Gilbert Gottfried.

At 15, Gilbert Gottfried began performing at open mic nights in New York City. The Brooklyn native was the son of Lillian and Max Gottfried; his father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was born in New York to Russian Jewish parents. He grew up as the younger brother of photographer Arlene Gottfried and developed a nervous squinty-eyed style on stage that became his trademark.

Gottfried’s big break came in 1980 when he joined Saturday Night Live as a cast member. MTV hired him for improvised promos, and in 1987 he stole his scene as Sidney Bernstein in Beverly Hills Cop II — the New York Daily News called it a scene-stealer. His career expanded to family films: he played Mr. Peabody in Problem Child 1990 and its sequels, and voiced the wisecracking parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin 1992, his favorite role. He also voiced the AFLAC duck until fired in 2011 after tweeting jokes about the Japan tsunami. He was a frequent guest on Howard Stern and hosted the late-night movie series Up All Night 1989.

In 2007, at age 51, Gottfried married Dara Gottfried. The couple had one son, Max. They lived in an apartment in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. His sister, photographer Arlene Gottfried, died after a battle with cancer; the documentary Gilbert showed Gottfried supporting her through chemotherapy. After his death, he was cremated and his urn buried at Kenisco Cemetery in the Sharon Gardens section.

Gottfried’s distinctive voice and fearless comedy made him a unique figure in stand-up. He was posthumously inducted into the Monster Kid Hall of Fame in the 2022 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. His stand-up special Gilbert Gottfried: Dirty Jokes 2007 showcased his boundary-pushing humor. His role as Iago in Aladdin remains one of his most recognizable performances, and he is remembered for his unapologetic style.