Rick Shapiro

Acting

Rick Shapiro

Born 1959-04-13 · New Jersey, USA

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.

Acting credits

Project X poster
6.9

Three high school seniors throw a party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads.

Project X

2012

Pootie Tang poster
5.1

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

2001

Tomorrow Night poster
6.0

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

1998

Timeless poster
6.0

Time travel comedy with an international cast: In 1932, Arnold disappears and suddenly finds himself in 2020. After many hilarious encounters he meets Konstantin, a womanizer and anarchist artist. They become roommates, but their free bohemian lifestyle ends suddenly: Arnold gets seduced by attractive Lizzy, while Konstantin starts regarding a political revolution as the ultimate piece of art...

Timeless

2016

True Love poster
5.9

Donna and Michael are getting married. But first, they have to plan the reception, get the tux, buy the rings, and cope with their own uncertainty about the decision. Michael fears commitment. Donna has her doubts about Michael's immaturity. Both are getting cold feet.

True Love

1989

The Outdoorsman poster
4.3

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

2017

Shock Value poster
5.2

Struggling 'B' movie Director blackmails a serial killer to be the star of his next film.

Shock Value

2014

Caesar's Salad poster
4.0

The short called “Caesar’s Salad” that won at the Chicago Film Festival and the New Orleans Film and Video Festival. C.K.’s mother helped him to pay for “Caesar’s Salad,” the production of which required him to close down a street and use a cop car. In the Louis C.K. episode of Marc Maron’s podcast, Maron mentions that he was cut out of “Caesar’s Salad” but some of his guitar playing remains on the soundtrack.

Caesar's Salad

1990

Pure Danger poster
4.2

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

1996

Highjacker poster
5.5

A troubled man tries to highjack a ferry in order to go to Bolivia.

Highjacker

1998

Ice Cream poster
4.2

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

1993

Joey poster
7.0

A high-school guitarist contends with an unhappy home environment while working to get his band noticed by a music promoter.

Joey

1986

Brunch poster
5.2

Louis C.K. wrote this one with Rick Shapiro, who stars as a neurotic Jewish mother. It’s easily the raunchiest of C.K.’s early films. As one astute YouTube commenter point out, “This video taught me that Marc Maron looks like Rick Shapiro with lipstick and a wig.”

Brunch

1998

Duvall Et Al poster
NR

An ill-tempered older man, Duvall, and his caregiver, Mercedes, struggle to get along, especially after she tries to get him to talk about his son's suicide. After finally pushing her away, he must learn to open up or be left alone for good.

Duvall Et Al

2018

Prison Pit: Book One poster
2.5

Hulking monster men beat the crap out of each other

Prison Pit: Book One

2014

Behind the camera