![]() | American comedian and actor Date of Birth: 07.12.1969 |
Content:
- Patrice O'Neal: A Life in Comedy and Controversy
- Stand-Up Comedy Career
- Move to New York City and International Touring
- "Elephant in the Room" and Television Appearances
- Radio Career
- Later Career and Posthumous Releases
Patrice O'Neal: A Life in Comedy and Controversy
Early Life and Education
Patrice Malcolm O'Neal was born in New York City on December 7, 1969. His mother named him after Patrice Lumumba, the leader of the Congolese independence movement and first Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo, and African-American civil rights activist Malcolm X. Though he was bullied for his name, O'Neal later credited it with teaching him "how to be a man." He was raised by his mother in the predominantly black working-class Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, along with his sister Zinder. O'Neal never had a relationship with his father, though he knew his identity.
O'Neal attended West Roxbury High School, where he excelled in football, earning three varsity letters and winning a state championship his senior year. He turned down a football scholarship to Northeastern University in Boston, which included a housing grant, in favor of pursuing performing arts and majoring in theater studies. By this time, his interest in comedy had grown, and he took a job as a bouncer at the Comedy Connection in Boston. He also worked selling concessions at the Boston Garden arena.
Stand-Up Comedy Career
Early Years and Development
O'Neal performed his first stand-up set in October 1992 at Estelle's restaurant in Boston. He had attended an open mic night a week prior, where he criticized a performer, who in turn challenged him to try stand-up himself. Comedian Dane Cook witnessed one of O'Neal's early performances and noted his "gentle giant appeal... he already had the edge, but he was a little more vulnerable."
O'Neal developed his act in the Boston area for the next six years, where his early performances went under the name Bruiser O'Neal. In the mid-1990s, he met fellow comedian and eventual close friend Jim Norton.
Move to New York City and International Touring
In 1998, O'Neal relocated to New York City, where he became a regular at the Comedy Cellar. Early that year, he participated in the fourth annual HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. He then moved to Los Angeles in hopes of gaining greater exposure: "I soft-shoed like you would not believe... trying to get anything." However, he struggled to earn enough money. He was "basically chased out of America" and accepted offers to perform in the United Kingdom, initially from English stand-up John Simmit for his Upfront Comedy show. O'Neal worked hard to earn the respect of his peers, recalling that it took them several months "to go, 'Alright, this guy's not just messing around.'" By mid-1999, he was headlining a comedy tour in Australia.
Between 2000 and 2002,[15] he performed stand-up throughout Europe, including a performance at the Black International Comedy Awards in London[16] and in Edinburgh with comedians Lewis Schaffer and Rich Vos. In 2006 and 2007, O'Neal joined Opie and Anthony's "Virus Tour" comedy tour, performing at large arenas across the United States.
"Elephant in the Room" and Television Appearances
In 2010, O'Neal recorded his first and only hour-long special for Comedy Central, "Elephant in the Room." It came about after comedian Dave Attell raved about O'Neal's material to his manager, who began negotiations with the cable network to make it happen. Despite O'Neal's insistence on filming in Washington, D.C., the network wanted it taped in New York City, which O'Neal eventually agreed to. The special premiered on February 19, 2011, with an unedited version released on CD and DVD three days later. O'Neal promoted the special with an appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," his first time appearing on network television in four years.
O'Neal's transition to television began in late 2000 when he became a writer for the WWE after an employee saw him perform. A big fan of professional wrestling, he pitched a storyline that would build up to a feud for three weeks, culminating in a pay-per-view event, which earned him the job. He visited Vince McMahon's house, traveled with the organization for a week doing shows at their live events on their private plane, and filmed several vignettes. He was then offered a 13-week contract but declined, as he already had other plans. He later said that it "would have not been a dream" if he had continued with it and that it was nice because "it was short and sweet." He also declined potential opportunities later in his career, such as acting roles on "Web Junk 20," "The Office," and "Arrested Development," though he eventually guest-starred on the latter two. He jokingly called himself a "professional bridge burner."
By 2002, O'Neal had returned to the United States after receiving an offer to tape a half-hour comedy special for Showtime. He made his first comedy television appearance with a set on "The Colin Quinn Show," followed by "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," on which he appeared from 2002 until its cancellation in 2004. In 2003, he taped an hour-long special for Comedy Central Presents. His first credited television performance was on "Apollo Comedy Hour." He went on to appear on Showtime's "At the Apollo" and "FNight Videos." He made guest appearances on MTV's "Apartment 2F," "Assy McGee," "Yes, Dear," "Arrested Development," "The Chappelle's Show," and "The Office."
O'Neal was a regular panelist on the Fox series "The Jury" and starred in the Comedy Central animated program "Shorties Watching Shorties" with Nick DiPaolo. He voiced Harold Jenkins on Noggin's animated program "O'Grady" and portrayed Jesus on Denis Leary's "Rescue Me." In 2005, he filmed a half-hour One Night Stand special for HBO. He then hosted the first and second seasons of VH1's "Web Junk 20" in 2006. O'Neal declined to host a third season, despite an offer that quadrupled his salary, and was replaced by Jim Breuer.
In 2007, O'Neal stated that he had turned down an opportunity to appear on "Celebrity Fit Club" and said that "his career was more important than [his] health." O'Neal made five appearances at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, including a week-long solo show at the Ste. Catherine Theatre in 2008.
In 2007, O'Neal wrote and starred in a web series titled "The Patrice O'Neal Show - Coming Soon!" It featured his girlfriend Nero, Brian Kennedy, Harry Stanton, and Will Selywn. The series was short-lived, as it failed to find a sponsor due to its offensive content. He guest-starred in another show created by For Your Imagination, titled "Break a Leg," playing "a grown-up Gary Coleman."
He played a character named Sea Monster, a warehouse worker, on the 2005–2007 American version of the sitcom "The Office."
In 2011, O'Neal performed as one of the comedians at Comedy Central's "The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen," expressing his respect for the actor and wanting to tell him so personally. The show aired on September 19, 2011, and O'Neal was the final comedian to perform. It drew 6.4 million viewers, making it the highest-rated Comedy Central special ever. O'Neal's appearance on the show was his final television performance before his untimely death two months later. After the taping, O'Neal met William Shatner and his wife, who were also in attendance, in the parking garage, and the couple offered O'Neal support regarding his diabetes, after which all three wept. Shatner recalled, "He knew he was dying, that he was a dying man, and in a sense wanted to die... That's what I saw. That's why we cried."
Radio Career
In 2002, O'Neal returned to the New York City area. He made his debut on the Opie and Anthony radio show on January 17, 2002, when friend and fellow comedian Rich Vos invited him on the show, which was then broadcast on WNEW. After the show was canceled in 2002 and revived on XM satellite radio in 2004, O'Neal returned as a guest, occasionally filling in for an absent Norton, and became one of the show's most popular guests.
In 2006, O'Neal settled in Jersey City. From 2006 to 2008, O'Neal hosted a relationship advice show on XM, initially titled "Bitch Management" and later renamed "The Black Philip Show," a reference to advice doctor and TV personality "Dr. Phil" McGraw. The show aired on Saturday nights with Dante Nero as the co-host and a rotating cast of female comedians on the third microphone. The show ended following the merger of XM and Sirius, when the new management failed to agree on budgets for Saturday evening programs.
Later Career and Posthumous Releases
In March 2010, O'Neal signed a deal with Comedy Central for a stand-
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