Bruce, Lenny
| Name |
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| Birthname | Leonard Alfred Schneider | ||||
| born on | 13 October 1925 at 11:24 (= 11:24 AM ) | ||||
| Place | Mineola, New York, 40n45, 73w38 | ||||
| Timezone | EST h5w (is standard time) | ||||
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Biography
American satirical nightclub comedian, known for biting and controversial subject matter, who changed the landscape of standup comedy and cleared the way for Richard Pryor, George Carlin and others. He wrote a largely fictionalized autobiography, "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People" in 1963. At one time he was married to a stripper and drug user, with whom he had one daughter before divorcing. He died of a heroin overdose on 8 March 1966 in Hollywood, CA.
Bruce was born Leonard Alfred Schneider and was influenced by an eccentric mother who was a dance teacher-turned-comedian. She had divorced his father, a podiatrist, when Bruce was still young. She introduced her son to the entertainment world by taking him to a Times Square burlesque show when he was 12.
He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 but got a discharge by dressing in drag. In 1948, he got his first big break on "Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts" where his skills earned him bookings at small clubs. After he married stripper Harriet Lloyd in 1951, he began working in Los Angeles strip joints. He and Harriet had one daughter, Kitty, born in 1955. They divorced in 1957 and Bruce won legal custody of his daughter, but spent little time with her.
In 1959, Bruce was given a shot at major television when he appeared on the Steve Allen show. He was billed as "King of the Sick Comics," and started selling out at nightclubs, recording albums and watching his notoriety grow. Bruce was famous for Catholic jokes and bathroom humor that he frequently had to defend in courtrooms.
In 1961, Lenny was arrested in Philadelphia for narcotic possession. He denounced law officials, implying bribes, which many think was why he was arrested five days later for using obscene language during a San Francisco appearance. A jury acquitted him, but he started getting arrested in nearly every city where he performed. The worst of his problems came during a 1964 appearance at New York City’s Café Au Go Go, when both he and the club owner were arrested.
He had beaten obscenity charges in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and was appealing one in Chicago when he went on trial in New York. Though many well-known names (Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer) compared him to other satirists like Mark Twain, he was convicted of obscenity on 4 November 1964 and sentenced to four months in jail. He was dead of a heroin overdose (on 3 August 1966 in Hollywood) before the New York conviction was decided. On 23 December 2003, the comedian was granted a posthumous pardon by NY Governor George Pataki; this is the first poshumous pardon in New York state history. Pataki called his decision "a declaration of New York's commitment to upholding the First Amendment. "
Relationships
- associate relationship with Krassner, Paul (born 9 April 1932)
- associate relationship with Weide, Robert B. (born 20 June 1959). Notes: Documentarian/ subject
- parent->child relationship with Bruce, Kitty (born 7 November 1955)
- role played of/by Izzard, Eddie (born 7 February 1962). Notes: 1999 production of Julian Barry's 1971 play "Lenny"
Events
- Work : Gain social status 1948 (got big break on TV)
- Relationship : Marriage 1951 (married Harriet Lloyd)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1955 (daughter born)
- Relationship : Divorce dates 1957 (divorced Harriet Lloyd)
- Crime : Arrest 1961 (arrested for narcotics possession)
- Work : Published/ Exhibited/ Released 1963 (How to Talk Dirty...)
- Death by Suicide 3 August 1966 (Heroin overdose, age 40)
chart Placidus Equal_H. - Work : Gain social status 23 December 2003 (granted a posthumous pardon 40 years after "crime"; first posthumous pardon in NY State history)
chart Placidus Equal_H.
Source Notes
Contemporary American Horoscopes
Categories
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse Alcohol
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse Drugs (Died of overdose)
- Family : Childhood : Parents divorced (When he was young)
- Family : Relationship : Number of Marriages (One)
- Family : Relationship : Stress - Traumatic event (Wife drug user and stripper)
- Family : Parenting : Hardship - Little money (Had custody but little time for child)
- Family : Parenting : Kids 1-3 (One daughter)
- Passions : Criminal Perpetrator : Civil/ Political (Oscenity charges)
- Personal : Death : Suicide
- Vocation : Entertainment : Comedy (Satire)
- Vocation : Entertainment : Night Club/ Vaudeville (Burlesque and club acts)
- Vocation : Military : Military service (Discharge for dressing in drag)
- Vocation : Writers : Autobiographer
- Vocation : Writers : Humor
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book
- 1925 births
- Birthday 13 October
- Birthplace Mineola, NY (US)
- Sun 19 Libra
- Moon 2 Virgo
- Asc 22 Sagittarius
- 1966 deaths
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse Alcohol
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse Drugs
- Family : Childhood : Parents divorced
- Family : Relationship : Number of Marriages
- Family : Relationship : Stress - Traumatic event
- Family : Parenting : Hardship - Little money
- Family : Parenting : Kids 1-3
- Passions : Criminal Perpetrator : Civil/ Political
- Personal : Death : Suicide
- Vocation : Entertainment : Comedy
- Vocation : Entertainment : Night Club/ Vaudeville
- Vocation : Military : Military service
- Vocation : Writers : Autobiographer
- Vocation : Writers : Humor
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book
