History Creator / GilbertGottfried

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 -- April 12, 2022) was everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, Seymour Smoke from Allstate's fire safety [=PSAs=], and years of comedy routines.

He also, along with [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005418/ Rhonda]] [[http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/ZKOrion/Cracked/rhonda_shear.jpg Shear]], hosted the USA Network's enduring late night B-Movie showcase, ''USA Up All Night'', from 1989 to 1998.

Gottfried was also a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''... during its [[SeasonalRot widely-panned sixth season]] (1980-1981; the first season after Creator/LorneMichaels and the remnants of the original "Not Ready For Primetime" cast left the show due to creative exhaustion). During those years, Gottfried had a full head of curly black hair, rarely if ever squinted, and ''[[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness actually had]]'' [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness an indoor voice]] (though it did escalate into a NoIndoorVoice from time-to-time. Still, if you ever watch a Jean Doumanian-era ''SNL'' sketch, you'll be shocked to find that, once upon a time, Gilbert Gottfried was more-or-less soft-spoken). Gottfried only had one recurring character (Leo Waxman, wife of Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman, a Jewish couple who host a talk show called ''What's It All About'')[[note]]though he did have some funny one-shot characters, like Dr. Murray Abromowitz, a psychiatrist who comes on Weekend Update to complain about how unfunny the first episode of the show's sixth season was; Pepe Gonzales, a bull fighter who moves to New York City to fight traffic the same way he fights bulls; Dr. Swen Garazza, the head of the Citizens for a Better America who speaks out for people who want humble jobs, or, as he calls them, "[[AccidentalInnuendo hum jobs]]"; and Dr. Calvin Zuko, a doctor who claims the female orgasm isn't real, unaware that it's because he's terrible in bed[[/note]] and two celebrity impressions: controversial film director Creator/RomanPolanski, and David A. Stockman (director of the Office of Management and Budget under President UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan).

Gottfried caught some heat while speaking at a roast soon after 9/11 and making an Empire State Building joke that popularized finding insensitive jokes about current events "too soon". He then saved himself by doing a take on TheAristocrats that opens up [[Film/TheAristocrats the documentary of the same name]]. He was then fired by Aflac for making jokes about the 2011 Japanese earthquake on his Website/{{Twitter}}, showing that he had no fear of offensive jokes, nor enough sense to keep from making light of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}'s national crisis while also representing Japan's top insurer. He later responded to this by [[TakeThatCritics apologizing after virtually every joke]]. He also showed sincerety for the loss of a couple of comedians, as shown [[http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/gottfried-robin-williams/ in this article]] mourning the death of Creator/RobinWilliams.

He co-hosted a {{Podcast}}, ''Podcast/GilbertGottfriedsAmazingColossalPodcast'' with his friend Frank Santopadre, where they interview old movie, television, music, and stand-up comedy stars. He even played a character in one episode of ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''.

Gilbert passed away on April 12, 2022, aged 67, after what was described as a long illness. His family would later confirm he had died due to complications from muscular dystrophy.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In his famous retelling of "The Aristocrats," he goes on a rant about how gross sweat is; this happens after he's described every other disgusting bodily fluid involved in the act, sometimes nonchalantly.

** In one of his last (if not THE last) role before his death, he played God in the season finale of ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends''.
* DontExplainTheJoke: He often {{defie|d trope}}d this rule for the sake of comedy. His rendering of ''Film/TheAristocrats'' is a prime example. He'd also sometimes play a character who would criticise his regular absurdist comedy style, just by putting on a pair of glasses and donning a goofy voice.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: How he looked and sounded when he was a cast member on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' is entirely different than how he looked and sounded later in his career. As mentioned above, Gottfried once had a full head of hair, had his eyes open, and had a fairly soft-spoken voice.

* NoIndoorVoice: His classic comedic persona involves speaking in a loud and grating voice. His natural speaking voice was actually calm and subdued, as shown [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdbElWMnkyY here]].

** In one of his last (if not THE last) role before his death, he played God in the season finale of ''Series/SmilingFriends''.

* EyesAlwaysShut: He initially did this to get over stage fright. However, he began to rely on it to the point that he admitted feeling uncomfortable keeping them fully open when performing.

** Perhaps his most notable role in a kids' show was Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', who [[PlayingAgainstType oddly enough]] is a pretty naïve and kind-hearted guy.

* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: He was Jewish. It's a given.

Gottfried caught some heat while speaking at a roast soon after 9/11 and making an Empire State Building joke that popularized finding insensitive jokes about current events "too soon". He then saved himself by doing a take on TheAristocrats that opens up [[Film/TheAristocrats the documentary of the same name]]. He was then fired by Aflac for making jokes about the 2011 Japanese earthquake on his Website/{{Twitter}}, showing that he had no fear of offensive jokes, nor enough sense to keep from making light of UsefulNotes/{{Japan'}}s national crisis while also representing Japan's top insurer. He later responded to this by [[TakeThatCritics apologizing after virtually every joke]]. He also showed sincerety for the loss of a couple of comedians, as shown [[http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/gottfried-robin-williams/ in this article]] mourning the death of Creator/RobinWilliams.

Gottfried caught some heat while speaking at a roast soon after 9/11 and making an Empire State Building joke that popularized finding insensitive jokes about current events "too soon". He then saved himself by doing a take on TheAristocrats that opens up [[Film/TheAristocrats the documentary of the same name]]. He has been fired by Aflac for making jokes about the 2011 Japanese earthquake on his Twitter, showing that he has no fear of offensive jokes, nor enough sense to keep from making light of Japan's national crisis while also representing Japan's top insurer. He has since responded to this by [[TakeThatCritics apologizing after virtually every joke]]. He also showed sincerety for the loss of a couple of comedians, as shown [[http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/gottfried-robin-williams/ in this article]] mourning the death of Creator/RobinWilliams.

Has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkLqAlIETkA done]] a DramaticReading of ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey''. He also did dramatic readings of UK statute law for the UK broadcast of ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' every time the show uses a clip of House of Commons debate (footage of which cannot be broadcast for comedic purposes in the United Kingdom, so Gottfried's reading is an intentionally bad substitute for the British market). Also, according to the same show, Jared Kushner sounds suspiciously like Gottfried. ("'Wait, you just recorded Gilbert Gottfried over him!' Well, you can never know!")

!!Tropes associated with this actor

Gottfried was also a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''... during its [[SeasonalRot widely-panned sixth season]] (1980-1981; the first season after Creator/LorneMichaels and the remnants of the original "Not Ready For Primetime" cast left the show due to creative exhaustion). During those years, Gottfried had a full head of curly black hair, rarely if ever squinted, and ''[[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness actually had]]'' [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness an indoor voice]] (though it did escalate into a NoIndoorVoice from time-to-time. Still, if you ever watch a Jean Doumanian-era ''SNL'' sketch, you'll be shocked to find that, once upon a time, Gilbert Gottfried was more-or-less soft-spoken). Gottfried only had one recurring character (Leo Waxman, wife of Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman, a Jewish couple who host a talk show called ''What's It All About'')[[note]]though he did have some funny one-shot characters, like Dr. Murray Abromowitz, a psychiatrist who comes on Weekend Update to complain about how unfunny the first episode of the show's sixth season was; Pepe Gonzales, a bull fighter who moves to New York City to fight traffic the same way he fights bulls; Dr. Swen Garazza, the head of the Citizens for a Better America who speaks out for people who want humble jobs, or, as he calls them, "[[AccidentalInnuendo hum jobs]]"; and Dr. Calvin Zuko, a doctor who claims the female orgasm isn't real, unaware that it's because he's terrible in bed[[/note]] and two celebrity impressions: controversial film director Roman Polanski, and David A. Stockman (director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan).

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 -- April 12, 2022) was everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, Seymour Smoke from Allstate's fire saefty [=PSAs=], and years of comedy routines.

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 -- April 12, 2022) was everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, and years of comedy routines.

Gilbert passed away on April 12, 2022, aged 67, after what was described as a long illness.

Gottfried caught some heat while speaking at a roast soon after 9/11 and making an Empire State Building joke that popularized finding insensitive jokes about current events "too soon". He then saved himself by doing a take on TheAristocrats that opens up [[Film/TheAristocrats the documentary of the same name]]. He has been fired by Aflac for making jokes about the 2011 Japanese earthquake on his Twitter, showing that he has no fear of offensive jokes, nor enough sense to keep from making light of Japan's national crisis while also representing Japan's top insurer. He has since responded to this by [[TakeThatCritics apologizing after virtually every joke]]. He's also shown sincerety for the loss of a couple of comedians, as shown [[http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/gottfried-robin-williams/ in this article]] mourning the death of Creator/RobinWilliams.

Has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkLqAlIETkA done]] a DramaticReading of ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey''. He also does dramatic readings of UK statute law for the UK broadcast of ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' every time the show uses a clip of House of Commons debate (footage of which cannot be broadcast for comedic purposes in the United Kingdom, so Gottfried's reading is an intentionally bad substitute for the British market). Also, according to the same show, Jared Kushner sounds suspiciously like Gottfried. ("'Wait, you just recorded Gilbert Gottfried over him!' Well, you can never know!")

* BlackComedy: His comedy trademark. It has gotten him into trouble repeatedly.
* TheCameo: Makes a surprise appearance in ''Film/SharknadoThe4thAwakens'' as a storm chaser.
* DontExplainTheJoke: He often {{defie|d trope}}s this rule for the sake of comedy. His rendering of ''Film/TheAristocrats'' is a prime example. He'd also sometimes play a character who would criticise his regular absurdist comedy style, just by putting on a pair of glasses and donning a goofy voice.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: How he looked and sounded when he was a cast member on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' is entirely different than how he looks and sounds now. As mentioned above, Gottfried once had a full head of hair, had his eyes open, and had a fairly soft-spoken voice.
* EyesAlwaysShut: He initially did this to get over stage fright. Now he feels uncomfortable keeping them fully open.
* GutturalGrowler: Gottfried has a notably coarse, raspy voice, and it lends itself very well to character with a HairTriggerTemper, such as Iago.

* NoIndoorVoice: His classic comedic persona involves speaking in a loud and grating voice. His natural speaking voice is actually calm and subdued, as shown [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdbElWMnkyY here]].
* SelfDeprecation: Occurs every now and then on badly-received jokes (for instance, on TheRoast of Creator/RoseanneBarr he compared her to a "moo-nami", and then added about "dumb people who make jokes out of 'moo-namis' that cost them jobs").

* TaremeEyes: When his eyes ''are'' open.
* VocalDissonance: His routine about Creator/JerrySeinfeld doing ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', because he uses a much different voice than usual.

* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: He's Jewish. It's a given.

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 - April 12, 2022) was everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, and years of comedy routines.

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (born February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York), Everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, and years of comedy routines.

He co-hosts a {{Podcast}}, ''Podcast/GilbertGottfriedsAmazingColossalPodcast'' with his friend Frank Santopadre, where they interview old movie, television, music, and stand-up comedy stars. He even played a character in one episode of ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''.

--> '''Gilbert''': ''(doing a pretty good Jerry Seinfeld impression)'' To be, or not to be? I don't know whether I should be, or not! Something is rotten in Denmark!

* VocalDissonance: His routine about Jerry Seinfeld doing ''Hamlet'', because he uses a much different voice than usual.

Gottfried was also a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''... during its [[SeasonalRot widely-panned sixth season]] (1980-1981; the first season after Creator/LorneMichaels and the remnants of the original "Not Ready For Primetime" cast left the show due to creative exhaustion). During those years, Gottfried had a full head of curly black hair, rarely if ever squinted, and ''[[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness actually had]]'' [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness an indoor voice]] (though it did escalate into a NoIndoorVoice from time-to-time. Still, if you ever watch a Jean Doumanian-era ''SNL'' sketch, you'll be shocked to find that, once upon a time, Gilbert Gottfried was more-or-less soft-spoken). Gottfried only had one recurring character (Leo Waxman, wife of Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman, a Jewish couple who host a talk show called ''What's It All About'')[[note]]though he did have some funny one-shot characters, like Dr. Murray Abromowitz, a psychiatrist who comes on Weekend Update to complain how unfunny the first episode of the show's sixth season was; Pepe Gonzales, a bull fighter who moves to New York City to fight traffic the same way he fights bulls; and Dr. Calvin Zuko, a doctor who claims the female orgasm isn't real, unaware that it's because he's terrible in bed[[/note]] and two celebrity impressions: controversial film director Roman Polanski, and David A. Stockman (director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan).

Gottfried caught some heat while speaking at a roast soon after 9/11 and making an Empire State Building joke that popularized the TooSoon meme. He then saved himself by doing a take on TheAristocrats that opens up [[Film/TheAristocrats the documentary of the same name]]. He has been fired by Aflac for making jokes about the 2011 Japanese earthquake on his Twitter, showing that he has no fear of offensive jokes, nor enough sense to keep from making light of Japan's national crisis while also representing Japan's top insurer. He has since responded to this by [[TakeThatCritics apologizing after virtually every joke]]. He's also shown sincerety for the loss of a couple of comedians, as shown [[http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/gottfried-robin-williams/ in this article]] mourning the death of Creator/RobinWilliams.

* NoIndoorVoice: His classic comedic persona involves speaking in a loud and grating voice. His natural speaking voice is actually calm and subdued, as shown here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdbElWMnkyY

Gottfried was also a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''... during its [[SeasonalRot widely-panned sixth season]] (1980-1981; the first season after Creator/LorneMichaels and the remnants of the original "Not Ready For Primetime" cast left the show due to creative exhaustion). During those years, Gottfried had a full head of curly black hair, rarely if ever squinted, and ''[[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness actually had]]'' [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness an indoor voice]] (though it did escalate into a NoIndoorVoice from time-to-time. Still, if you ever watch a Jean Doumanian-era ''SNL'' sketch, you'll be shocked to find that, once upon a time, Gilbert Gottfried was more-or-less soft-spoken).

-->-- '''Gilbert Gottfried''' on his role in ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' (paraphrased)

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (born February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York), Everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, and years of comedy routines.

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (born February 28, 1955), Everybody's favorite squinty-eyed, grating-voiced, pint-sized, obnoxious, hilarious stand-up comic and voice actor. Known as Iago in the ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Franchise/{{Aladdin}} franchise]] (and by extension, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''), Igor Peabody in the ''Film/ProblemChild'' movies, Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' (a role he would later reprise in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOBatman LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Lego DC Super-Villains]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''), Jerry the Bellybutton Elf from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', Art De Salvo from ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', a troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'', deranged dentist Dr. Bender and his son, Wendell, from a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'', Creator/PatrickSwayze and Jerry Seinfeld from ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'', Santa Claus from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Digit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', monster toy Tickle Me Psycho on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'', the Aflac duck, and years of comedy routines.

* [[MeanCharacterNiceActor Annoying Character, Nice Actor]]: Pretty much everyone who meets him when he's not performing has commented on what a polite, soft-spoken, and just all-round ''nice'' guy he is. He apparently can turn his "annoying persona" on and off like a light switch.
** To illustrate, there was one story making the rounds that involved a security guard on a movie shoot. The guard had surgery on his arm, and had came to work with his arm wrapped up in gauze. Gottfried noticed, and asked the guy about it and was told that he (the guard) had just had surgery on his arm and that doctors were still not sure hed ever have full use of it. It was the only time Gottfried and the guard interacted, and the entire thing lasted maybe three minutes. ''Six years later'' Gottfried and the guard just happened to be sitting across the aisle on a flight into New York. According to the guard, out of nowhere and with absolutely no reminders, Gottfried turned to the guy and asked, "So how did it work out with your arm?" [[WordOfGod Gottfried himself confirmed that this really happened on Twitter]].