Patrice O'Neal: Difference between revisions
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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O'Neal began his comedy career in his native Boston at an open mic at Estelle's Bar and Grill in October 1992.<ref>http://www.patriceoneal.com/bio.php</ref> 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. Limited to guest roles in television and small TV roles, O'Neal has publicly discussed the frustrations and how they took their toll on him: "I'm telling you, if I'd have had a gun back then, I would have shot myself."<ref>''Unmasked with Ron Bennington'', February 23, 2008, XM Satellite Radio</ref> |
O'Neal began his comedy career in his native Boston at an open mic at Estelle's Bar and Grill in October 1992.<ref>http://www.patriceoneal.com/bio.php</ref> 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. Limited to guest roles in television and small TV roles, O'Neal has publicly discussed the frustrations and how they took their toll on him: "I'm telling you, if I'd have had a gun back then, I would have shot myself."<ref>''Unmasked with Ron Bennington'', February 23, 2008, XM Satellite Radio</ref> He's no longer living anymore because he's dead. |
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Frustrated by his lack of success in Los Angeles, O'Neal relocated to the [[United Kingdom]] to work on his comedy there. He worked harder as an outsider and a foreigner to gain the respect of his peers, and after some months he became a fixture in the UK clubs<ref>''Unmasked with Ron Bennington'', February 23, 2008, XM Satellite Radio</ref>. He returned to the New York area in 2002 when he got the offer to do his first half-hour special for Showtime. The following year, he recorded a ''[[Comedy Central Presents]]'' special. It was also at this time he became a fixture on ''[[Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn]]'' on the same network. |
Frustrated by his lack of success in Los Angeles, O'Neal relocated to the [[United Kingdom]] to work on his comedy there. He worked harder as an outsider and a foreigner to gain the respect of his peers, and after some months he became a fixture in the UK clubs<ref>''Unmasked with Ron Bennington'', February 23, 2008, XM Satellite Radio</ref>. He returned to the New York area in 2002 when he got the offer to do his first half-hour special for Showtime. The following year, he recorded a ''[[Comedy Central Presents]]'' special. It was also at this time he became a fixture on ''[[Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn]]'' on the same network. |
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Revision as of 00:58, 30 November 2011
 | This article is currently being heavily edited because its subject has recently died. Information about their death and related events may change significantly and initial news reports may be unreliable. The most recent updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2011) |
| Patrice O'Neal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 7, 1969 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 2011 (aged 41) |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, television, radio |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1992–2011 |
| Genres | Black humor, cringe humor, observational comedy, political satire |
| Subject(s) | American politics, racism, race relations, sexuality, relationships |
| Website | Official website |
Patrice Lumumba Malcolm Oneal (December 7, 1969 - November 28, 2011), usually credited as Patrice O'Neal, was an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, and actor. He was known for his cutting, often confrontational crowd work during which he often played couples against each other. He was a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey.
Biography
O'Neal began his comedy career in his native Boston at an open mic at Estelle's Bar and Grill in October 1992.[1] 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. Limited to guest roles in television and small TV roles, O'Neal has publicly discussed the frustrations and how they took their toll on him: "I'm telling you, if I'd have had a gun back then, I would have shot myself."[2] He's no longer living anymore because he's dead.
Frustrated by his lack of success in Los Angeles, O'Neal relocated to the United Kingdom to work on his comedy there. He worked harder as an outsider and a foreigner to gain the respect of his peers, and after some months he became a fixture in the UK clubs[3]. He returned to the New York area in 2002 when he got the offer to do his first half-hour special for Showtime. The following year, he recorded a Comedy Central Presents special. It was also at this time he became a fixture on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on the same network.
O'Neal has had many guest appearances on television. His first television appearance was on The Apollo Comedy Hour where he performed his Malcolm XXL bit. From there, he moved on to appearances on Showtime at the Apollo, FNight Videos, and a brief stint as a writer for the WWE. He has appeared in guest-starring roles on MTV’s Apt 2F, Assy McGee, Ed, Z Rock, Yes Dear, Arrested Development, Chappelle Show and The Office. O'Neal was a regular on the Fox series The Jury, and he starred in the Comedy Central animated program Shorties Watching Shorties, along with Nick DiPaolo. He supplied the voice of Harold Jenkins on Noggin’s animated program O'Grady High and was featured as Jesus in Denis Leary’s Searchlight. In 2005, Patrice filmed a half-hour One Night Stand special for HBO, and shortly thereafter became the first host of VH1's Web Junk 20. O'Neal left the show after two seasons, expressing concerns that the show's audience was too different from his own. In 2006 and 2007 he joined Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour, playing large outdoor concert arenas across the country.
Since his move back to New York in 2002, O'Neal became a recognized radio personality as a regular guest and occasional co-host on the Opie and Anthony program. Along with Bill Burr and Robert Kelly, he filled in as co-host for comedian Jim Norton while he filmed Lucky Louie. From 2006 to 2008, O'Neal hosted an call-in relationship advice show on XM Radio, which ended when the satellite network merged with rival Sirius. Initially promoted as Bitch Management, the show was titled The Black Philip Show, a reference to Dr. Phil. Dante Nero co-hosted, and a rotating cast of female comedians have played third mic. The show aired until the station suspended much of its Saturday night programming due to budget concerns. O'Neal had also appeared as a guest on other radio shows like Alex Jones and The Howard Stern Show and numerous guest appearances on political talk shows on the Fox News channel.
Living in the New York area, he performed at comedy clubs in the area, including headlining appearances at Comix comedy club and Caroline's. In February of 2011, Comedy Central aired his first hour-long special, Elephant in the Room. Patrice O'Neal started a web series and podcast called The Patrice Oneal Show - Coming Soon![4] showing various episodes as of May 15, 2007. He performed with a five-person group—Bryan Kennedy, Dante Nero, Vondecarlo Brown, Harris Stanton and Wil Sylvince—touching on many fictional scenarios. The show was produced by For Your Imagination and can be found on O'Neal's website. He guest-starred in another For Your Imagination-produced show, called Break a Leg, playing Adult-Sized Gary Coleman. O'Neal voiced Jeffron James in Grand Theft Auto IV, on an in-game radio show, Fizz!.
Illness and Death
On October 29, 2011, it was announced on The Opie and Anthony Show that O'Neal, a diabetic, had suffered a stroke on October 19.[5][6][7][8]
On November 29, it was announced via Twitter by Greg "Opie" Hughes that O'Neal had died.[9]
Filmography
Television
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Colin Quinn Show | Various | |
| 2002 | Contest Searchlight | Himself | |
| 2002 | Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn | Himself | Recurring |
| 2003 | Chappelle's Show | Pit Bull | 1 Episode |
| 2003 | Yes, Dear | Tow Truck Driver | 1 Episode |
| 2003 | Ed | Andre Stangel | Uncredited |
| 2003 | Arrested Development | T-Bone | 1 Episode |
| 2004 | The Jury | Adam Walker | Recurring |
| 2004 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Baby Patrice | Voice |
| 2004-2006 | O'Grady | Harold | Voice |
| 2005-2007 | The Office | Lonny | 3 Episodes |
| 2006 | Web Junk 20 | Host | 2 Seasons |
| 2008 | Assy McGee | Blind Anthony | Voice |
| 2008 | Z Rock | Guest Star | |
| 2011 | Roast of Charlie Sheen | Himself |
Film
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 25th Hour | Khari | |
| 2003 | Head of State | Warren | |
| 2003 | In the Cut | Hector | |
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Rasheed | Uncredited |
| 2010 | Furry Vengeance | Gus |
References
- ^ http://www.patriceoneal.com/bio.php
- ^ Unmasked with Ron Bennington, February 23, 2008, XM Satellite Radio
- ^ Unmasked with Ron Bennington, February 23, 2008, XM Satellite Radio
- ^ Comedy without limits
- ^ (Facebook status update)."Our close friend..." The Opie & Anthony Show. October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Report of O'Neal's stroke reported at E-Online
- ^ TMZ reports on O'Neal's stroke
- ^ Huffington Post reference to O'Neal's health
- ^ "Patrice O'Neal Dead at 41". Patrice O'Neal Dead at 41.