David Brenner
| David Brenner | |
|---|---|
Brenner in 1976 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
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| Birth name | David Norris Brenner |
| Born |
February 4, 1936 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | March 15, 2014 (aged 78) Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Alma mater | Temple University |
| Genres | Observational comedy, self-deprecation, topical comedy |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Slater (2000–2001; divorced; 2 children, 1 stepson) Ruth (2011–2014; his death) |
| Partner(s) | Charisse Brody (1980–1983) Tai Babilonia (2002–2009) |
David Norris Brenner (February 4, 1936 – March 15, 2014) was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author. The most frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s and 1980s, Brenner "was a pioneer of observational comedy."
Brenner was born to Jewish parents in 1936 and raised in poor areas of South and West Philadelphia. His father, Louis, was a vaudeville comedian, singer and dancer performing under the stage name of Lou Murphy, who gave up his career and a film contract, in order to please Brenner's grandfather, a rabbi, who objected to his working on the Sabbath. Once he became successful, Brenner would regularly send his parents on cruises, and both of Brenner's parents would eventually die at advanced ages while on cruises aboard the QE2, approximately two years apart.
After high school, Brenner spent two years in the U.S. Army, serving in the 101st Airborne and as a cryptographer of the 595th Signal Corps in Böblingen, Germany. After being discharged, he attended Temple University, where he majored in mass communication and graduated with honors.
Brenner was a writer, director or producer of 115 television documentaries and headed the documentary units of Westinghouse Broadcasting and Metromedia, winning nearly 30 awards including an Emmy, before moving to comedy. His first paid gig was at The Improv in June 1969, and following that he frequently performed at clubs in Greenwich Village. After making his national television debut in 1971, on The Tonight Show, he became the show's most frequent guest, with 158 appearances. He guest-hosted for Johnny Carson 75 times between 1975 and 1984, placing him fifth on the list of Carson's most frequent guest hosts. Brenner was ranked No. 53 on Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time. At one point, he had appeared more often on major TV talk shows than any other entertainer. He also wrote five books, and starred in four HBO Specials.
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