Garry Shandling
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Garry Emmanuel Shandling (November 29, 1949 – March 24, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer.
Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms, such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he became a frequent guest host. Shandling was, for a time, considered the leading contender to replace Johnny Carson. In 1986, he created It's Garry Shandling's Show, which aired on Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990.
Shandling's second show, The Larry Sanders Show, began airing on HBO in 1992. He was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1998, along with Peter Tolan, for writing the series finale. In film, he had a recurring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He also lent his voice to Verne the turtle in Over the Hedge. Shandling's final performance was as the voice of Ikki in the live-action remake of The Jungle Book.
During his four-decade career, Shandling was nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations. He served as host of the Grammy Awards four times and as host of the Emmy Awards two times.
Early lifeEdit
Garry Emmanuel Shandling was born into a Jewish family in Chicago<ref name=people>Template:Cite journal</ref> on November 29, 1949,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the son of pet store proprietor Muriel Estelle (née Singer) and print shop owner Irving Shandling.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He grew up in the Casa Loma Estates area of Tucson, Arizona, having moved there with his family so that his older brother Barry could receive treatment for cystic fibrosis.<ref name=people /> Barry died of the disease when Shandling was 10.<ref name=billboard>Template:Cite magazine</ref> After graduating from Palo Verde High School, Shandling attended the University of Arizona to major in electrical engineering,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but instead completed a degree in marketing and pursued a year of postgraduate studies in creative writing.<ref name=variety>Template:Cite news</ref>
CareerEdit
Early workEdit
When Shandling was 19, he drove two hours to a club in Phoenix and showed some jokes to George Carlin, who was performing there. The next day, on a repeat round-trip, Carlin told him that he had "funny stuff on every page" and should keep at it.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1973, he moved to Los Angeles and worked at an advertising agency for a time, then sold a script for the popular NBC sitcom Sanford and Son.<ref name=deadline>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also wrote scripts for the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter and attended a story meeting for Three's Company.<ref name=news>Template:Cite news</ref>
Stand-up comedyEdit
Shandling said that he became a stand-up comedian because of an incident that happened one day at a story meeting for Three's Company, in which one of the show's producers complained about a line of dialogue and said, "Well, Chrissy wouldn't say that."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>David Mirkin</ref> He recalled, "I just looked. I said, 'I don't think I can do this.' And I stopped right there and went on to perform."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1978, Shandling performed his first stand-up routine at The Comedy Store. A year later, he was one of the few performers to cross the picket line when a group of comedians organized a boycott against the Comedy Store, protesting owner Mitzi Shore's policy of not paying comedians to perform. According to William Knoedelseder, Shandling "was the scion of a family with decidedly antiunion views. He had not shared the struggling comic experience. He was a successful sitcom writer trying to break into stand-up, and prior to the strike, Shore had refused to put him in the regular lineup because she didn't think he was good enough. Of course, that changed the minute he crossed the picket line."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Shandling's onstage persona was an anxiety-ridden, nervous, uptight, conservative man on the verge of a breakdown.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After a couple of years on the road, he was booked by a talent scout from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to appear as a guest in 1981. Shandling substituted for Carson on a regular basis until 1987,<ref name=deadline /> when he left to focus on his cable show, leaving Jay Leno as permanent guest host and Carson's eventual successor.Template:Citation needed
In 1984, Shandling performed his first stand-up special, Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas for Showtime,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> followed by a second televised special in 1986, The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special, also for Showtime.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1991, a third special, Garry Shandling: Stand-Up, was part of the HBO Comedy Hour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Television seriesEdit
It's Garry Shandling's ShowEdit
In 1985, Shandling and Alan Zweibel went on to create It's Garry Shandling's Show. Through 1990, it ran for 72 episodes on Showtime. The edited reruns played on the Fox network beginning in 1988.<ref name=dollying /> Shandling wrote 15 of the episodes.
The series subverted the standard sitcom format by having its characters openly acknowledge that they were all part of a television series. Building on a concept that hearkened back to The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, in which George Burns would frequently break the "fourth wall" and speak directly to the audience, Shandling's series went so far as to incorporate the audience and elements of the studio itself into the storylines, calling attention to the show's artifice.<ref name=variety /><ref name=dollying>Template:Cite news</ref>
The series was nominated for four Emmy Awards,<ref name=variety /> including one for Shandling. He won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performance in a Series; and four CableACE awards, two for Best Comedy Series. The show also won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy from the Television Critics Association.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Larry Sanders ShowEdit
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In 1992, Shandling launched another critical and commercial success by creating the mock behind-the-scenes talk show sitcom The Larry Sanders Show, which ran for 89 episodes through to 1998 on HBO. It garnered 56 Emmy Award nominations and three wins. Shandling based the series on his experiences guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1993, NBC offered Shandling $5 million to take over Late Night when David Letterman announced his highly publicized move to CBS, but Shandling declined. He was subsequently offered The Late Late Show, but also declined in favor of continuing The Larry Sanders Show.<ref name=variety /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Shandling wrote 38 episodes of the series and directed three in its final season. He was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the series:<ref name="variety" /> five for acting, seven for writing, and six for being co-executive producer with Brad Grey.<ref name=goes-dark>Template:Cite news</ref> He won one Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the series finale "Flip". He was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) in 1994 and 1995. He won two American Comedy Awards for Funniest Male Performance in a Comedy Series, eight CableACE Awards, and a BAFTA Award.<ref name="deadline" /> The series influenced other shows, such as Entourage, 30 Rock, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, where guest stars portray themselves.<ref name="obsession">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2002, TV Guide named The Larry Sanders Show as 38th Greatest Show of All Time. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked it the 28th Best Show of the past 25 years, and it was included on Time magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time.Template:Citation needed
The first season was re-released in 2007, along with a Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show, Shandling's picks of the best 23 episodes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In October 2012, Shandling returned with fellow cast members from The Larry Sanders Show for Entertainment Weekly's Reunions issue, where he was reunited with co-stars Rip Torn, Jeffrey Tambor, Sarah Silverman, Penny Johnson Jerald, Wallace Langham and Mary Lynn Rajskub.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Other workEdit
Shandling hosted the Grammy Awards in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He hosted the Emmy Awards in 2000 and 2004, and co-hosted (doing the opening monologue) in 2003.<ref name=variety /> He appeared occasionally in films, beginning with a cameo as Mr. Vertisey in The Night We Never Met. He had supporting roles in Love Affair and Mixed Nuts; Dr. Dolittle (1998), as the voice of a live-action pigeon; the David Rabe play adaptation Hurlyburly (1998); and Trust the Man (2001). He wrote and starred in Mike Nichols's What Planet Are You From? (2000) and co-starred with Warren Beatty and others in Town & Country (2001).
In October 1999, Shandling, with David Rensin, published Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host: The Autobiography of Larry Sanders, written in the voice of his alter-ego Larry Sanders.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
He also appeared in a brief cameo in Zoolander (2001). Again voicing an animal, Shandling co-starred as Verne in Over the Hedge (2006), which became one of his best-known roles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010) as Senator Stern, and reprised the role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He appeared in an uncredited cameo as a health inspector in The Dictator (2012).
He starred as himself representing Fox Mulder, alongside Téa Leoni as Dana Scully in The X-Files season 7 spoof episode "Hollywood A.D."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In February 2010, Shandling was staying at the same Waipio Valley hotel that Conan O'Brien checked into after his departure from The Tonight Show. They spent their entire vacations together, Shandling helping to rehabilitate O'Brien.<ref name=gq>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Shandling was a longtime friend of Jerry Seinfeld. In 2016, two months before his death, he appeared on Seinfeld's show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
In 1977, Shandling was involved in a car crash in Beverly Hills that left him in critical condition for two days and hospitalized for two weeks with a crushed spleen. While in the hospital, he had a near-death experience and later said, "I had a vivid near-death experience that involved a voice asking, 'Do you want to continue leading Garry Shandling's life?' Without thinking, I said, 'Yes.' Since then, I've been stuck living in the physical world while knowing, without a doubt, that there's something much more meaningful within it all. That realization is what drives my life and work."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The accident inspired him to pursue a career in comedy,<ref name="goes-dark"/> and he later turned the accident into part of his routine.<ref name=billboard />
Shandling never married and had no children.<ref>Cleary, Tom (March 24, 2016). "Garry Shandling Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com.</ref> He shared an apartment with his fiancée, actress Linda Doucett, from 1987 until they split in 1994.<ref name=times>Template:Cite news</ref> He subsequently had her dismissed from The Larry Sanders Show, and she filed a lawsuit against his production company Brillstein Entertainment Partners for sexual discrimination and wrongful termination. The case was settled out of court in 1997 for $1 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Although Doucett did sue him and the show's producer, when Shandling died Doucett shared some details of their time together, including that the only reason they split in 1994 was that he didn't want to enlarge his family. She was in her late 30s and early 40s during their relationship, she wanted children, and Shandling was afraid his kids might be born with cystic fibrosis, the genetic problem that killed his brother Barry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Shandling and Sharon Stone were students of acting coach Roy London and dated briefly,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and she appeared on The Larry Sanders Show in the episode "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They remained close friends until Shandling's death in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the documentary Special Thanks to Roy London, interviews with Stone<ref>Sharon Stone Special Thanks to Roy London.Template:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Shandling<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> discuss their relationship. A Los Angeles Times article reads:
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Shandling preferred to reveal little about his personal life during interviews. He was a Buddhist who enjoyed meditating,<ref name=gq/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> playing basketball,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and boxing four times per week.<ref name=obsession /> He co-owned a boxing gym in Santa Monica, TSB 44 (Tough Strong Bold No. 44), with actor and director Peter Berg.<ref name=deadline /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was also a licensed amateur radio operator. Starting as a teenager, he held the callsigns WA7BKG, KD6OY, and KQ6KA. The latter he held with a pseudonym, Dave Waddell, to avoid undue attention when he operated.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Death and aftermathEdit
Shandling died March 24, 2016 from pulmonary thrombosis, a blood clot that traveled from his leg to his lungs.<ref name="thromb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He died at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California at the age of 66.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The LAPD reported that he had suddenly collapsed in his home and was rushed to the hospital, suffering from an apparent medical emergency.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When paramedics arrived, he was unconscious.<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had felt unwell during a trip to Hawaii and had recently complained to a doctor about shortness of breath and leg pain.<ref name="thromb"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Shandling suffered from hyperparathyroidism, a serious disease which often goes undiagnosed or untreated. If left untreated, it can lead to complications such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, kidney stones, kidney failure, stroke, and cardiac arrhythmias.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Shandling left behind a liquid estate worth around $668,000, which was given to his lawyer and best friend Bill Isaacson, as Shandling had no family or relatives.<ref name=TMZ>Template:Cite news</ref> The bulk of his wealth, however, was held in a private trust he had created.<ref name=TMZ /> On February 4, 2019, his estate bestowed $15.2 million to benefit medical research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His gift will establish and endow the Garry Shandling Endocrine Surgery Research Fund, the Garry Shandling Infectious Diseases Innovation Fund, and the Garry Shandling Pancreatic Diseases Fund. The remainder of the bequest will establish the Garry Shandling Medical Research Fund, which will operate under the direction of the medical school's dean. In his memory, UCLA also has named the Garry Shandling Learning Studio, a Template:Cvt multipurpose space in Geffen Hall, the school's medical education building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Awards and nominationsEdit
During his four-decade career, Shandling was nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
Additionally, Shandling won 2 British Comedy Awards,<ref name=RTE>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 12 CableACE Awards<ref name=TVLine /> (including 8 for The Larry Sanders Show and 4 for It's Garry Shandling's Show), a BAFTA Award<ref name=RTE /> and was nominated for 2 Writers Guild of America Awards for The Larry Sanders Show. He received three American Comedy Awards,<ref name=TVLine>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> two Satellite Award nominations,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in 2004, he was presented with the Austin Film Festival's Outstanding Television Writer Award.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
FilmographyEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Night We Never Met | Mr. Vertisey | Uncredited |
| 1994 | Love Affair | Kip DeMay | |
| Mixed Nuts | Stanley | ||
| 1998 | Dr. Dolittle | Male Pigeon (voice) | |
| Hurlyburly | Artie | ||
| 2000 | What Planet Are You From? | Harold Anderson | Also producer, writer |
| 2001 | Town & Country | Griffin Morris | |
| Zoolander | Himself | Cameo | |
| 2002 | Run Ronnie Run! | ||
| The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch | |||
| 2005 | Trust the Man | Dr. Beekman | |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | Verne (voice) | |
| Hammy's Boomerang Adventure | Short | ||
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Senator Stern | |
| 2011 | The Brain Storm | Garry Shandling | Short |
| 2012 | The Dictator | Health Inspector | Uncredited cameo |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Senator Stern | |
| 2016 | The Jungle Book<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Ikki (voice) | Posthumous release (final film role), dedicated in memory |
| Dying Laughing | Himself | Posthumous release (final film appearance) | |
| 2018 | The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling | Posthumous release (documentary) |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Make Me Laugh<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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Himself | Comedy game show |
| 1984 | Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas | Stand-up special | ||||
| 1985 | Michael Nesmith in Television Parts | Skits in 2 episodes | ||||
| 1986 | The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special | Garry Shandling | Parody of a The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson-type anniversary | |||
| 1986–1987 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Himself (guest host) | 7 episodes; June and October 1986, January and September 1987 | |||
| 1986–1990 | It's Garry Shandling's Show | Garry Shandling | 72 episodes; also co-creator, executive producer, writer | |||
| 1987 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Garry Shandling/Los Lobos" | |||
| 1990 | Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | Jack | Television film | |||
| 32nd Annual Grammy Awards | Himself (host) | Television special | ||||
| 1991 | 33rd Annual Grammy Awards | |||||
| Garry Shandling: Stand-Up | Himself | Stand-up special | ||||
| 1992 | The Ben Stiller Show | Garry Shandling | Episode: "With Garry Shandling" | |||
| 1992–1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Larry Sanders | 89 episodes; also co-creator, executive producer, writer, director | |||
| 1993 | 35th Annual Grammy Awards | Himself (host) | Television special | |||
| 1994 | 36th Annual Grammy Awards | |||||
| 1996 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Garry (voice) | Episode: "Sticky Notes" | |||
| 1998 | Caroline in the City | Steve | Episode: "Caroline and the Marriage Counselor: Part 2" | |||
| 2000 | The X-Files | Himself | Episode: "Hollywood A.D." | |||
| 52nd Primetime Emmy Awards | Himself (host) | Television special | ||||
| 2002 | My Adventures in Television | Himself | Episode: "Death Be Not Pre-Empted" | |||
| 2004 | 56th Primetime Emmy Awards | Himself (host) | Television special | |||
| 2006 | Tom Goes to the Mayor | Captain Pat Lewellen (voice) | Episode: "Couple's Therapy" | |||
| 2007–2009 | Real Time with Bill Maher | Himself | 4 episodes; 101 (2007), 129, 135 (both 2008), and 172 (2009) | |||
| 2016 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Episode: "It's Great That Garry Shandling Is Still Alive" |
As writerEdit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1976 | Sanford and Son | 4 episodes |
| 1976 | Welcome Back, Kotter | Episode: "Horshack vs. Carvelli" |
| 1978 | The Harvey Korman Show | Episode: "The One Where Harvey Won't Change"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
BooksEdit
- Confessions of a Late-Night Talk-show Host: The Autobiography of Larry Sanders was written in-character as Larry Sanders by Shandling with David Rensin.<ref name=nytimes4>Template:Cite news</ref> It was released October 4, 1999, and was the topic of season five's episode "The Book".
- Template:Cite book
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:External links Template:Sister project
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