Rodney Dangerfield receives a full biographical treatment in Nothin’ Comes Easy: The Life of Rodney Dangerfield, the new book by Michael Seth Starr.

Rodney Dangerfield’s anxious energy, self-deprecating wit, and unforgettable catchphrase—“I don’t get no respect”—turned him into a comedy legend across nightclubs, television, and film. But his journey to stardom was anything but smooth. Born Jacob Cohen in 1921 to a neglectful mother and largely absent father, he found solace in writing jokes, launching a struggling early career in dingy clubs. After a decade of false starts, he left comedy behind for a more stable life—marriage, kids, and a job selling aluminum siding—only to be met with mounting debt and deepening depression. At 45, he gave stand-up one last try, landing a breakout performance on The Ed Sullivan Show that finally made him an “overnight” success.

Nothin’ Comes Easy shows how Dangerfield transformed his pain into punchlines, becoming a regular on iconic talk shows and winning over audiences with roles in Caddyshack, Back to School, and even Natural Born Killers. Behind the stage persona, however, was a man far more complex: a devoted father, a loyal friend, and a generous mentor to rising stars like Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Carrey. His legacy is one of resilience, heart, and hilarity—and as Starr’s biography shows, Rodney may not have gotten much respect in life, but he certainly earned it.

It took me a bit longer to read the book than I wanted to but this has nothing to do with the book’s pacing in as much as it had to do with being exhausted by the heat. I didn’t really do much weekday reading as I did with other books, seeing as how my schedule had me slammed during the past few months with interview opportunities for Phase 1 of Emmy season. That being said, I finally finished the book on Friday night. Unfortunately, it came nearly a month and a half after the end of Jewish American Heritage Month, when I had planned to publish my review.

Michael Seth Starr has written a number of biographies over the years, mainly of actors, musicians, and comedians. He previously wrote Don Rickles: The Merchant of Venom, which is currently in my reading pile. Anyway, the pacing is fine here, but the downside is that because of Dangerfield’s 2004 death, the author didn’t have any access to him for interviews. As such, he was completely dependent on previously published interviews with the actor-comedian as well as interviews with his friends and collaborators. What surprised me the most is that Nothin’ Comes Easy was the first-ever biography on Dangerfield and his rise in comedy, starting when he reinvented himself in his 40s.

It would have been nice if Nothin’ Comes Easy had more insight from Dangerfield’s own family but what we have works as far as Dangerfield the comedian. There’s certainly quite a bit of insight into Dangerfield’s acting process when he was on set. Which, let’s be honest, he’s more stand-up comic than an actor and it shows. Anyway, comedy ran in Dangerfield’s blood as both his father and uncle worked in vaudeville. But for a while, it didn’t look like Dangerfield would have the same success. Not until he broke out in his 40s.

Nothin’ Comes Easy is not what we would call a Wikipedia biography. He puts in the research and is able to talk with a number of people—more so those who knew Dangerfield in the latter part of his life than the early part. Anyway, Dangerfield’s career was never really the same after the 1980s. At one point, he was attached to star in what would have been a very different version of The Scout but the film fell apart, later to be made with Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser instead.

His role in Natural Born Killers was touted as an Oscar-worthy performance and Starr’s own interview with Oliver Stone reveals a clear difference of opinion when it comes to what is and isn’t funny in Nothin’ Comes Easy. I haven’t seen the film but just reading about it, there’s nothing funny about what Dangerfield’s character does. As Rodney wrote in his memoir, “it was a dark, twisted role” and “completely different” from the rest of his career.

If the book’s closing chapter is any indication, it’s unlikely that Rodney Dangerfield will ever receive a proper biographical documentary. Nothin’ Comes Easy: The Life of Rodney Dangerfield may be the closest we’ll get—a deeply respectful, thoroughly researched, and long-overdue tribute to one of comedy’s most unlikely success stories.

Citadel Press released Nothin’ Comes Easy: The Life of Rodney Dangerfield on April 29, 2025.

Please subscribe to Solzy on Buttondown and visit Dugout Dirt.