At the young age of 15, Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at open mike nights in New York City, after a few short years, became known around town as “the comedian’s comedian.” After spending several years mastering the art of stand-up comedy, producers of the legendary NBC late night comedy show Saturday Night Live became aware of Gottfried and, in 1980, hired him as a cast member. It wasn’t until a few years later when his true notoriety would begin when MTV hired him for a series of improvised and hilarious promos for the newly formed channel. This led to several television appearances on The Cosby Show and Late Night with David Letterman. Gottfried’s work in television soon led to roles in film. Most notable was his improvised scene as business manager Sidney Bernstein in the hit sequel Beverly Hills Cop II, for which the New York Daily News said, “Gilbert Gottfried steals the picture with a single scene.”

Aside from his glowing reputation in comedy clubs, Gottfried began to gain a reputation as the king of quirky roles in both movies and television. He appeared in such movies as Problem Child, Problem Child II, Look Who’s Talking II and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. He was also the host of the very popular late night movie series USA Up All Night. After his stellar performance as the wise cracking parrot, IAGO, in the Disney classic Aladdin, Gottfried became one of the most recognizable voiceover talents, lending his voice to several commercials, cartoons and movies, including the frustrated duck in the AFLAC Insurance commercials. Gottfried also is the voice of DIGIT in the long running PBS Series Cyberchase. His signature voice can also be heard on the Comedy Central series, The Annoying Orange, the voice of the horse on Family Guy, Mr. Mxyzptlk in the new Lego Batman 3 – Beyond Gotham video game, and Abraham Lincoln in A Million Ways to Die in the West. Gottfried has made numerous memorable appearances on Comedy Central Roasts and the Comedy Central series, The Burn with Jeff Ross.

Gottfried’s Fifty Shades of Grey reading (College Humor) received over 5 million views on YouTube . Gilbert has been a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, @Midnight with Chris Hardwick and numerous appearances on The Howard Stern Show. He also has had a recurring role on Law and Order SVU as TARU tech Leo Gerber. Gottfried appeared in the hit comedy documentary The Aristocrats, with Entertainment Weekly saying that “out of the 101 comedians who appear on screen, no one is funnier – or more disgusting – than Gilbert Gottfried.”