Otto Petersen
Otto Petersen | |
---|---|
Brooklyn, New York | |
Died | April 13, 2014 Keyport, New Jersey | (aged 53)
Medium | Stand-up comedy Film Television |
Years active | 1970s–2014 |
Genres | Ventriloquism, observational comedy, black comedy, insult comedy, prop comedy |
Otto Sol Petersen (July 29, 1960 – April 13, 2014) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, and actor known for his act Otto and George, which he performed with his dummy George Dudley.[1] Petersen began performing with George as a street act in Manhattan and Brooklyn in the early 1970s. In the late 1970s the act moved into night clubs and began to evolve into an "X-rated" act.
Life and career
Petersen was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to a Danish father and Jewish American mother, and raised on Staten Island. He is survived by his mother Sylvia Petersen, a brother Tom Petersen, sister Lona Petersen and long time companion, Tricia Conte.[2][3] Petersen began to perform as a ventriloquist when he was seven.[4] Among his influences during his early life was watching Paul Winchell and his dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff.[5][6] He bought his first dummy at a magic shop in Times Square in 1974 for $350.[3]
Petersen dropped out of high school and became a street performer at thirteen,
In the early 1980s, Petersen moved on from street performing and took his act into local comedy clubs. He then developed an X-rated act in order to set himself apart from other comics.[7] In 2002, Petersen revealed that he had used eight dummies in his career. The one he used at this time was hand carved by Tim Selberg.[4]
Petersen was a guest on Opie and Anthony on WNEW and XM Satellite Radio from April 2000 until his death. He also appeared on The Howard Stern Show,[7][4] Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular & Bullshit!, Full Frontal Comedy on Showtime, and Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen. Petersen performed with George at the Adult Film Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on two occasions. He was not asked for a return appearance having offended some of the audience with his material.[11]
Petersen described George as "a homophobic, angry, sexist, racist doll".[5]
In 2004, Petersen was featured in the 2005 documentary film
In 2007, Petersen was a featured comic as part of Ventriloquist Week on Late Show with David Letterman. He looked back on his performance as challenging because of the necessity to use more clean material as opposed to the adult-themed act he is used to.[5]
In 2009, Petersen said that George Carlin had approached him after a gig some years before and said that he was a fan.[5] Also in 2009, Petersen starred in the independent documentary film I'm No Dummy, directed by Bryan W. Simon.[5] The comedian Andrew Dice Clay used a large number of the nursery rhymes that Otto told for years well before the rise of Dice.
Performing for over 30 years, Otto was well renowned as both a comedian and a ventriloquist.[12][13]
One of the team's last ventures was their Internet variety show The Pig Roast with Otto & George.
Otto & George performed all over the U.S. and Canada. The duo performed several times at the annual Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada.[14][15]
Illness and death
In June 2013, Petersen fell ill with
Petersen died in his sleep at his home in Keyport, New Jersey on April 13, 2014, aged 53.[2][16] He is survived by his longtime partner Trish Conte, mother Sylvia, brother Tom, and sister Lona.
Filmography
Feature films
- Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen (1988)
- The Force Within (1993)
- Roswell and Alistair (1998)
- White Chicks Incorporated (1998)
- American Dummy (2002)
- Christmas UFO[7]
- The Aristocrats (2005)
- I'm No Dummy (2009)
- Archie Black: The Worst (2014)
Television
- The Morton Downey Jr. Show (1988)
- Playboy Channel's 'The Club (1990)
- The Joe Franklin Show (1990)
- Full Frontal Comedy (1996)
- Late Show with David Letterman (2007)
- Penn & Teller's Bullshit!(2007)
References
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Fox, Margalit (15 April 2014). "Otto Petersen, the Voice of Vulgarity, Dies at 53". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Highbeam Research.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ From Punchline Magazine, June 2008
- ^ From SunJournal.com, December 2007
- ^ from HOUR Magazine, Montréal Canada: Review of 'Just For Laughs' Comedy Festival 2005: [1] Archived 2007-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ From Montreal Mirror: Interview for 'Just For Laughs' Comedy Festaval 1998: [2]
- ^ Attrino, Anthony G. (April 14, 2014). "Ventriloquist Otto Petersen of 'Otto and George' fame dies at 53". NJ.com.