Acting
Apr 12, 1959
New Jersey, USA
Rick Shapiro
Acting
Biography
Rick Shapiro (born April 13, 1959) is a Los Angeles-based comedian and actor. He started his career in the early 1980s as a comedian at Catch A Rising Star on Broadway. Besides performing regularly on stage, throughout the 1990s he acted and starred in numerous films by Louis CK, including Tomorrow Night. Additionally, he portrayed the re-occurring character "Angry Poet" in Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In 1998, Shapiro released his first comedy CD called Unconditional Love, which Billboard called "hard-edged and uncompromising". In the 2000s, he performed stand-up comedy nationally and internationally, debuting a one-man show in 2007 in the Edinburgh Festival, and touring Australia in 2009. He had his first video game appearance in 2008, portraying the character Mason Waylon on the radio station PLR in Grand Theft Auto IV, a guest on a talk show who eventually drills holes in the heads of the two other guests. In 2014–15, he appeared in the role of Marc Maron's eccentric neighbor, Bernie, in the IFC comedy series Maron. In film, his roles include Top Five by Chris Rock, portraying T-Rick in the movie Project X, and acting in the German comedy Timeless. His known TV role is as Jerry in Lucky Louie by Louis C.K. on HBO. Additionally, he appears in a scene originally filmed for the pilot of Louie. His first book Unfiltered, containing over 200 previously unreleased writings, was released in 2012 along with his second CD, Catalyst for Change. In 2013, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Feature Films (15)
A paroled short order cook and a waitress go on the run with a bag of diamonds that accidentally falls into their possession, prompting two warring gangs to come after them.
Pure Danger
Pootie Tang, the musician/actor/folk hero of the ghetto, is chronicled from his early childhood to his battles against the evil Corporate America, who try to steal his magic belt and make him sell out by endorsing addictive products to his people. Pootie must learn to find himself and defeat the evil corporation for all the young Black children of America, supatime.
Pootie Tang
Jason has made up his mind: he's going to live in the wilderness for a year. One problem: he's never been camping. While he's preparing, he meets Mona, a goal oriented corporate type who has just suffered a nervous breakdown at work. They fall in love but ultimately Jason must decide: follow his dream or his heart.
The Outdoorsman
This film was shown at Sundance, the MOMA New Directors New Films Fest, and won the grand prize at the Aspen Short Fest.
Ice Cream
Charles is the owner of a photo-shop. He is not too friendly and spends his evenings alone, and one day he finally decides to get a social life. He meets elderly Florence, who is tormented by her gambling husband Lester and longs for the son Willie she hasn't seen or heard of for 20 years.
Tomorrow Night
Television & Series (8)
A blue-collar family man grapples with life's challenges while trying to maintain his marriage, raise his young daughter, and deal with the eccentricities of his friends and neighbors.
Lucky Louie
The third installment of the “Law & Order” franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve its crimes.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Comedy about the unlikely friendship that develops between two very different young women who meet waitressing at a diner in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and form a bond over one day owning their own successful cupcake business. Only one thing stands in their way – they’re broke.
2 Broke Girls
Comedian and director of the obscenely hilarious hit film The Aristocrats, Paul Provenza invites some of the biggest names in stand-up to sit down and try to beat each other to the punch line. From politics and racism to sex and money, no topic is off limits in The Green Room.
The Green Room with Paul Provenza
The owners of a dive bar in Brooklyn, Horace and Pete, along with bar regulars share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar.
