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Patrice O'Neal

Patrice O'Neal
Patrice O'Neal - Jan 2006.jpg
O'Neal in January 2006
Birth name Patrice Malcolm O'Neal
Born (1969-12-07)December 7, 1969
New York City, New York, United States
Died November 29, 2011(2011-11-29) (aged 41)
Englewood, New Jersey, United States
Medium comedy, television, radio
Years active 1992–2011
Genres Black comedy, cringe comedy, insult comedy, observational comedy, satire
Subject(s) American politics, marriage, race relations, racism, sex
Website Patrice O'Neal website

Patrice Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011), usually credited as Patrice O'Neal, was an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, and actor.

O'Neal was born in New York City. He grew up in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. His mother, Georgia, named him after Patrice Lumumba, the leader of the Congolese independence movement, and Malcolm X. He was raised by his mother and never knew his father.

He was a star football player at West Roxbury High School, ending his career with 3 letters in varsity football and a state championship his senior year. He turned down a sports scholarship to Northeastern University in order to attend with the help of a public housing grant, because he preferred studying Performing Arts to playing football.

At the age of 17, O'Neal was convicted of statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl and sentenced to 60 days in prison, served during his summer break, so as not to disrupt his schooling. The act, which occurred when O'Neal was still 16, would have been legal in most states, but Massachusetts lacks a close-in-age exception, and has an age of consent of 16.

O'Neal began his comedy career as a result of a self-described "Calling from God" starting in Boston at an open mic held at Estelle's Bar and Grill in October 1992, although he states in his biography that he "got his start In the uterus" In the late 1990s, he moved to New York City, where he became a regular at the Comedy Cellar, before relocating to Los Angeles, in the hopes of finding greater fame. "I tap danced like you wouldn't believe... trying to get something," he said in a 2008 interview with Ron Bennington. "I'm telling you, if I'd have had a gun back then, I would have shot myself." His inability to achieve success on other people's terms motivated him to prioritize his own integrity first. "At the end of the day I just want to know that I was true to myself." Later in his career, Patrice would walk away from successful shows like The Office, Arrested Development, Web Junk 20, and a writing position on the WWE. "I'm a professional bridge-burner," O'Neal stated in an interview.


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