George Denis Patrick Carlin May 12, — June 22, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the most important and influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of counterculture comedians".
He was known for his dark comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion and taboo subjects. Carlin was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era and notably hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in From the late s onward, his routines focused on sociocultural criticism of U.
He often commented on political issues and satirized American culture. Pacifica Foundation , in which a 5—4 decision affirmed the government's power to censor indecent material on public airwaves.
Carlin released his first solo album, Take-Offs and Put-Ons , in The latter was his final comedy special, filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac failure. He placed second on Comedy Central 's list of top 10 American comedians in , [ 1 ] while Rolling Stone magazine ranked him second on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time in , in both cases behind Richard Pryor and ahead of Lenny Bruce. Carlin said that he picked up an appreciation for effective use of the English language from his mother, [ 14 ] though they had a difficult relationship and he often ran away from home.
Carlin joined the U. Air Force and trained as a radar technician. During his time in the Air Force, he was court-martialed three times and received many nonjudicial punishments and reprimands. During their tenure at KDAY, they honed their material in beatnik coffeehouses at night. In the s, Carlin began appearing on television variety shows, where he played various characters, including a Native American sergeant, a stupid radio disc jockey, and a hippie weatherman.
