Andrew Dice Clay

Andrew Dice Clay was an American actor and comedian who rose to superstardom in the late 1980s by performing at sold out arenas all across the country as his foul-mouthed comedy alter ego, "The Diceman." Clay, who was born Andrew Clay Silverstein, grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. As a young boy, Clay loved to entertain. He would impress both family and friends with his spot-on impressions of famous people, and by the age of 7 began playing the drums. He eventually became such a skilled drummer that by his early teens, Clay was performing regularly at bar mitzvahs and weddings in the Catskills club circuit. When he turned 20, however, Clay decided to take a crack at a career in standup comedy. He began performing impressions at clubs in his hometown neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and would leave audiences cracking up with his hilarious performances. One character in particular that Clay developed during this period was "The Diceman," a foul-mouthed leather jacket wearing tough guy, who was kind of a wisecracking version of John Travolta's character in "Grease" (1978). In 1980 Clay relocated to Los Angeles, where there were far more opportunities for an upstart comic. He started performing his Diceman character on stage at the world famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip. His act caught the attention of Hollywood producers and casting agents, who subsequently cast Clay in film and TV parts. He made his film debut in the 1982 comedy "Wacko," and in the ensuing years nabbed a small recurring role on "Diff'rent Strokes" (NBC, 1978-1986), a small role in John Hughes' "Pretty in Pink" (1986), and a recurring role on the NBC crime series "Crime Story" (NBC, 1986-88). Throughout the 1980s Clay performed his Diceman character in clubs all across the country, while developing a devoted following of fans. Then, in 1989, he released his first comedy album Dice (1989), which prominently featured the character, which made him an overnight sensation. Clay was featured on TV shows and in magazines, making him one of the most recognized comedians in the country. In 1990 he became the first comedian in history to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row. 1990 was also the year Clay starred in the action-comedy film "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane" (1990). Clay's popularity as a standup hit a high point in the early 1990s, but by 1995 he had grown tired of The Diceman character. As a result, he decided to change his comedy act, so that he was talking about more personal issues, like his life as a father and husband. It was also around this period that Clay began focusing more on his film and TV acting. In 1995 he nabbed a starring role on the sitcom "Bless This House" (CBS, 1995-96). That series, however, was cancelled after a single season. Over the next 15 years Clay went on to appear in films like "Whatever It Takes" (1998) and "Foolish" (1999), as well as the reality series "The Celebrity Apprentice 2" (NBC, 2009), in which he was the first contestant to be fired by future U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Dice did not have any credited film or TV roles form 2002 to 2010, but in 2011 he slowly began making a comeback as a serious film and TV actor. In 2011, he played a down-on-his-luck version of himself on the final season of the HBO comedy-drama "Entourage" (HBO, 2004-2011), and two years later would go on to earn the best reviews of his career for his supporting role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" (2013). In 2016 Clay played himself on the Showtime comedy series "Dice" (Showtime, 2016-17), but the series was cancelled after two seasons. Then, in 2018, Clay again received rave reviews for his role as the father of Lady Gaga's character in the Oscar-winning musical film "A Star Is Born." 2018 was also the year that Clay launched his very first podcast, "I'm Ova Hea' Now."