Born on November 22, 1921-  
Died October 5, 2004
Real Name Jacob Cohen 
 
Although "Rodney Dangerfield" did not live in Richmond Hill, he attended and graduated from Richmond Hill H.S. in 1939 and lived in Kew Gardens on Austin St. and Lefferts Blvd. above the Old Bailey's Bar now the Austin Ale House which at one time was part of Richmond Hill. 
Rodney "No Respect" Dangerfield began his career at the age of 15 when he started writing jokes. At 17 he started performing at amateur nights and at 19 he had two jobs, one as a comic who couldn't make a living, and the other as a singing waiter. Rodney would sing and people threw money at him. :-) 

He traveled the comedy circuit for ten years but reluctantly gave up showbiz for a more stable income. It wasn't until the age of 40 that Dangerfield made the decision to relaunch his career as a performer and comedy writer for the second time. He spent his days in a business office and his nights working in New York clubs. Not satisfied, Rodney opened his own club, the now famous Dangerfield's on First Avenue in Manhattan. The club was a huge success and so was Rodney. Even Richmond Hill H.S. Senior Proms were celebrated at his club. 
Rodney introduced many of today's comedy stars to television for the first time on his HBO shows which emanated from Dangerfield's, such as Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr, Jim Carrey, Jeff Foxworthy, Sam 
Kinison, Bob Saget, Jerry Seinfeld, Rita Rudner, Robert Townsend, Louie Anderson and others. 

Rodney Dangerfield's feature film credits include CADDYSHACK, EASY MONEY which he co-wrote, BACK TO SCHOOL (one of the first comedys to gross over $100 million), and Paramount's LADYBUGS. In contrast to his comedy roles, Rodney accepted a dramatic role offered to him by Oliver Stone for NATURAL BORN KILLERS. Critics praised his realistic portrayal as the "Father From Hell." 
Dangerfield also produced the animated feature musical ROVER DANGERFIELD for Warner Bros. Rodney not only provided the voice for Rover, but he also wrote the screenplay, co-composed the songs and served as Executive Producer. 
Dangerfield stars and co-wrote his latest film MEET WALLY SPARKS, a comedy released earlier in 1998 featuring Cindy Williams, Burt Reynolds, David Ogden Stiers, Michael Bolton, Tony Danza and others. 

Dangerfield's contributions to the world of comedy have not been overlooked. In 1981, Dangerfield won a Grammy Award for his comedy album named No Respect and was the recipient of the Lifetime Creative Achievement Award from the 1994 American Comedy Awards. Rodney's famous trademark white shirt and red tie are on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, 
D.C. Aaahhh....respect at last!