Gilbert Gottfried

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor.[1] His numerous roles in film and television included voicing Iago in The Walt Disney Company's Aladdin franchise, Mister Mxyzptlk in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Action, Digit LeBoid in PBS Kids' Cyberchase, Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Aflac duck. He also played Mr. Peabody in the Problem Child franchise.
Gottfried hosted Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (2014–2022), along with Frank Santopadre, which featured discussions of classic films and celebrity interviews, most often with veteran actors, comedians, musicians, and comedy writers. The documentary Gilbert (2017) explored his life and career; it won the Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2017 deadCENTER Film Festival.[2]
== Early life ==
[edit]
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried was born in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York City on February 28, 1955,[3] the son of hardware store owner Max Gottfried and homemaker Lillian Zimmerman. His father and grandfather ran the store, above which the family lived.[4] He was raised in a Jewish family, but later said of his unusual upbringing, "I ate pork. We weren't that aware of the holidays or anything like that, but were aware of being Jewish. It's like I kind of knew that even though I was never bar mitzvahed and we didn't follow the holidays, I knew that if the Nazis came back, I'd be in the same train coach with everyone else."[5] He was the younger brother of photographer Arlene Gottfried (1950–2017) and Karen Gottfried.[6]
From Coney Island, the family moved to Brooklyn's Crown Heights, followed by Borough Park.[7]
== Career ==
[edit]
Gottfried's first routine on stage was at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village during one of its Hootenanny Night events when he was 15.[8] His two sisters Arlene and Karen accompanied him, having thought the performances he did for the family were good enough for the stage and encouraged him to try it out.[9] His early routines focused on impressions of old time actors and celebrities, including Boris Karloff and Humphrey Bogart.[7][10] From there, he worked the local comedy circuit and became known in the area as a "comedian's comedian,"[11] and started to perform edgier material when he became bored of his usual routines. One such incident occurred when Gottfried opened for Belinda Carlisle, which was attended by younger girls and their mothers: "I tried doing my regular act for about 5 minutes, then I just launched into the filthiest stuff I could think of. And the next day, I got a call from my agent saying, 'Everybody there loved you,' which is show business talk for, 'You're fired.'"[7]
In 1980, Saturday Night Live was being retooled with a new staff and new comedians; the producers noticed Gottfried and hired him as a cast member for its sixth season.[12][13] Gottfried's persona during SNL sketches was very different from his later characterization: He rarely spoke in his trademark voice and never squinted. During his 12-episode stint, he was seldom used in sketches. Gottfried recalled that a low point was having to play a corpse in a sketch about a sports organist hired to play inappropriate music at a funeral. He did have one recurring character (Leo Waxman, husband to Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman on the recurring talk show sketch, "What's It All About?") and two celebrity impersonations: David Stockman and Roman Polanski.[14]
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GilbertGottfried.jpg|right|thumb|Gottfried in 1991
From 1983 to 1984, Gottfried was a regular performer on Alan Thicke's short-lived show Thicke of the Night. In April 1987, he headlined a half-hour comedy special that aired as part of the Cinemax Comedy Experiment series. It was followed by the sitcom pilot Norman's Corner, co-written by Larry David prior to creating Seinfeld, which saw Gottfried as the titular character.[15] Gottfried played accountant Sidney Bernstein in the 1987 film Beverly Hills Cop II, in which he reunited with friend and fellow SNL alumnus Eddie Murphy.[16] Also in 1987, Gottfried made his debut appearance on The Howard Stern Show. He went on to make over 100 appearances on the radio show over the next 25 years.[15]
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gilbert_Gottfreid_1999.jpg|left|thumb|Gottfried in 1999
Although not a regular, Gottfried appeared in The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys, as well as the voice of Jerry the Belly Button Elf in Ren and Stimpy. Three of his most prominent roles came in 1990, 1991, and 1992, when he was cast as the adoption agent Igor Peabody in Problem Child and Problem Child 2 and Iago in Aladdin. When asked how he prepared for the role of Iago, Gottfried joked, "I did the whole DeNiro thing. I moved to South America! I lived in the trees!" Gottfried reprised the role in The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the television series and various related media, such as Kingdom Hearts and House of Mouse. However, the character was ultimately recast to Alan Tudyk for the 2019 remake. Gottfried also voiced Berkeley Beetle in the 1994 film Thumbelina. He was the host of the Saturday edition of USA Up All Night for its entire run from 1989 to 1998.[17][18]
He was a recurring guest star during the Tom Bergeron era of Hollywood Squares and became the center of attention in a bizarre episode that aired October 1, 1999. In this episode, the two contestants made nine consecutive incorrect guesses, six of which were to be game-deciding questions asked to Gottfried. As the only remaining square left, whoever captured him would have five squares and thus, win the game. Penn Jillette, who was a guest alongside Teller on the same episode, berated a contestant earlier for giving an incorrect guess by shouting, "You fool!". Gottfried himself began to use the phrase, with most of the other stars (including Bergeron himself) eventually joining in with every successive wrong guess, beginning with the second question he was asked. As a consequence, it took the episode's entire half hour to play only one game; however, he was eventually captured on the last possible question. Appropriately, the episode became known as the "You Fool!" episode.[19][20] Gottfried was temporarily fired from Hollywood Squares after this incident, returning about a month later.[9]
Gottfried provided the voice of the duck in the Aflac commercials, Digit in Cyberchase, Dr. Bender and his son Wendell in The Fairly OddParents, and Mister Mxyzptlk (pronounced "Mikz-yez-pit-lik") in Superman: The Animated Series. He reprised his role as Mister Mxyzptlk in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Justice League Action, and Lego DC Super-Villains. He also played a nasty wisecracking criminal genius named Nick Knack in two episodes of Superboy. He also co-wrote an issue of Superboy, which featured Nick Knack's origin. Gottfried made regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[21][22]
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Writer%27s_Guild_of_America_East_Soladarity_Rally_in_Washington_Square_cropped.jpg|right|thumb|Gottfried at the Writers Guild of America East Solidarity Rally in November 2007
In 2004, Comedy Central featured Gottfried's stand-up material for Shorties Watchin' Shorties.[23] Gottfried was part of an online advertising campaign for Microsoft's Office XP software, showing (in a series of animated cartoons) that the Clippy office assistant would be removed. In 2006, Gottfried topped the Boston Phoenix's tongue-in-cheek list of the world's 100 Unsexiest Men. In April 2006, he performed with the University of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club in their annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival. Also in 2006, he made an appearance on the Let's Make a Deal portion of Gameshow Marathon (as a baby in a large high chair, he says "Hey Ricki, I think I need my diaper changed!"), and in the Dodge Viper in the big deal (where he tells the contestants "What were you thinking?!" because neither one picked it). He also guest-starred in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy as Santa Claus in the 1-hour Christmas special. He voiced Rick Platypus in an episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey entitled "That Darn Platypus".[24][25]
He appeared as Peter's horse in an episode of Family Guy entitled "Boys Do Cry", in which Peter is enthused to learn that Gottfried is providing the voice of the horse. He also guest-starred in Hannah Montana as Barny Bittmen. In January 2009, Gottfried worked again with David Faustino for an episode of Faustino's show Star-ving.[26] In 2011, Gottfried appeared in the episode "Lost Traveller" on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Leo Gerber, a sarcastic computer professional working for the NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit, which producer Warren Leight said could become a recurring character.[27] Gottfried read a section from the hit book Fifty Shades of Grey in a June 2012 YouTube video, which was created with the aim of using his trademark voice to make fun of the book's graphic sexual content.[28]
In 2011, Gottfried published his only book Rubber Balls and Liquor.[15]
In 2013, he became a member of "Team Rachael" in the second season of Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. In March that year, he appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap, in which he swapped wives with Alan Thicke.[29] He was also a commentator on truTV Presents: World's Dumbest....[30][31]
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gilbert_Gottfried_2016.jpg|right|thumb|Gottfried in 2016
On May 28, 2014, Sideshow Network premiered Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, an interview podcast where Gottfried and his co-host Frank Santopadre discussed classic films and talk to "Hollywood legends and behind-the-scenes talents" who shaped Gottfried's childhood and influenced his comedy.[32] His first guest was Dick Cavett.[33] His final guest was Brenda Vaccaro in a two part episode released on April 25 and May 2, 2022.[34] Gottfried would be hospitalized a few hours after the episode's recording.[35] Since Gottfried's death, the podcast continued by re-uploading older episodes in honor of his legacy.
Gottfried was the third contestant fired during the fourteenth season of the NBC reality show The Celebrity Apprentice. In 2016, he played the "Pig Man" in a comedy / fantasy film Abnormal Attraction.[36]
In 2017, he appeared as himself in Episodes, where a contestant on a fictional TV endurance game show is penalized with "48 hours of Gilbert Gottfried".[37]
On June 10, 2018, Gottfried appeared in a special segment of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver where, for UK viewers only, a segment about the UK's law restricting broadcast of debates from the Houses of Parliament was replaced by 5 minutes of him reading "3-star Yelp reviews" along with host John Oliver telling the audience "you brought this on yourself because of your stupid law." He returned on November 18, 2018, in the show's last episode of the year to read out extracts from the Brexit agreement, again for UK viewers only.[38] He had previously performed as "the real voice of Jared Kushner" in dubbed film clips on the show.[39][40]
On July 31, 2019, Gottfried appeared as a guest in episode 170 of the Angry Video Game Nerd.[41]
On January 10, 2022, he guest-starred as God in the penultimate episode of Smiling Friends[42] Season 1. On October 18, 2022, he appeared in the Somebody Feed Phil Season 6 episode "Croatia" in the "Joke for Max" segment on a video call with the show host Philip Rosenthal where he tells a few jokes in honour of Phil's late father Max. Released in the same month, The Paloni Show! Halloween Special includes a skit with Gottfried voicing an "apartment manager who doesn't want to deal with his tenants."[43][44][45]
In April 2023, he had a posthumous guest role on the second episode of Adult Swim's Royal Crackers as a "fixer" hired to dispose of a dead body. The episode ended with a dedicated message to Gottfried saying "Thank you, Gilbert" before the credits.
== Style and legacy ==
[edit]
Danny Gallagher of the Dallas Observer wrote that "Gottfried has one of the most original formulas in the history of comedy," adding, "You don't just laugh at the punchline when Gilbert Gottfried tells a joke. You laugh at the setup. You laugh at his comments about the joke. You even laugh at the segues between his jokes."[46] Eric Falwell wrote of his influence in The Atlantic: "Gottfried's work as a stand-up shaped many comics today, whether they would say as much or not. He was a figure who ... pushed stand-up to move beyond the realm of the merely observational and create space for the absurd."[47] In 2022, the Jewish Journal named him one of "The Top 10 Jewish Reality TV Stars of All Time."[48]
Gottfried was known for speaking in an exaggerated loud and grating voice, which was not his natural speaking voice.[49] Mark Binneli of Rolling Stone described Gottfried as a "squinting, squawking mass of contradictions", noting his status as "one of America's filthiest stand-ups" while simultaneously being "one of the most successful voice-over artists in children's entertainment".[50] He was also known for joking about recent tragedies, prompting fellow comedian Bill Maher to dub him the "King of Too Soon".[51] In a July 2012 op-ed for CNN, he wrote, "I have always felt comedy and tragedy are roommates. If you look up comedy and tragedy, you will find a very old picture of two masks. One mask is tragedy. It looks like it's crying. The other mask is comedy. It looks like it's laughing. Nowadays, we would say, 'How tasteless and insensitive. A comedy mask is laughing at a tragedy mask.'"[52]
== Controversies ==
[edit]
=== 1991 Emmy Awards performance ===
[edit]
At the 43rd Primetime Emmy Awards, Gottfried told a series of masturbation jokes in reference to Paul Reubens' arrest for masturbating in an adult theater.[53] Viewers in the Eastern time zone saw the entire set live, but Fox censored the broadcast for the West Coast delay.[54] Fox issued an apology, calling the jokes "irresponsible and insulting".[53] Gottfried said that producers stated he would not be invited back,[55] and Rolling Stone wrote that the monologue resulted in his blacklisting.[50]
=== 9/11 joke and The Aristocrats ===
[edit]
See also: Humor based on the September 11 attacks and The Aristocrats
During his monologue at a Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner three weeks after the September 11 attacks, Gottfried joked that he had intended to catch a plane but could not get a direct flight because "they said they have to stop at the Empire State Building first". This was one of the first public examples of 9/11 humor. Audience members responded with hisses and a cry of "too soon!". Realizing he had lost the audience "bigger than anybody has ever lost an audience",[56] Gottfried abandoned his prepared remarks and launched into the famous Aristocrats joke, which won back the audience.[57] Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza used Gottfried's monologue as a segment in their 2005 film The Aristocrats.[58]
=== Aflac firing ===
[edit]
In March 2011, Gottfried tweeted 12 jokes about the earthquake disaster in Japan.[59] Aflac, which does 75% of its business in Japan, responded by dismissing Gottfried from voicing its mascot and announcing a casting call for his replacement, despite Gottfried later apologizing for his jokes.[60] He was replaced by Daniel McKeague (who did an impression of Gottfried) on April 26, 2011.[61]
== Podcast ==
[edit]
Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast launched on June 1, 2014.[62] GGACP was a long-form interview podcast[63] and was hosted by not only Gottfried but his friend and professional comedy writer Frank Santopadre. Gottfried's wife Dara served as executive producer, and it was recorded weekly until his death in 2022, with re-uploads of older episodes continuing afterwards in honor of his legacy.[64]
Standard episodes ran about an hour in length and featured interviews with a variety of entertainers, writers, and directors, including Dick Cavett, Tippi Hedren, George Takei, Brenda Vaccaro (who ended up being his final guest), Bob Costas, Susie Essman, Dick Van Dyke, Alan Arkin, Phil Rosenthal, Lee Grant, and many more. Several guests made more than one appearance, but none more often than Mario Cantone. Cantone would annually help Gottfried and Santopadre celebrate the Christmas season with a mixture of songs, jokes, and cheer.
Its title, Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, is a reference to the 1957 black-and-white science fiction film The Amazing Colossal Man, directed by Bert I. Gordon.[65] Gottfried's chaotic comedic riffing and Santopadre's earnest interviewing offered the show a style all its own.[64]
Starting in 2015, the podcast featured shorter mini-episodes around half an hour in length on more specific topics like particular character actors, films, or songs.[64][66] The mini-episodes were later rebranded as Amazing Colossal Obsessions.
== Personal life ==
[edit]
In 1992, Gottfried suffered from appendicitis and was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery; the treatment was successful.[8]
In late 1997, he met Dara Kravitz at a Grammy Awards party. On September 3, 2007, they were married and had a daughter, born June 12, 2007, and a son, born May 18, 2009, named after Gottfried's parents.[67] He was a longtime resident of the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.[68]
Gottfried was known for his frugality; he often walked instead of using public transportation because he did not want to pay the fares. In another incident, illustrator Drew Friedman recalled that Gottfried would visit his apartment unannounced in the late 1980s to watch films on his VCR because he did not want to buy one of his own.[15]
== Death ==
[edit]
On April 12, 2022, at 2:35 p.m. ET, Gottfried died at a Manhattan hospital of recurrent ventricular tachycardia, complicated by type II myotonic dystrophy, which he had privately suffered with for many years. He was 67 years old.[69][70][71]
Gottfried's family released a statement on his Twitter account, writing: "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend, uncle, and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor."[72]
A funeral was held for Gottfried on April 14 in Westchester County, New York. Celebrities who attended the funeral were Jeff Ross (who gave Gottfried's eulogy), Colin Quinn, Susie Essman, Mario Cantone, Dave Attell, and Paul Shaffer, as well as Bob Saget's wife Kelly Rizzo and their three daughters. Notably absent was Whoopi Goldberg, who sent a gift in honor of Gottfried. Sarah Silverman had planned on sitting shiva with a slew of Gottfried's friends and family. Ross stated, "The shiva tonight will be a star-studded event and the funeral was just absolutely perfect. Gilbert would have loved it. I saw so many great comics there paying their respects." He added, "It was cathartic, but there was also a sense of relief. As I said at the funeral, Gilbert had been sick, he was tired, and he had perfect timing. He knew it was his time to get off the stage." Ross continued, "50 years in show business, 50 years! He went on stage as a teenager and he never stopped. He was supposed to do a show last week. This man has been making people laugh for half a century. What a mitzvah. What a mission in life. What a purpose to have in this world. Think about how many laughs he must have gotten from every person at every show, live and on TV and in the movies. How many laughs is that? A million? A billion?". He also stated it was very heartwarming to see Saget's daughters at the service and that Aaron Lee and Jordan Rubin (who had helped Gottfried write the Comedy Central roasts) wanted to pay their respects.[73]
He was buried in the Sharon Gardens section of Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, with the epitaph on his gravestone reading, "Too Soon". This is a reference to his style of telling jokes, as well as his death.[74]
=== Posthumous honors ===
[edit]
Gottfried was scheduled to appear as a special guest at the Ebertfest film festival to discuss the documentary film about him entitled Gilbert.[75][76] Ebertfest announced it would dedicate its 2022 event to the memories of Gottfried and Sidney Poitier.[77] Gottfried was also posthumously inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.[78]
The 2023 video game Justice League: Cosmic Chaos is dedicated to Gottfried's memory as he was to reprise his role as Mister Mxyzptlk; Dana Snyder recorded the part in his place.[79]
Also in the same year, Ron Pardo took over Gottfried's voice role as Digit in Cyberchase; the role of Iago was voiced by Barrett Leddy in Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest and by Piotr Michael in Once Upon a Studio. Fans have since petitioned to have Gottfried remain in both roles through archive recordings. Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match is dedicated to Gottfried, where he voiced David Doubdly in a posthumous credit.
== Discography ==
[edit]
Year	Artist 	Title 	Role 	Label 	Formats
1986	Zee 	Make My Day (With Your Love Tonight) 	"tough guy vocals" 	Warlock Records 	12" single
1992	Bob & Tom 	We Three Kings 	featured on "Censored" 	Big Mouth Creative Services	CD, cassette
1995	various 	Magical Selections from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Disney's Aladdin	performer on "I'm Looking Out for Me" & "Forget About Love" (duet with Liz Callaway)	Walt Disney Records 	CD, cassette
2005	Gilbert Gottfried	Dirty Jokes 	n/a 	Image Entertainment[80] 	CD/DVD
2021	The Balls Project	A Momentary Lapse of Balls 	spoken word on "Learning to Shit" 	n/a (self-released) 	digital
=== Featured recordings ===
[edit]
* Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007), for the song "Peacock Princess" (sung with Lea Salonga)
== Filmography ==
[edit]
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=== Film ===
[edit]
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1984	The House of God 	Paramedic 	
1985	Bad Medicine 	Tony Sandoval 	
1987	Beverly Hills Cop II[81] 	Sidney Bernstein 	
1988	Hot to Trot 	Dentist 	
1989	Never on Tuesday 	Lucky Larry Lupin 	
1990	The Adventures of Ford Fairlane 	Johnny Crunch 	Nominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1990	Seriously...Phil Collins 	Roger 	
1990	Problem Child 	Mr. Peabody 	Nominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1990	Look Who's Talking Too 	Joey, The Baby Gym Instructor 	Nominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1991	Problem Child 2 	Mr. Peabody 	
1991	Horror Hall of Fame 2 	Boris 	
1991	Highway to Hell 	Hitler 	
1992	Aladdin 	Iago 	Voice[82]
1994	House Party 3 	Luggage Clerk 	
1994	Thumbelina 	Berkeley Beetle 	Voice[82]
1994	The Return of Jafar 	Iago 	Voice, direct-to-video
1994	Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas 	Burt Banner 	
1994	Double Dragon 	Walter 	
1995	Problem Child 3: Junior in Love 	Dr. Peabody 	
1996	Aladdin and the King of Thieves 	Iago 	Voice, direct-to-video
1996	Be Cool about Fire Safety! 	Seemore Smoke 	Voice[82]
1996	Escape from It's a Wonderful Life 	Angry man on porch 	
1997	Meet Wally Sparks 	Mr. Harry Karp 	
1997	Def Jam's How to Be a Player 	Tony the Doorman 	
1998	Dr. Dolittle 	Compulsive Dog 	Voice[82]
1999	Goosed 	Alan Levy 	
2001	Longshot 	Mr. Chadwick 	
2002	Mickey's House of Villains 	Iago 	Voice, direct-to-video
2004	The Amazing Floydini 	Magic Store Owner 	
2004	Back by Midnight 	Security Guard 	
2004	Funky Monkey 	Dr. Spleen 	
2004	Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events 	Duck 	Voice, uncredited
2005	The Aristocrats 	Himself 	
2006	Farce of the Penguins 	"I'm Freezing My Nuts Off" Penguin	Voice
2007	Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams	Iago 	Voice, direct-to-video[82]
2008	Gilbert Gottfried: Dirty Jokes 	Himself 	
2009	The Lindabury Story 	Himself 	
2009	Jack and the Beanstalk 	Grayson the Goose 	
2011	Miss December 	The Police Officer 	
2013	Beecher Baby Bouncer 	Himself 	Short
2014	A Million Ways to Die in the West 	Abraham Lincoln 	
2016	The Comedian's Guide to Survival 	Himself 	
2016	Director's Cut 	Superintendent 	
2016	Unbelievable!!!!! 	Major LeGrande Bushe 	
2016	Gender Bender 	Dr. Montalto 	
2016	Life, Animated 	Himself 	
2016	The Comedian 	Himself 	
2016	Hospital Arrest 	Jerome Carter 	
2017	Gilbert 	Himself 	
2017	80s Creature House 	Grim Reaper 	
2017	Animal Crackers 	Mario Zucchini 	Voice
2018	Abnormal Attraction 	Pig Man[36] 	
2018	Boy Band 	Mort 	Voice
2018	The Last Sharknado: It's About Time 	Rand McDonald 	
2019	Super Gidget 	Infestor 	Voice, short
2020	A Wrestling Christmas Miracle 	Rice 	
2020	The Truth About Santa Claus 	Dr. Leland 	
2023	Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match 	David Doubldy 	Voice; Direct-to-Video; posthumous release (final film role); dedicated in memory[83]
2024	Shrek 2 Retold 	Announcer 	Voice; posthumous release [84]
=== Television ===
[edit]
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1980–1981 	Saturday Night Live[81] 	Various characters 	Cast member; 12 episodes
1983–1984 	Thicke of the Night 	Various characters 	
1987 	The Cosby Show 	Mr. Babcock 	Episode: "Say Hello to a Good Buy"
1989–1998 	USA Up All Night 	Saturday night host 	
1990 	Superboy 	Nick Knack 	2 episodes
1991 	Night Court 	Oscar Brown 	
1993–1995 	Bonkers 	Two-Bits 	Voice, 2 episodes
1993–1994 	Bobby's World 	Karate Sensei, Mad Scientist 	Voice, 2 episodes
1993–1994 	Late Night with Conan O'Brien 	Various skits 	
1993 	Problem Child 	Mr. Peabody 	Voice
1994 	Living Single 	Larry Friedlander 	
1994 	The Ren & Stimpy Show 	Jerry the Bellybutton Elf / Adonis 	Voice
1994–1995 	Aladdin 	Iago 	Voice, main role, 83 episodes
1994–1995 	Wings 	Lewis 	Guest role; 3 episodes
1994–1997 	Duckman 	Art DeSalvo 	Voice, 4 episodes
1995 	Married... with Children 	Himself 	Episode: "Ship Happens"
1995 	Adventures in Wonderland 	Mike McNasty 	Episode: "Pie Noon"
1995 	The Parent 'Hood 	Pizza Manager 	Episode: "Pizza Man"
1995 	Mad About You 	Spanky's Master 	Episode: "The Couple"
1995 	Bump in the Night 	Stink Bug 	Voice
1995 	Aladdin on Ice 	Iago 	Voice, television film
1996 	Are You Afraid of the Dark? 	Roy 	Episode: "The Tale of Station 109.1"
1996 	In the House 	Mr. Comstock 	
1996 	Escape From It's a Wonderful Life 	Angry Man on Porch 	
1996–1997 	Dexter's Laboratory 	Mr. Pickles 	Voice, 3 episodes
1997–1998 	Superman: The Animated Series 	Mister Mxyzptlk 	Voice, 2 episodes[82]
1997 	Muppets Tonight 	Himself 	episode 207
1997 	The Weird Al Show 	Himself 	
1998 	Cosby 	Cellmate 	Episode: "Fifteen Minutes of Fame"
1998 	Noddy 	Jack Frost 	Episode: "Jack Frost is Coming to Town"[85]
1998 	Big Bag 	Muchachos the Hamster 	In the Troubles the Cat segments
1998 	Saturday Night Live 	Napoleon Bonaparte 	Voice, episode: "Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind"
1998-1999 	Hercules 	Minister Cleon 	Voice, episode: "Hercules and the Assassin"
1998–2004 	Hollywood Squares 	Himself 	Regular
1999 	Dilbert 	Accounting Troll 	Voice, episode: "Hunger"
1999 	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist 	Himself 	2 episodes[82]
1999 	Timon & Pumbaa 	The Woodpecker 	Voice, episode: "Mozam-Beaked"
2000 	Clerks: The Animated Series 	Jerry Seinfeld, Patrick Swayze 	Voice, 2 episodes
2001–2002 	The Fairly OddParents 	Dr. Bender, Wendell 	Voice, 3 episodes
2001–2003 	House of Mouse 	Iago 	Voice, 7 episodes
2002–2022 	Cyberchase 	Digit, Widget 	Voice, main role[82]
Daytime Emmy [Nominee]
Outstanding New Approaches – Daytime Children's
Daytime Emmy Awards 2007
2002 	Bear in the Big Blue House 	Large Possum 	Voice, episode: "Welcome to Woodland Valley Part 2"
2002 	Son of the Beach 	Noccus Johnstein 	2 episodes
2002 	Celebrity Deathmatch 	Himself 	Voice, episode: "Gottfried in the Arena"
2003 	Becker 	Alan 	
2003 	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 	Comic 	Episode: "Last Laugh"
2004 	Home Movies 	Tonto the Parrot 	Episode: "Honkey Magoo"
2004 	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 	Various sketches 	8 episodes
2004 	Celebrity Paranormal Project 	 	
2004 	I Love Toys 	 	
2004 	Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments 	Himself 	Part I: 100-81
2005 	Billy and Mandy Save Christmas 	Santa Claus 	Voice, television film[82]
2007 	The Emperor's New School 	Additional voices 	Episode: "Emperor's New Musical"
2007 	My Gym Partner's a Monkey 	Rick Platypus 	Voice, episode: "That Darn Platypus"
2007, 2018, 2023	Family Guy 	Gilbert Gottfried Horse, Dog Whistle, Himself	Voice, 3 episodes
2008 	Hannah Montana 	Barney Bitman 	Episode: "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl"
2008 	I Love the New Millennium 	 	4 episodes
2008 	Comedy Central Roast: Bob Saget 	Himself 	
2008 	The Replacements 	Himself 	Voice, episode: "A Buzzwork Orange"
2008 	Back at the Barnyard 	Barn Buddy 	Voice, episode: "Barn Buddy"[82]
2008 	Sesame Street 	Denny the Distractor 	Episode: "Hurry Up, You're Running Out of Time"
2008 	The View 	Horny the Dwarf 	Episode: "Joy's Month in ReView"
2008 	SeeMore's Playhouse 	Himself 	Episode: "Marching Orders"
2008 	Pyramid 	Celebrity Guest 	
2009 	Star-ving 	"Gilbert's Kid" 	
2009 	Comedy Central Roast: Joan Rivers 	Himself 	
2009 	Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy 	Himself 	
2010 	'Til Death 	Tommy 	Guest starred
2010 	Robotomy 	Tickle Me Psycho 	Voice, episode: "The Playdate"
2010 	Comedy Central Roast: David Hasselhoff 	Himself 	
2011 	Comedy Central Roast: Donald Trump 	Himself 	
2011 	Roast of Facebook 	Twitter 	
2011 	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 	Leo Gerber 	2 episodes
2012 	Comedy Central Roast: Roseanne Barr 	Himself 	
2012 	The Burn with Jeff Ross 	Himself 	
2013–2014 	TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest... 	Himself 	
2013 	Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off 	Himself 	
2013 	Celebrity Wife Swap 	Himself 	Episode: "Gilbert Gottfried/Alan Thicke"
2013 	Mad 	Linkong, Father, Crash 	Voice; episode: "Linkong / Rainbow Dash & Bernstein"
2014 	Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 	Ranginald Bagel 	Voice, episode: "Bring Me the Head of Ranginald Bagel"
2014 	The Celebrity Apprentice 7 	Himself 	
2014 	Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends 	Himself 	
2014 	Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas 	Mr. Greenway 	Voice, television film[82]
2014 	Last Comic Standing 	Himself 	
2014 	Big Brother 16 	Otev 	Voice
2014 	Newbridge Tourism Board Presents:We're Newbridge, We're Comin' To Get Ya!	Himself 	
2014 	Anger Management 	Dudley 	Guest starred
2014–2016 	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 	Kraang Subprime 	Voice, 6 episodes[82]
2016 	Mighty Magiswords 	Prohyas' Stomach 	Voice, episode: "Gut Feelings"[82]
2016 	Sharknado: The 4th Awakens 	Ron McDonald 	Television film
2017–2019 	Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 	Jared Kushner / Himself 	4 episodes
2017 	The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 	Strip Club MC 	Episode: "Pilot"
2017 	Justice League Action 	Mister Mxyztplk 	Voice, 3 episodes[82]
2017 	Sharknado 5: Global Swarming 	Ron McDonald 	Television film
2017 	Episodes 	Himself 	Season 5, Episode 1
2017 	Cash Cab 	Himself 	
2017 	The Untitled Action Bronson Show 	Himself 	Season 1, Episode 7
2018 	Crashing 	Himself 	Episode: "The Atheist"
2018 	The Last Sharknado: It's About Time 	Rand McDonald 	Television film
2018 	The Tom and Jerry Show 	Genie 	Voice, episode: "Meanie Genie"[82]
2018 	Arrested Development 	ShoeDini Advertiser 	Voice, episode: "Sinking Feelings"
2018 	Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell 	Himself 	
2018 	Jay Leno's Garage 	Himself 	Episode: "In Harm's Way"
2019 	The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 	Himself/Redaction/Samantha/Lord Sexy 	3 episodes
2019 	Critters: A New Binge 	Uncle 	5 episodes
2019 	Historical Roasts 	Adolf Hitler 	Episode: "Anne Frank"
2019 	SpongeBob SquarePants 	Himself (cameo)
Sal 	Episode: "SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout"
Voice, Episode: "The Hankering"
2019 	Teen Titans Go! 	Coal Miner 	Voice, episode: "Christmas Crusaders"[82]
2020 	Karate Tortoise 	Rat Bastard 	Episode: "Legend of the Shelled Vigilante"
2021 	Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years 	Shecky 	Voice, episode: "Wise Kraken"
2021 	Pyramid 	Celebrity Guest 	
2022 	Smiling Friends 	God 	Voice, episode: "Charlie Dies and Doesn't Come Back"
2022 	The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! 	Gott F. Reed 	Voice, posthumous release
2022 	Somebody Feed Phil 	Himself 	Episode: "Croatia", posthumous release
2022 	Paradise PD 	Himself 	Voice, episode: "Diddy's Home", posthumous release
2023 	Royal Crackers 	The Fixer 	Voice, episode: "Theo's Comeback Tour", posthumous release; dedicated in memory
2023 	The Patrick Star Show 	Shecky 	Voice, episode: "Get Off My Lawnie", posthumous release
=== Video games ===
[edit]
Year	Title 	Role
1999	Disney's Arcade Frenzy 	Iago
2001	Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge 	Iago
2002	Kingdom Hearts 	Iago
2006	Kingdom Hearts II 	Iago
2014	Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix (provides new dialogue in Re:Coded HD version only)	Iago
2014	Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 	Mister Mxyzptlk[82]
2018	Lego DC Super-Villains 	Mister Mxyzptlk[82]
2020	Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2 Deluxe 	Fred Fuchs
2024	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wrath of the Mutants 	Kraang Sub-prime; posthumous release
=== Web ===
[edit]
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
2012 	CollegeHumor 	Himself 	Episode: "Gilbert Gottfried Reads 50 Shades of Grey"[28]
2017 	Hello From the Magic Tavern 	Cockroach Clown (voice)	Episode: "Dark Lord's Birthday Party"[86]
2019 	The Adventures of Nick 	Himself 	Episode: "Love Just Got Fried"
2019 	Angry Video Game Nerd 	Fred Fuchs 	Episode: "Life of Black Tiger"
2020–2022	The Adventures of Autism Cat	Hindaril 	Episodes: "I’VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU" and “MY HORSE HAS MALFUNCTIONED”
2021 	SicCooper 	Himself 	Episode: "We Purchased Another Small Sega Master System Collection + More!"[87]
2023 	Danny's House 	Himself 	Episode: "Danny Brown Shocks Gilbert Gottfried With His Dreams", posthumous release
2024 	Shrek 2 Retold 	Announcer 	Posthumous release
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