Lenny Bruce

Lenny Bruce during a gig.

**Lenny Bruce,** also known as **Leonard Alfred Schneider**, is a main and recurring character on the *Amazon Prime* show *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel**.* He is inspired by his real-life counterpart, the famous comedian **Lenny Bruce**.

## Character History

### In *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel*:

The fictional **Lenny Bruce** is inspired by the real-life comedian of the same name.

In the show, he meets Midge when she gets arrested and the two become good friends.

### Real-Life History:

**Leonard Alfred Schneider** *(October 13, 1925–August 3, 1966)*, better known by his stage name **Lenny Bruce**, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-style, and critical form of comedy which contained various topics such as satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon, the first in the history of New York state, by Governor George Pataki in 2003.

Bruce is renowned for paving the way for outspoken counterculture era comedians. His trial for obscenity is seen as a landmark for freedom of speech in the United States. In 2017, *Rolling Stone* magazine ranked him third (behind disciples Richard Pryor and George Carlin) on its list of the fifty best stand-up comics of all time.

## Personality

**Lenny** is known to be charismatic, highly competent, has a heavy leaning towards what was deemed controversial humor at the time, is very snarky, and a bit of a loner, but he is not arrogant or misanthropic and tends to make more jokes at his own expense, in a self-deprecating manner, than at other people's expenses. He is shown at times to be a bit stand-offish toward most people and generally doesn't make a project of being charitable or nice, but he cares alot about Midge, so is willing to go out of his way to help her when necessary.

## Physical Appearance

**Lenny** is a man in his early to mid 30s, with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. He is tall, with a habit of standing in a slightly hunched posture that makes his height less obvious.

He is often seen wearing a black suit jacket over a white buttoned shirt with black tie and black shoes. He has been seen wearing a camel-colored coat over it all on several occasions.

## Background

### Season 1

In the episode *Pilot*

In the episode *Ya Shivu v Bolshom Dome Na Kholme*

In the episode *Because You Left*

In the episode *Thank You and Good Night*

### Season 2

In the episode *Simone*

In the episode *Midnight at the Concord*

In the episode *All Alone*

### Season 3

In the episode *Strike up the Band*

In the episode *It's Comedy or Cabbage*

### Season 4

In the episode *Everything Is Bellmore*

In the episode *How To Chew Quietly And Influence People*

In the episode *Maisel vs. Lennon: The Cut Contest*

In the episode *Ethan… Ester… Chaim*

In the episode *How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?*

## Quotes

**Midge** *Can I ask you a question?*

**Lenny** *Uh... sure*

**Midge** *Do you love it?*

***Lenny** Do I love what?'*

***Midge** Comedy. Stand up. Do you love it?*

***Lenny** Seriously?'*

***Lenny** Well... I’ve been doing it a while. Okay, let’s put it like this - if there was anything else in the entire world that I could possibly do to earn a living - I would. Anything. I’m talking dry cleaners to the Klan, crippled-kid portrait painter, slaughterhouse attendant... If someone said to me, Leonard - you can either eat a guy’s head or do two weeks at the Copa, I’d say pass the fucking salt. It’s a terrible, terrible job. It should not exist. Like cancer and God.*

*Pilot*

**Honey:** *Sorry. I went to the Varick station instead.*

**Lenny:** *Why the hell would you do that?*

**Honey:** *Cause you like Varick better.*

**Lenny:** *Jesus, Honey, you don't get to pick.*

## Trivia

* In the Pilot, it's revealed he was in the Merchant Marines.
* In Everything Is Bellmore, it's revealed that he went to school at Mepham High (Wellington C. Mepham High School), in Bellmore, Long Island.
* Lenny's Carnegie Hall performance from How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? occurred in November 1960:
	+ In real life, it happened on February 4, 1961.