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George Carlin

George Carlin
Jesus is coming.. Look Busy (George Carlin).jpg
Carlin in April 2008, in one of his last public performances.
Birth name George Denis Patrick Carlin
Born (1937-05-12)May 12, 1937
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died June 22, 2008(2008-06-22) (aged 71)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Medium Stand-up, film, television, books, radio
Years active 1956–2008
Genres Character comedy, observational comedy, word play, satire, political satire, black comedy, surreal humor, sarcasm, blue comedy
Subject(s) American culture, American English, everyday life, antitheism, recreational drug use, death, philosophy, sports, human behavior, American politics, patriotism, family, parenting, children, religion, profanity, psychology, race relations, old age, pop culture, nationalism, self-deprecation, masculinity, political alienation
Spouse
  • Brenda Hosbrook
    (m. 1961; her death 1997)
  • Sally Wade
    (m. 1998; his death 2008)
Children Kelly Carlin
Signature George Carlin Signature.svg
Website georgecarlin.com

George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Carlin was noted for his black comedy and his thoughts on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven dirty words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to regulate indecent material on the public airwaves.

He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians: One newspaper called Carlin "the dean of counterculture comedians." In 2004, Carlin was placed second on the Comedy Central list of "Top 10 Comedians of US Audiences" compiled for an April 2004 special. The first of his 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977. From the late 1980s, Carlin's routines focused on sociocultural criticism of American society. He often commented on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. His final HBO special, It's Bad for Ya, was filmed less than four months before his death. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Carlin was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City. He was the younger son of The Sun advertising manager Patrick John Carlin (1888–1945), an immigrant from County Donegal, Ireland, and secretary Mary Carlin (née Bearey; 1896–1984), who was an American of Irish ancestry. While he came from a Catholic family, Carlin rejected religion. His parents separated when he was 2 months old because of his father's alcoholism. Mary subsequently raised George and his older brother, Patrick Jr. (born October 1, 1931), on her own. His maternal grandfather, Dennis Bearey, was an Irish immigrant who worked as a New York City policeman. One immigrant grandmother's maiden name once was O'Grady, he recalled, but it changed to Grady before she reached America. "They'd dropped the O in the ocean on the way here," he said. He would later name his character O'Grady on The George Carlin Show as an homage. Carlin said that he picked up an appreciation for the effective use of the English language from his mother, with whom he had a difficult relationship; he often ran away from home.


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