Though he began writing jokes in his teens, Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen in 1921) abandoned comedy for years, and didn't return to hit his stride as a performer until he was in his 40s and assumed the Dangerfield name and persona. In 1969 he opened a comedy club, Dangerfield's, in Manhattan that would serve as a venue for many young comics. His self-effacing "I don't get no respect" routine proved enormously successful, leading to a string of hit comedy films. He appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 70 times, and played a role in Oliver Stone's NATURAL BORN KILLERS. He died in 2004 of complications from brain surgery.