Don Rickles#Filmography

Rickles was born in Queens, New York,{{cite web |url=https://qns.com/story/2017/04/06/comedian-don-rickles-grew-jackson-heights-dead-age-90 |title=Comedian Don Rickles, who grew up in Jackson Heights, is dead at the age of 90 |author=Pozarycki, Robert |access-date=April 27, 2020 |website=QNS|date=April 6, 2017 }} on May 8, 1926, an only child to a Jewish family, and spoke Yiddish at home {{cite web | url=https://walkoffame.com/don-rickles/ | title="In memory of Walk of Famer Don Rickles" | website=Hollywood Walk of Fame| date=October 25, 2019 }}. His father Max S. Rickles (1896–1952) emigrated in 1903 with his Lithuanian parents from Kaunas.World War I draft registration, NY City, #31-9-149-B, Max S. Rickles, born August 12, 1897, in Kovna (Kaunas) Russia His mother Etta Rickles (née Feldman; 1898–1984) was born in New York City to Austrian immigrant parents.US Census, 1930. Queens, New York, Supervisor's District 33, sheet 6A, family No. 136US Census, 1920. NY City, Enumerationer's district 1508, Sheet 33A, family No. 138 Rickles grew up in Jackson Heights.Witchel, Alex (August 25, 1996). [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E6DE1031F936A1575BC0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 "I'm No Howard Stern, You Dummy"]. The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2007.

After graduating from Newtown High School in 1944,Shain, Percy (January 23, 1972). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/434823103/ The Three Sides of Don Rickles]". The Boston Globe. Rickles enlisted in the United States Navy and served during World War II on the motor torpedo boat tender {{USS|Cyrene|AGP-13|6}} as a seaman first class. He was honorably discharged in 1946.{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Chris |title=Don Rickles, WWII Vet & Comedian, Dies At 90 |website=American Military News |date=April 6, 2017 |url=https://americanmilitarynews.com/2017/04/breaking-wwii-vet-comedian-don-rickles-dies-90/ |access-date=October 27, 2020}}{{cite news |last=Heller |first=Karen |date=May 26, 2016 |title=90 Years Old and Still Zinging |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=C1–C2 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/don-rickles-was-politically-incorrect-before-it-was-incorrect-and-hes-still-going-at-90/2016/05/24/3b5e0422-1868-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html |access-date=June 4, 2016}} Two years later, intending to be a dramatic actor, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and then played bit parts on television. Frustrated by a lack of acting work, Rickles began to perform comedy in clubs in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. He became known as an insult comedian when he responded to his hecklers. The audience enjoyed these insults more than his prepared material, so he incorporated them into his act.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/don-rickles-mn0000193606/biography |title=Artist Biography |author=Ankeny, Jason |access-date=October 20, 2016 |website=AllMusic}}

When Rickles started his career in the early 1950s, he started to call ill-mannered members of the audience "hockey pucks".The Tonight Show with Jay Leno April 15, 2009. His style was similar to that of an older insult comic Jack E. Leonard, though Rickles denied Leonard influenced his style.{{cite web| url=http://www.comedycouch.com/interviews/drickles.htm| author=MacPherson, Guy| title=Don Rickles Interview| website=The Comedy Couch| date=October 6, 2006| access-date=May 17, 2007}} During an interview on Larry King Live, Rickles credited Milton Berle's comedy style for inspiring him to enter show business.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XMNqakiGzw;t=11m11s Don Rickles on Larry King Show], 1985

While working in the "Murray Franklin's" nightclub in Miami Beach, Florida, early during his career, Rickles spotted Frank Sinatra and remarked to him, "I just saw your movie The Pride and the Passion and I wanna tell you, the cannon's acting was great." He added, "Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody!" Sinatra, whose pet name for Rickles was "bullet-head", enjoyed him so much that he encouraged other celebrities to see Rickles's act and be insulted by him. Sinatra's support helped Rickles become a popular headline performer in Las Vegas.{{cite web| url=http://www.thehockeypuck.com/bio.html| title=Biography| publisher=The Hockey Puck| access-date=May 17, 2007| archive-date=August 12, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812091320/http://www.thehockeypuck.com/bio.html| url-status=dead}}{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5_V9RT8aR8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/q5_V9RT8aR8| archive-date=November 2, 2021| url-status=live| title=Frank Sinatra is Surprised by Don Rickles on Johnny Carson's Show, Funniest Moment| date=August 3, 2011| access-date=April 6, 2017| via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} During a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast special, Rickles was among those who took part in roasting Sinatra,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-KeTNU-ods Don Rickles roasts Frank Sinatra], Dean Martin special and Rickles himself was also roasted during another show in the series.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdPcjIrSvcs| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/sdPcjIrSvcs| archive-date=November 2, 2021| url-status=live| title=Comedian Foster Brooks roasts Don Rickles |via=YouTube |date=December 13, 2008 |access-date=April 10, 2017}}{{cbignore}}

Rickles earned the nicknames "The Merchant of Venom" and "Mr. Warmth"{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-0624-don-rickles-20130624-story.html |title=Don Rickles to be honored for busting people's chops |date=June 24, 2013 |author=King, Susan |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 20, 2016}} for his poking fun at people of all ethnicities and all walks of life. When he was introduced to an audience or on a television talk show, Spanish matador music, "La Virgen de la Macarena", would usually be played, subtly foreshadowing someone was about to be metaphorically gored. As Rickles observed, "I always pictured myself facing the audience as the matador."

In 1958, Rickles made his film debut in a serious part in Run Silent, Run Deep with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. Throughout the 1960s, he often appeared on television in sitcoms and dramatic series. Rickles guest-starred in Get Smart as Sid, an old war buddy of Max's, who comes to stay with him. In an episode of Run for Your Life, Rickles portrayed a distressed comedian whose act culminates in him strangling a patron while imploring the patron to "Laugh!" Rickles took a dramatic turn in the low-budget Roger Corman science-fiction/horror film X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes as a carnival barker out to exploit the title character (portrayed by Ray Milland).{{cite journal| url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/don-rickles-dies-legendary-comic-90-1202063770/| title=Don Rickles Dies: Legendary Comedian Was 90| first=Denise| last=Petski| date=April 6, 2017| journal=Deadline Hollywood| access-date=April 6, 2017}}

File:Don Rickles and Lorne Green.jpg on The Don Rickles Show in 1968]]

Rickles appeared in the Beach Party film series. He recalled in his 2007 memoir that at a White House dinner, Barbara Bush teased him about his decision to appear in those films.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5IbANRNF1UIC&q=rickles+memoir+bush&pg=PA202 | title=Rickles' Book: A Memoir |author1=Rickles, Don |author2=David Ritz |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-9305-1 |year=2007 |page=202}} Rickles's agent Jack Gilardi was married to Annette Funicello when Rickles was cast in the Beach Party films. He subsequently began to appear more frequently on television talk shows, first appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965. Rickles became a frequent guest and guest host, appearing more than 100 times on The Tonight Show during Carson's era. An early Carson–Rickles Tonight highlight occurred in 1968 when, while two Japanese women treated Carson to a bath and foot massage, Rickles walked onto the set.{{YouTube|gauYtZ8S1zs}} Rickles also made frequent appearances on The Dean Martin Show and became a fixture on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast specials.

In 1968, Rickles released a live comedy album titled Hello, Dummy!, which reached number 54 on the Billboard 200 album chart.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p218|pure_url=yes}}|title =Don Rickles Charts & Awards|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=May 17, 2007}} The same year, he starred in his own variety show on ABC, The Don Rickles Show, with comedy writer Pat McCormick as his sidekick; the show lasted only 17 episodes and was replaced by a prime time version of the game Let's Make a Deal. During the 1960s, Rickles made guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Munsters, The Addams Family, The Mothers-in-Law, Gilligan's Island, Get Smart, The Twilight Zone episode "Mr. Dingle, the Strong",{{cite web |title=Twilight Zone, The: Mr. Dingle, The Strong (TV) |url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?item=T:01969 |website=Paley Center for Media |access-date=June 15, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Mr. Dingle, the Strong – The Twilight Zone (Season 2, Episode 19) |url=https://tv.apple.com/au/episode/mr-dingle-the-strong/umc.cmc.7ax3h2n513c31g5mpavaa8j8g?showId=umc.cmc.3tg58h9lglzj81tldi0n9167g |website=Apple TV |access-date=June 15, 2022 |language=en-AU |date=March 2, 1961}} The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and I Dream of Jeannie.

File:Don Rickles and Louise Sorel, 1971.jpg on The Don Rickles Show]]

In 1970, Rickles had a notable role as Crapgame in Kelly's Heroes, sharing the marquee poster with co-stars Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, and Carroll O'Connor. In 1972, he starred in The Don Rickles Show (his second series with that title), which lasted for 13 episodes.{{cite book |page=38 |title=Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979 |first=Bob |last=Leszczak |publisher=McFarland |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7864-9305-0 |chapter=The Don Rickles Show |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UvE6snvtSesC&q=don+rickles |access-date=February 4, 2022}} He also starred in a series of television specials. In his memoirs, Rickles acknowledged a scripted sitcom was not well-suited to his ad lib style of performing,{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/la-me-don-rickles-snap-20170406-story.html| title=Don Rickles, aggressively caustic comedian dubbed 'Mr. Warmth,' dies at 90| date=April 6, 2017| access-date=April 6, 2017| newspaper=Los Angeles Times}} as he had earlier said that he never wrote down his jokes.{{cite interview |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-from-the-archives-don-rickles-interview-20170406-story.html |title=From the Archives: A 1967 interview with Don Rickles, the ever-busy insult comic who never writes anything down |last=Rickles |first=Don |interviewer=Don Page |date=October 13, 1967 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}

Starting in 1973, he became a popular dais comedian appearing on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast specials. In 1976–1978, he starred in C.P.O. Sharkey, which lasted two seasons. The series is remembered for the cigarette box incident when Johnny Carson made an impromptu visit during a Tonight Show taping to the adjacent TV studio during an episode's taping, feigning "incensed" ire that Rickles, an ex-smoker,{{cite web | url=https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/interview-icon-don-rickles/ | title=Notorious Insult Comic Don Rickles Reveals His Darkest Secret of All: He's Actually Nice - Maxim | date=April 6, 2017 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/373996075841 | title=Don Rickles Laugh in guest spot smoking cigarette Original 35mm Transparency }} broke Johnny Carson's wooden box, from 1967, on the previous night, while a guest on The Tonight Show, on which Bob Newhart was the guest host. The incident was often replayed in Tonight Show retrospectives and was considered a highlight of the 1970s era of the series.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/arts/television/don-rickles-recalls-his-cpo-sharkey-days.html| title=Don Rickles Recalls His 'CPO Sharkey' Days| first=Dave| last=Itzkoff| date=May 15, 2015| access-date=April 6, 2017| newspaper=The New York Times}} Rickles retorted that he would replace the box with an X-ray of Johnny Carson's lungs.{{cite web | url=https://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/04/watch-don-rickles-johnny-carson-cigarette-box-bit-incident-cpo-sharkey-tonight-show-original-clip-video-youtube/ | title=WATCH: Don Rickles & Johnny Carson's Famous Cigarette Box Incident | date=April 6, 2017 }}

Rickles occasionally appeared as a panelist on Hollywood Squares and was depicted in comic-book form by Jack Kirby during his work on the Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen series (part of Jack Kirby's Fourth World).{{cite book| last1=McAvennie| first1=Michael| editor-last=Dolan| editor-first=Hannah| chapter=1970s| title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle| publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9 |page=146 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mmgDwAAQBAJ&q=rickles |quote=In one of Jack Kirby's strangest tales, Jimmy Olsen met real-world funnyman Don Rickles' costumed likeness, 'Goody' Rickles. |url-access=subscription}}{{cite comic| writer=Kirby, Jack| penciller=Kirby, Jack| inker=Colletta, Vince| story=The Guardian Fights Again!!!| title= Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen| issue=139| date=July 1971}}{{cite comic| writer=Kirby, Jack| penciller=Kirby, Jack| inker=Colletta, Vince| story=Will The Real Don Rickles Panic?!?| title=Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen| issue= 141| date=September 1971}}

In the early 1980s, Rickles began to perform with Steve Lawrence in concerts in Las Vegas. In 1983, the duo co-hosted Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders, an imitation of TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes. In 1982, he was in "Death of a Lodger", an episode of Archie Bunker's Place. In 1985, when Frank Sinatra was asked to organize and perform at Ronald Reagan's second presidential inaugural celebration, he insisted Rickles be allowed to perform and do it unrehearsed.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XMNqakiGzw;t=17m33s |title=Don Rickles discussing Reagan inaugural performance |via=YouTube |date=December 25, 2016 |access-date=April 10, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3kJ7VPJnmI | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/K3kJ7VPJnmI| archive-date=November 2, 2021| url-status=live| title=Don Rickles performing at Ronald Reagan's 2nd inaugural |via=YouTube |date=March 5, 2011 |access-date=April 10, 2017}}{{cbignore}} Rickles considered this performance the highpoint of his career.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/ENT09/703160315/1091/ENT |title=Insults still flying from legendary Don Rickles |author=Darrow, Chuck |newspaper=Daily Record |location=Parsippany, NJ |date=March 16, 2007 |access-date=May 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102091810/http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070316%2FENT09%2F703160315%2F1091%2FENT&nclick_check=1 |archive-date=January 2, 2013}}

In 1990, he appeared in the second-season episode of Tales from the Crypt titled "The Ventriloquist's Dummy". In 1992, he was cast in Innocent Blood, directed by John Landis. In his memoir, Rickles wrote that he recalled Landis was a "production assistant" to Brian G. Hutton during the filming of Kelly's Heroes. During the filming of Innocent Blood, Rickles would kid Landis by ordering him to get coffee or to run other errands befitting his one-time "gofer" status.

In 1993, Rickles starred in another short-lived sitcom titled Daddy Dearest, with Richard Lewis. In 1995, he played Billy Sherbert in the Universal Pictures film Casino and voiced Mr. Potato Head in the Disney and Pixar film Toy Story. He reprised his role as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 2 (1999).{{cite news| url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/don-rickles-dead-dies-comedian-insult-vegas-1202025068/| title=Don Rickles, Legendary Insult Comic, Dies at 90| first=Richard| last=Natale| date=April 6, 2017| newspaper=Variety| access-date=February 4, 2022}} Rickles starred as George Wilson in 1998's Dennis the Menace Strikes Again; that same year, he portrayed a film theater manager in Dirty Work and voiced Cornwall, one of the heads of a two-headed dragon, in Quest for Camelot. In 1999, he briefly appeared in a fictionalized form in The Simpsons episode "Viva Ned Flanders".

Rickles made a cameo appearance as himself in a recurring dream sequence in "Sub Conscious", an episode of The Unit, which aired in February 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/the-unit/sub-conscious/episode/963722/summary.html |title=The Unit – Season 2, Episode 13: Sub Conscious |website=TV.com |access-date=May 19, 2015}}

On May 8, 2006, on his 80th birthday, Simon & Schuster released his memoir titled Rickles' Book. Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, a documentary about Rickles directed by John Landis, made its debut on HBO on December 2, 2007. Rickles won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, besting a number of notable comics, including David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert. Rickles remarked, "Stephen Colbert's a funny man, but he's too young. He has got plenty of time to win awards, but this may be my last year and I think that I made it count. On second thought, it was probably just a mercy award for an old man."{{cite web|url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/the_colbert_report/ |title=Gold Derby |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 19, 2015}} In 2009, Rickles appeared on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List and met Griffin's mother Maggie to fulfill one item on Maggie's "bucket list". In 2010, he appeared in a commercial during Super Bowl XLIV as a talking rose, and appeared on the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on CBS TV on June 27, 2010.

He reprised his role as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 3 (2010). In 2011, Rickles reunited with his Casino (1995) co-star Joe Pesci in a Snickers advertisement highlighting actors known for their "short fuses".{{cite web |url=http://theadbuzz.com/2011/05/joe-pesci-and-don-rickles-join-the-snickers |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720151251/http://theadbuzz.com/2011/05/joe-pesci-and-don-rickles-join-the-snickers |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=Joe Pesci and Don Rickles Join the Snickers "Party" |website=The Ad Buzz |date=May 18, 2011 |access-date=May 11, 2012}} Rickles also portrayed the supposedly late husband of Elka (Betty White) on Hot in Cleveland— a "surprise" because his character was believed dead.{{cite news| first=Mark| last=Dawidziak| newspaper=The Plain Dealer| location=Cleveland| url=http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2011/08/don_rickles_shows_up_as_elkas_husband_in_hot_in_cleveland_season_finale.html| title=Don Rickles shows up as Elka's husband in 'Hot in Cleveland' season finale| date=September 2011| access-date=February 4, 2022}}

On May 28, 2014, Rickles was honored by Spike TV's One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles. Recorded live at New York City's Apollo Theater, Jerry Seinfeld was the master of ceremonies for the two-hour special, with live monologues by Johnny Depp, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Tracy Morgan, Brian Williams, Regis Philbin, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. Recorded segments included bits from Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Jimmy Kimmel, and Eddie Murphy. Seinfeld described Rickles as a part of the "Mount Rushmore of Stand-up Comedy" with George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby.[http://thecomicscomic.com/2014/05/28/highlights-from-one-night-only-an-all-star-tribute-to-don-rickles-for-his-88th-birthday/ "Highlights from One Night Only: An All-Star Tribute to Don Rickles"]. The Comic's Comic. May 28, 2014.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/rickles-trades-shots-best-spike-salute-article-1.1803561 |title=Don Rickles and guest-star roasters like Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey trade shots |author=Kaplan, Don |date=May 27, 2014 |access-date=October 20, 2016 |newspaper=New York Daily News}}{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/05/07/don-rickles-tribute-jokes/ |title= Don Rickles: Comedy legends' salute 2014 |author=Hillary Busis |magazine= Entertainment Weekly |accessdate=July 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329011431/https://ew.com/article/2014/05/07/don-rickles-tribute-jokes/ |archive-date=March 29, 2015 |url-status=dead }}

{{quote|"The camaraderie and the comedy made the show a cross between a traditional roast and a dignified lifetime achievement award, spanning emotions ranging from admiration and gratitude to, well, degradation. And as the evening reached its climax, when Rickles got his say after all that had said about him and his nearly 60-year-long career, fittingly, he had the last laugh." – TV Week{{cite web |url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2014/05/spike-tvs-all-star-don-rickles-tribute-turning-up-the-heat-on-mr-warmth.php |title=Spike TV's All-Star Don Rickles Tribute: Turning Up the Heat on 'Mr. Warmth' |website=TVWeek |access-date=May 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729051831/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2014/05/spike-tvs-all-star-don-rickles-tribute-turning-up-the-heat-on-mr-warmth.php |archive-date=July 29, 2014 |url-status=dead}}}}

He was still a frequent guest on late night talk shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson among others, during the later months of his life. On May 11, 2015, Rickles appeared as a guest on one of the final episodes of The Late Show with David Letterman. He also made a cameo appearance in Grandfathered.{{cite magazine| url=https://www.tvguidemagazine.com/john-stamos-inherits-a-new-full-house-with-foxs-grandfathered/| title=John Stamos Inherits a New Full House With Fox's 'Grandfathered'| date=September 24, 2015| access-date=February 4, 2022| magazine=TV Guide}}

In an interview in 2014, he dismissed thoughts of retiring, stating:

"I'm in good health. I'm working better than I ever have. The audiences are great. Why should I retire? I'm like a fighter. The bell rings and you come out and fight. My energy comes alive. And I still enjoy it."{{cite news |url=http://www.turlockjournal.com/archives/25588/ |title=Comedy legend Don Rickles heads into Turlock |author=Stafford, Sabra |date=May 8, 2014 |access-date=October 20, 2016 |newspaper=Turlock Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021011056/http://www.turlockjournal.com/archives/25588/ |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

{{main|Don Rickles filmography}}

On March 14, 1965, Rickles married Barbara Sklar of Philadelphia. He admitted to having a difficult time romantically in his 20s and 30s, meeting Sklar through his agent when he was 38 years old and falling for her when she failed to get his sense of humor.{{cite magazine| url=http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/don-rickles-survival-skills-20130826| title=Don Rickles's Life Advice| magazine=Men's Journal| access-date=April 6, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407025311/http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/don-rickles-survival-skills-20130826| archive-date=April 7, 2017| url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine| url=https://www.milwaukeemag.com/don-rickles-exclusive-interview/| title=Don Rickles Exclusive Interview| first=Jimmy| last=McDonough| date=August 9, 2016| magazine=Milwaukee Magazine| access-date=April 6, 2017}} They had two children: Mindy, an actress, and Larry, a producer who died of pneumonia at the age of 41.{{cite news| first=Mike| last=Barnes| title=Don Rickles' Only Son Dies at 41, Larry Rickles earned an Emmy Award for a 2007 documentary about his dad |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/don-rickles-son-dies-at-270157| newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter| date=December 6, 2011| access-date=December 20, 2011}} According to Rickles's memoir, his grandchildren Ethan and Harrison Mann were much more impressed by his role as Mr. Potato Head than by any of his other achievements. Barbara died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma on March 14, 2021, exactly 56 years after the couple married.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/17/arts/television/barbara-rickles-dead.html| title=Barbara Rickles, Comedian's Wife and Target, Dies at 84| agency=Associated Press| newspaper=The New York Times| date=March 17, 2021| accessdate=March 20, 2021}}{{cite news| url=https://apnews.com/article/don-rickles-barbara-sklar-bob-saget-c3fdb37360c6c548f0f7892bb441950| title=Barbara Rickles, widow of comedian Don Rickles, dies at 84 | agency=The Associated Press| date=March 15, 2021| first=Hillel| last=Italieap}}

Rickles befriended mobster "Crazy" Joe Gallo following a performance at the Copacabana in 1972. Gallo, whom Rickles had ribbed mercilessly during his set, despite being warned not to do so, accepted Rickles's ribbings in good humor and invited him to Umberto's Clam House after the show. Rickles declined the offer. That night, a gunfight erupted at Umberto's, killing Gallo.{{cite news| first=Don| last=Paul| url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/28/from-thugs-to-thunderstorms-the-don-paul-story/| title=From Thugs to Thunderstorms: the Don Paul story| newspaper=The Buffalo News| date=June 28, 2017| access-date=June 28, 2017}} This situation was dramatized in the movie The Irishman.

Rickles performed at the inaugurations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush with his friend Frank Sinatra,{{cite magazine |last=Stein |first=Joel |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101991213-35479,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925065312/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101991213-35479,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 25, 2008 |title=Don Rickles |magazine=Time |date=December 5, 1999 |access-date=May 19, 2015}} although Rickles himself was a lifelong Democrat.{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/04/06/don-rickles-dies-90/100127122/| title=Master of the insult: Comedian Don Rickles dies at 90| newspaper=USA Today| date=April 6, 2017| first=Gary| last=Levin}} He considered Bob Newhart his best friend, and the two often vacationed together along with their wives, who were also close.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/aarp-convention-2013_n_3383576.html |title=AARP Convention 2013 Brings Don Rickles And Bob Newhart Together for the First Time |date=June 4, 2013 |journal=HuffPost |access-date=October 20, 2016 |author=Emling, Shelley}} Rickles and Newhart appeared together on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 24, 2005, the Monday following Johnny Carson's death, reminiscing about their many guest appearances on Carson's show. The two also appeared together on the television sitcom Newhart and for previous episodes of The Tonight Show, where Newhart or Rickles were guest hosts. The friendship was memorialized in Bob & Don: A Love Story, a 2023 short documentary film by Judd Apatow featuring interviews with and home movies of both families.{{cite news| url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/judd-apatows-bob-and-don-a-love-story| title=Judd Apatow's Bob and Don: A Love Story: Watch a short film about the lifelong friendship between Bob Newhart and Don Rickles, who were not an obvious match| magazine=The New Yorker| date=November 27, 2023| first=Bruce| last=Handy}}

On April 6, 2017, Rickles died of kidney failure at his home in Century City, Los Angeles, at the age of 90.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/don-rickles-lightning-fast-launcher-of-comic-insults-dies-at-90/2017/04/06/d785d626-1af2-11e7-855e-4824bbb5d748_story.html |title=Don Rickles, lightning-fast launcher of comic insults, dies at 90 |last=Schudel |first=Matt |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 6, 2017 |access-date=April 6, 2017}} He was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.{{cite web |url=https://www.tmz.com/2017/04/12/don-rickles-cause-of-death-certificate/ |title=Don Rickles Death Certificate, Kidney Disease Proved Fatal |website=TMZ|date=April 12, 2017 }}

Many television hosts paid tribute to his comedic talents, with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and David Letterman among them.{{cite magazine| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/late-night-hosts-remember-funny-sharp-generous-don-rickles-991896| title=Late-Night Hosts Remember the 'Funny, Sharp and Generous' Don Rickles| magazine=The Hollywood Reporter| date=April 6, 2017| first=Jennifer| last=Konerman}} Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Mel Brooks, Toy Story (1995) filmmaker John Lasseter, Ron Howard, Chris Rock, Patton Oswalt, Jim Carrey, Ricky Gervais and even his Toy Story (1995) co-stars Tom Hanks (the voice of Woody), Tim Allen (the voice of Buzz Lightyear) and Whoopi Goldberg (the voice of Stretch in Toy Story 3) paid their respects on Twitter.{{cite magazine| url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/don-rickles-dead-celebrities-react-bob-newhart-tom-hanks-1202025158/| title=Bob Newhart, Tom Hanks, Other Stars Remember Don Rickles: 'A God Died Today'| magazine=Variety| date=April 6, 2017| first=Sarah| last=Ahern}}

Bob Newhart said in a statement: "He was called 'The Merchant of Venom', but in truth, he was one of the kindest, caring, and most sensitive human beings we have ever known. We are devastated, and our world will never be the same. We were totally unprepared for this."{{cite magazine| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/don-rickles-dead-hollywood-pays-tribute-991739|title=Hollywood Pays Tribute to Don Rickles| magazine=The Hollywood Reporter| date=April 6, 2017}}

Martin Scorsese, who directed him in Casino in 1995, stated: "Don Rickles was a giant, a legend ... and I can hear his voice now, skewering me for being so lofty. I had the honor of working with him on my picture Casino. He was a professional. He kept me doubled over with laughter every day on the set – yet he was a complete pro. We became friends over the years, and I had the honor of being roasted by him more than once – sometimes when I didn't expect it. He just started showing up at places and insulting me. Experiencing Don, and tuning into his mind, I witnessed the evolution of his comedy. It was like listening to a great jazz musician wail. Nobody else did what he did. He made comedy into an art form. And like all geniuses, comic or otherwise, he's irreplaceable. He was much loved. I'm really missing this man."{{cite news| url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/04/06/martin-scorsese-don-rickles-tribute/| title=Martin Scorsese pays tribute to Don Rickles: 'He made comedy into an art form'| first=Oliver| last=Gettell| magazine=Entertainment Weekly| date=April 6, 2017}}

At the 90th Academy Awards, The Academy honored Rickles in its annual in Memoriam segment.{{cite news |url=https://www.etonline.com/oscars-in-memoriam-honors-roger-moore-don-rickles-and-other-hollywood-icons-but-who-got-snubbed |title=Oscars' 'In Memoriam' Honors Roger Moore, Don Rickles and Other Hollywood Icons – But Who Got Snubbed? |first=Zach |last=Seemayer |date=March 4, 2018 |access-date=May 22, 2019 |work=Entertainment Tonight}} The film Toy Story 4 was dedicated to his memory, as well as that of animator Adam Burke; while he would die before recording any dialogue, with the permission of Rickles's family he would still reprise his role as Mr. Potato Head posthumously with the use of unused archival footage.{{cite news |url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/03/28/toy-story-4-potato-head/ |title=Here's how Toy Story 4 will honor the late Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head |first=Marc |last=Snetiker |date=March 28, 2019 |access-date=May 22, 2019 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

• Hello Dummy! (1968)
• Don Rickles Speaks! (1969)

• {{cite book |title=Rickles' Book: A Memoir |first1=Don |last1=Rickles |first2=David |last2=Ritz |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7432-9305-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ricklesbook00rick }}
• {{cite book |title=Rickles' Letters |first1=Don |last1=Rickles |first2=David |last2=Ritz |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4165-9663-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/ricklesletters00rick}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |title=Rickles' Book: A Memoir |first1=Don |last1=Rickles |first2=David |last2=Ritz |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7432-9305-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/ricklesbook00rick}}

{{commons category|Don Rickles}}

• {{official website|https://donrickles.com/}}
• {{IMDb name|0725543}}
• {{tcmdb name}}
• {{Find a Grave|178150969|Don Rickles}}
• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113101814/http://www.hulu.com/watch/55113/mr-warmth-the-don-rickles-project-mr-warmth---the-don-rickles-project |date=November 13, 2009 |title=Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project full-length feature film at Hulu (link is only accessible from within the United States) }}

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