Andrew Dice Clay

Clay has appeared in several films and television shows, including critically acclaimed supporting roles in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine (2013) and the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born, the latter of which earned him a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by a Cast. He continues his acting career while also touring and performing stand-up. The television show Dice aired on Showtime for two seasons. He also launched a podcast, I'm Ova Hea' Now, in September 2018.

• Name — Andrew Dice Clay • Birth Name — Andrew Clay Silverstein • Born — 29 September 1957 • Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York, U.S. • Medium — Stand-up comedy, television, film • Active — 1978–present • Genre — Character comedy, observational comedy, improvisational comedy, political satire, blue comedy, shock humour, anti-humour • Children — 2

Clay was born to parents Jacqueline and Fred Silverstein in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, where he was raised. He is Jewish. He has one sister. Clay's father was a boxer and real estate agent. At age five, Clay was entertaining his family with impressions, and by seven he was playing drums, inspired by the sounds of big band music. Clay attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn and as a teenager worked as a drummer on the Catskill Mountains circuit in the 1970s, playing bar mitzvahs and weddings under the name Clay Silvers. Upon returning to New York City, he failed to form a big band of his own. He pursued higher education but dropped out to become a full-time comedian. Clay cites Elvis Presley, Fonzie, John Travolta, and Sylvester Stallone as his heroes.

Clay began his stand-up career in 1978 when he auditioned at Pips comedy club in Sheepshead Bay, which turned into a headline spot at the venue the next week, billed as Andrew Clay. His act was mainly impressions, including a character named "The Diceman", based on Jerry Lewis as Buddy Love from The Nutty Professor, which transformed into John Travolta's character Danny Zuko from Grease. It took him three weeks to prepare the act. A picture of him on stage during his early sets at Pips was described: "In a baggy white shirt, pants rolled up to his knees and a pair of thick glasses", with a black leather jacket underneath the shirt so he could seamlessly switch to his Travolta character when the lights went out. With his new act, Clay graduated to larger and more prestigious comedy venues, including The Improv, Catch a Rising Star and Dangerfield's. He recalled his father being supportive of his act during one performance at Dangerfield's. "He knew it was different right off the bat [...] He saw it worked". The persona was more of a shock to his mother, but she got used to it and he recalled her laughing at his jokes.

By 1980, Clay had moved to Los Angeles and landed work at the Comedy Store, owned by Mitzi Shore. His sets were not an instant hit, and because of his dirty act and her unwillingness to have other comics follow him, Shore had Clay perform at late hours, making him "wait and perform for ten drunks". In 1982, Clay landed his first film role, in Wacko. In 1983, Clay added the "Diceman" moniker to his name and no longer relied on impressions, instead creating an alter ego based on his heroes. He first used the act at the Comedy Store after he was asked to fill in for a comic who canceled their spot. He said: "I didn't have my Jerry Lewis stuff with me, so I just winged it, saying whatever popped in my head". Clay's performances at the venue led to his first sitcom roles, with appearances on M*A*S*H and Diff'rent Strokes, and feature-length films, including Making the Grade (1984), Pretty in Pink (1986) and Casual Sex? (1988). A review by Los Angeles Times critic Michael Wilmington described Clay's character Vinny Falcone as "a macho bozo from Jersey". From 1986 to 1988, he had a regular role as Max Goldman on Crime Story. His act included a drum solo as a tribute to Buddy Rich. Clay then pursued stand-up comedy full-time as the Dice character. Clay's breakthrough came in 1988 when he performed at an all-male Big Brother Association dinner event with "all of Hollywood's royalty [...] dressed in tuxedos, and I show up in a black leather jacket with a flag on the back that said 'Rock and Roll'". The set was a hit; the next day, 20th Century Fox offered him a film deal and entered talks with producer Joel Silver. Also in 1988, Clay performed a seven-minute set at Dangerfield's in New York City for Rodney Dangerfield's HBO stand-up showcase special Nothing Goes Right, launching him into the national spotlight. In January 1989, Clay's HBO special, The Diceman Cometh, appeared on HBO. It became a top video rental, according to Entertainment Weekly. In March, he released his debut comedy album, Dice, which was certified gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S. It peaked at No. 89 on the Billboard 200. Clay was named Comedy Act of the Year by readers of Performance magazine. In September 1989, Clay performed a three-minute set to introduce Cher, at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, which included Otto Petersen's adult versions of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes. The incident led to MTV imposing a lifetime ban on Clay from appearing on the network. The ban was lifted in 2011. In December 1989, Clay performed two unadvertised, largely improvised sets at Dangerfield's, which were recorded for his second comedy album, The Day the Laughter Died, produced by Rick Rubin. Released in March 1990 on Geffen Records, the album sold 250,000 copies in seven weeks, peaking at No. 39 on the Billboard 200.

In February 1990, Clay became the first comedian to sell out two consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City, totaling 38,000 people in attendance. When Clay was booked to host a Saturday Night Live episode on May 12, 1990, cast member Nora Dunn refused to appear in the episode due to the sexist and homophobic content in Clay's stand-up act. Sinéad O'Connor also canceled her appearance as the episode's musical guest in protest. During Clay's opening monologue, security guards removed protesters from the studio. NBC used a five-second tape delay to cut offensive content from the live broadcast, but one remark escaped removal. The episode was the show's fourth-highest-rated episode of the 15th season. Clay first met his agent, Dennis Arfa, at Dangerfield's, which led to his first HBO special and ultimately his starring role in the 1990 film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane; in 1991, he received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performance in the film. In 1991, Clay ran his own production company, Fleebin Dabble Productions. He is featured on the front cover of the April 1991 issue of Penthouse, becoming the second man to front the magazine, after George Burns. Footage of Clay's shows at Madison Square Garden was used to produce his 1991 stand-up concert film Dice Rules. His controversial act affected the number of venues willing to screen the film; it opened in 40 theatres nationwide. 20th Century Fox was originally to release it, but it dropped out over the controversial material, leaving it to be picked up by Seven Arts. This was followed by the release of One Night with Dice, filmed in 1986. A sell-out show at Symphony Hall in Salt Lake City in August 1991 was met with angry protesters outside the venue over his perceived homophobia and hateful material, during which police were called. In 1993, ABC dropped a proposed one-hour television drama that was to feature Clay after management deemed him too controversial. Clay had signed a one-year deal with ABC that kept him from working with other networks. In July 1993, Clay released No Apologies, the first stand-up concert pay-per-view special. It was purchased by over 250,000 homes and was the highest-grossing non-sports pay-per-view event of the year. It was to feature Joey Buttafuoco, but the plan was dropped on his attorney's advice after the publicity it attracted. Clay followed it with a second pay TV special, The Valentine's Day Massacre, which aired in around 100,000 homes. In 1994, Clay accepted more TV roles. In 1995, Clay signed a development deal with CBS and producer Bruce Helford, resulting in his starring role on the sitcom Bless This House. In mid-1995, Clay explained that the Diceman character had "sort of gone out of hand", which he felt happy about because it allowed him to pursue more television and film work. The situation led to a change in his stand-up act, focusing more on being a husband and a father, yet still with an "edge". In 1996, Clay released an HBO special, Assume the Position, returning to his Diceman character. In 1998, Clay released the triple album Filth through his website. Later in 1998, he began appearing on the New York City-based radio show Opie and Anthony. His opening act at the time, Jim Norton, became the show's co-host in late 2000.

In 2000, Clay released I'm Over Here Now and Banned for Life. Later in 2000, he released Face Down, Ass Up. He supported these with a nationwide tour that included a headline show at Madison Square Garden, ten years after his two sold-out performances. Clay appeared on CNNfn on November 12, 2003 and was drilled by the host in what immediately turned into a denigrating hit piece, accusing Clay of being a failure on the downside of his career when he was actually still working steady doing comedy shows and appearing in supporting film and TV roles, though he had slowed his career down a bit on purpose. Clay walked out of the interview pretty quickly with a barrage of profanity. In 2005, Clay signed a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio to broadcast his own show, Out of the Cage. In 2007, he attempted a mainstream comeback with the reality TV series Dice: Undisputed on VH1, which lasted seven episodes. Clay appeared as a part of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice 2 and was the first celebrity to be fired after he openly entertained the idea of quitting in Donald Trump's presence and called him "Donny Trump". On The Howard Stern Show, Clay said the show was edited to exclude situations where Trump treated Clay poorly, based on his comic treatment of women rather than his accomplishments. Throughout the season, each celebrity was raising money for a charity of their choice; Clay had selected StandUp For Kids.

In 2011, Clay was featured in the eighth and final season of Entourage as Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon)'s co-star in the fictional program Johnny's Bananas. Clay also appeared as himself in the Entourage film. He appeared in an episode of Raising Hope as himself, which aired on November 29, 2011. In May 2012, Clay appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and also did a set at The Bamboozle festival in Asbury Park. In December 2012, he had a stand-up comedy special on Showtime titled Indestructible. In May 2013, Clay began a podcast with Michael Wheels named Rollin' with Dice and Wheels...The Podcast. It ran for 46 episodes, the last of which was released in December 2015. • Illustration — Clay in 2012 Clay appeared with Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, which opened on July 26, 2013. In an interview with Good Day L.A., Clay said that, as he had not been in a movie in 12 years, "It was a thrill to do something dramatic, something I've always wanted to do." His performance was critically praised. In July 2013, Clay signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster for a memoir to be co-authored with David Ritz. In November 2014, Clay released his book The Filthy Truth. In 2015, Clay hosted The Blue Show, showcasing some of his favorite blue comics, which was released on Showtime. In 2016, Clay had a guest role as record executive Frank "Buck" Rodgers in the Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger-produced television series Vinyl for HBO. In 2017, Clay competed in and won, with his wife Valerie Silverstein, the Fox reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules. In September 2018, Clay launched his podcast I'm Ova Hea' Now on the GaS Digital Network. Later that year, he appeared as Lorenzo Campana in the musical drama film A Star is Born, alongside Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, playing Gaga's character Ally's father. Clay beat out several high-profile actors for the part, including Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, and his performance received positive reviews, as did the film.

Clay has married three times. From 1984 to 1986, he was married to Kathy Swanson and from 1992 to 2002 to Kathleen "Trini" Monica. He had two sons with Monica, one of whom, Max, has followed his father into stand-up comedy and occasionally opens for him on tour. Clay's third marriage was to hairstylist Valerie Vasquez from 2010 to 2014. Clay was in an eight-year relationship with his ex-fiancée, comedian Eleanor Kerrigan. In 2017, Clay had a stent placed in a partially blocked artery.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1981 — An Evening at the Improv — Himself • 1984 — Dirty Dirty Jokes — Himself — Stand-up showcase hosted by Redd Foxx • 1986 — Andrew Dice Clay: One Night with Dice — Himself — Stand-up special • 1987 — Nothin' Goes Right — Himself — HBO stand-up showcase hosted by Rodney Dangerfield • 1989 — The Diceman Cometh — Himself — HBO stand-up comedy special • 1991 — Dice Rules — Himself — Stand-up concert film • 1992 — Andrew Dice Clay: For Ladies Only — Himself — HBO stand-up comedy special • 1993 — Andrew Dice Clay: No Apologies — Himself — Pay-per-view stand-up comedy special • 1994 — Andrew Dice Clay and His Gang Live! The Valentine's Day Massacre — Himself — Pay-per-view stand-up comedy special • 1996 — Andrew Dice Clay: Assume the Position — Himself — HBO stand-up comedy special • 2000 — Andrew Dice Clay: I'm Over Here Now — Himself — Pay-per-view stand-up comedy special • 2012 — Andrew Dice Clay: Indestructible — Himself — Showtime stand-up comedy special • 2015 — Andrew Dice Clay presents The Blue Show — Himself — Showtime stand-up comedy special

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1982 — M*A*S*H — Corporal Hrabosky — Episode: "Trick or Treatment" • 1982–1983 — Diff'rent Strokes — Larry "Crazy Larry" — 2 episodes • 1983 — The Young Landlords — A.B. Tucker — Television film • 1986 — Cinemax Comedy Experiment — Tough Kid — Episode: "Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment" • 1986–1988 — Crime Story — Max Goldman — 13 episodes • 1989 — Camp Midnite — Himself — Episode: "Show 112" • 1990 — Saturday Night Live — Himself/Host — Episode: "Andrew Dice Clay/Julee Cruise/Spanic Boys" • 1995 — Favorite Deadly Sins — Richard Spencer — Television film; segment: "Anger" • 1995–1996 — Bless This House — Burt Clayton — 16 episodes • 1997 — Hitz — Jimmy Esposito — 10 episodes • The Chris Rock Show — Himself — Episode: "Arsenio Hall/Puff Daddy" • Rugrats — Plumber (voice) — Episode: "Angelica Nose Best/Pirate Light" • 1998 — Dharma and Greg — Himself — Episode: "Unarmed and Dangerous" • 1999 — Chicken Soup for the Soul — Martin Scali — Episiode: "The Surprise Date" • 2007 — Dice: Undisputed — Himself — 6 episodes • 2009 — The Apprentice — Himself — 2 episodes • 2011 — Entourage — Himself — 5 episodes • Raising Hope — Himself — Episode: "Bro-gurt" • 2012 — That Metal Show — Himself — Episode: "Herman Rarebell & Andrew Dice Clay" • 2013 — The Blacklist — Abraham Maltz — Episode: "General Ludd (No. 109)" • Tosh.0 — Himself — 5 episodes • 2015–2016 — TripTank — Grant / Paulie / Frankie / Caller (voice) — 3 episodes • 2016 — Vinyl — Frank "Buck" Rogers — Episode: "Pilot" • 2016–2017 — Dice — Himself — 13 episodes • 2017 — My Kitchen Rules — Himself — 4 episodes • 2018 — Hap and Leonard — Sonny Knox — 6 episodes • 2020 — The Comedy Store — Himself — 3 episodes • 2021 — Gravesend — Rinaldo — 2 episodes • 2022 — Pam & Tommy — Louis "Butchie" Peraino — 2 episodes

Andrew Dice Clay was recorded at birth as Andrew Clay Silverstein. The authorities additionally record the heading Diceman. His recorded language was English. He was the child of Fred Silverstein. One child is recorded: Max Silverstein.

Andrew Dice Clay is recorded with the occupation television actor. Recorded as comedian, actor and screenwriter.