George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American actor, author, comedian and writer. He was known for his dark comedy and jokes about politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and taboo.

Early life
Carlin was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City. Carlin said that he started to appreciate effective use of the English language because of his mother, though they had a difficult relationship and he often ran away from home. He grew up on West 121st Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, which he and his friends called "White Harlem" because it "sounded a lot tougher than its real name".  

His mother had a television, which was a rare and new technology at the time, and Carlin became a fan of the late-night talk show Broadway Open House during its short run.

Carlin joined the U.S. Air Force and trained as a radar technician. During his time in the Air Force, he had been court-martialed three times and received many nonjudicial punishments and reprimands.

Career
The first of Carlin's 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977. From the late 1980s, his performances were focused on sociocultural criticism of American society.  

Carlin acted in movies including Jersey Girl, Dogma, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (and its sequel), Scary Movie 3, and Disney's Tarzan 2. He also narrated the children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends from 1984 to 1995 (Actor Alec Baldwin later took over the role in 1998), and Portrayed Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station.

He was known for his "seven dirty words" routine. The routine was about seven words people should not say in the media. (The list was ironically used by many radio stations, as a guide to what kind of language was not allowed.) Comedy Central called Carlin one of the greatest stand-up comedians.

Personal life
Carlin married Brenda Hosbrook on June 3, 1961, together they have a daughter named Kelly. They remained married until her death in 1997, just a few day's before Carlin's 60th birthday. Carlin then married Sally Wade on June 24, 1998, the married lasted until Carlin's death in 2008.

Death
Carlin had a history of heart problems. He had several heart attacks. He died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California at age 71.

Works

Discography 
Main
 1963: Burns and Carlin at the Playboy Club Tonight
 1967: Take-Offs and Put-Ons
 1972: FM & AM
 1972: Class Clown
 1973: Occupation: Foole
 1974: Toledo Window Box
 1975: An Evening with Wally Londo Featuring Bill Slaszo
 1977: On the Road
 1981: A Place for My Stuff
 1982: Carlin at Carnegie
 1984: Carlin on Campus
 1986: Playin' with Your Head
 1988: What Am I Doing in New Jersey?
 1990: Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics
 1992: Jammin' in New York
 1996: Back in Town
 1999: You Are All Diseased
 2001: Complaints and Grievances
 2002: George Carlin on Comedy
 2006: Life Is Worth Losing
 2008: It's Bad for Ya

Compilations
 1978: Indecent Exposure: Some of the Best of George Carlin
 1984: The George Carlin Collection
 1992: Classic Gold
 1999: The Little David Years

Filmography

Television 
 The Kraft Summer Music Hall (1966)
 That Girl (Guest appearance) (1966)
 The Ed Sullivan Show (multiple appearances)
 The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (season 3 guest appearance) (1968)
 What's My Line?  (Guest Appearance) (1969)
 The Game Game (Guest Appearance) (1969)
 The Flip Wilson Show (writer, performer) (1971–1973)
 The Mike Douglas Show (Guest) (February 18, 1972)
 Welcome Back, Kotter (Guest Appearance) (1978)
 Saturday Night Live (Host, episodes 1 and 183) (1975 & 1984)
 Nick at Nite (station IDs) (1987)
 Justin Case (as Justin Case) (1988) TV movie directed Blake Edwards
 Thomas and Friends (as US Narrator: Series 1–4) (1984–1996)
 Shining Time Station (as Mr. Conductor/Narrator for Thomas the Tank Engine segments) (1991–1993; Family Specials for 1995)
 Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales (as Mr. Conductor/Narrator for Thomas the Tank Engine segments) (1996)
 Storytime with Thomas (as Mr. Conductor/Narrator for Thomas the Tank Engine segments) (1999)
 The George Carlin Show (as George O'Grady) (1994–1995) Fox
 Streets of Laredo (as Billy Williams) (1995)
 The Simpsons (as Munchie, episode "D'oh-in in the Wind") (1998)
 I'm Telling You for the Last Time
 The Daily Show (guest on February 1, 1999; December 16, 1999; and March 10, 2004)
 MADtv (Guest appearance in episodes 518 & 524) (2000)
 Inside the Actors Studio (2004)
 Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (as Fillmore) (archive footage) (2008)

Video games 
 Cars (2006) (as Fillmore)

HBO specials

Bibliography

Books 
Sometimes a Little Brain Damage Can Help. 1984. 
Brain Droppings. 1997. 
Napalm and Silly Putty. 2001. 
When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?. 2004. 
Three Times Carlin: An Orgy of George. 2006. . A collection of the 3 previous titles.
Watch My Language. 2009.

References

Other websites 

1937 births
2008 deaths
Actors from Manhattan
American movie actors
American philosophers
American stand-up comedians
American television actors
American television producers
American television writers
American voice actors
Cardiovascular disease deaths in Los Angeles County, California
Comedians from New York City
Deaths from heart failure
Former Roman Catholics
Mark Twain Prize recipients
Writers from Manhattan