety show, scored a major success.

He has since hosted or co-hosted seven television specials and starred in prime time series for ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX. Another TV appearance of note was when Rickles received one of the highest honors an entertainer can be afforded. He was invited by President Reagan to perform at the televised inaugural gala, where he "zinged" the president, the vice president and others of the nation's dignitaries gathered for the occasion.



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