Richard Jeni

{{Infobox comedian

| name = Richard Jeni

| image = Jeni.jpg

| birth_name = Richard John Colangelo

| birth_date = {{birth date|1957|4|14}}

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2007|3|10|1957|4|14}}}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| medium = Improv, stand-up comedy, film, television

| active = 1982–2007

| genre =

| notable_work = Charlie Schumaker in The Mask
Himself in Platypus Man

}}

Richard John Colangelo (April 14, 1957[http://richardjeni.com/vipergb/ DOB according to Jeni's Website] and Social Security Death Index. – March 10, 2007), better known by his stage name Richard Jeni, was an American stand-up comedian and actor.

Early life

Jeni was born and raised in an Italian-American Catholic family in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.{{cite web| url=http://www.barberusa.com/comedy/richard-jeni.html| title=Richard Jeni| access-date=March 11, 2007| year=2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016052528/http://www.barberusa.com/comedy/richard-jeni.html| archive-date=October 16, 2006| website=Barber & Associates}} He graduated with honors from Hunter College, earning a bachelor's degree in comparative politics. After graduating, Jeni went on to do public relations work, but was let go from five different firms in two years before doing an open-mic night in Brooklyn and deciding to pursue standup comedy as a career in 1982.{{cite news| url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1989/08/18/jeni-stumbles-into-comedy-and-winds-up-on-showtime/| title=Jeni Stumbles Into Comedy And Winds Up On Showtime| newspaper=Sun Sentinel| location=Deerfield Beach, Florida| date=April 18, 1989| url-access=subscription| access-date=July 2, 2023}}

Career

Jeni first received recognition through a series of Showtime stand-up specials and frequent appearances on The Tonight Show. After making his Tonight Show debut in 1988 with Johnny Carson, Jeni returned often and later made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, with more appearances than any other stand-up comedian.{{cite news| first=Geoff| last=Boucher| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-26-et-jeni26-story.html| title=Jeni is topping the bill, one last time| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=March 26, 2007| access-date=July 24, 2018| url-access=subscription}} In 1989, he won Comedy USA's Best Nightclub Comedian, as voted by comedy club owners and comedians, and his first Showtime special Richard Jeni: The Boy From New York City won a CableACE Award.{{cite news| first=John| last=Lannert| url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-12-27/features/9102240042_1_richard-jeni-comedy-club-comedy-corner| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184418/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-12-27/features/9102240042_1_richard-jeni-comedy-club-comedy-corner| url-status=dead| archive-date=October 29, 2013| title=Comic Richard Jeni To Hail New Year In West Palm| newspaper=Sun Sentinel| location=Deerfield Beach, Florida| date=December 27, 1991| access-date=July 24, 2018}}

Top executives at HBO picked up his first appearance on The HBO Comedy Hour in 1992, titled Richard Jeni: Platypus Man. The show was well received, and Jeni returned for two more shows, going on to receive another CableACE Award for one of his HBO specials. Jeni starred on the 1995 UPN sitcom Platypus Man and appeared in the Jim Carrey film The Mask. Jeni composed the theme song ("I'm A Platypus Man") for his TV series. He appeared in The Aristocrats, Dad's Week Off, An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn, and Chasing Robert.{{cite web| url=http://www.chasingrobert.com| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705113959/http://www.chasingrobert.com/| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 5, 2007| title=Chasing Robert}} He starred in commercial campaigns for Certs and Arby's, and he won a Clio Award for his work as a writer/performer in an advertising campaign for the American Dairy Association.

In 2004, Jeni was ranked #57 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/list/ls509798303/| title=Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time| website=IMDb| first=Joseph F.| last=Lawson| date=October 19, 2021| access-date=July 2, 2023}}

Death

On March 10, 2007, Jeni and his girlfriend, Amy Murphy—a weather anchor and reporter for KTTV in Los Angeles—had been conversing in bed, discussing breakfast and their plans for the day. Murphy left to cook breakfast downstairs, and after a few minutes heard the sound of a gunshot. Running upstairs, she found Jeni on the bathroom floor, a revolver at his feet, and a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.{{cite news |author=Ryan, Jack |date=June 27, 2007 |title=A Comedian's Sad Demise – Coroner: Before suicide, Richard Jeni was involuntarily hospitalized |website=The Smoking Gun |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0627071jeni1.html |access-date=June 27, 2007}}

Murphy called 9-1-1, and police and paramedics arrived and transported Jeni to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he died. His family later stated with certainty that the death was a suicide and that Jeni had recently been diagnosed with "severe clinical depression coupled with fits of psychotic paranoia."{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031301413.html| title=Family Says Jeni Committed Suicide| agency=Associated Press| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=March 13, 2007| access-date=March 13, 2007}} According to the coroner's report released in June 2007, Jeni had a history of schizophrenia and had been taking antidepressants and a sleeping aid. The report further indicated that his girlfriend heard him talking to himself about a week earlier, saying "just squeeze the trigger."{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/29/AR2007062900313_pf.html| title=Coroner's Report: Jeni Was Mentally Ill| agency=Associated Press| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=June 29, 2007| access-date=August 16, 2009}}

Jeni's death was marked by many tributes, including thousands of messages on his website and YouTube as well as on the radio.{{cite news| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7872683| title=Comedian Richard Jeni Dies| date=March 13, 2007| first1=Madeleine| last1=Brand| first2=Alex| last2=Chadwick| work=Day to Day}} On March 12, 2007, Jeni's death was mentioned on The Tonight Show by host Jay Leno, with accompanying footage of Jeni's last appearance on the show. On March 16, Bill Maher, who had performed with Jeni as a young comic, dedicated the fifth episode of the fifth season of his HBO show, Real Time with Bill Maher, to Jeni and discussed his death on Larry King Live.{{cite web| url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/12/lkl.01.html| title=Larry King Live Interview with Bill Maher| website=CNN Transcripts| date=March 12, 2007}}

Filmography

Bird (1988) as Morello
The Mask (1994) as Charlie Schumaker
Dad's Week Off (1997) as Bernie
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998) as Jerry Glover
Chasing Robert (2007) as Rich the Bookie

= Television series =

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995–2002) as Himself
Platypus Man (1995) as himself
Shorties Watchin' Shorties (2004) as himself
Everybody Hates Chris (2005) as Cop - Season 2, ep. 1

= HBO specials =

Richard Jeni: Platypus Man (1993)
Richard Jeni: A Good Catholic Boy (1997)
Richard Jeni: A Big Steaming Pile of Me (2005)

= Showtime specials =

Richard Jeni: Boy from New York City (1989)
Richard Jeni: Crazy from The Heat (1991){{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393645/| title=Richard Jeni: Crazy from the Heat (TV Special 1991)| website=IMDb}}