Actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried will perform in Westfield Jan. 31. (Photo courtesy of gilbertgottfried.com)
WESTFIELD – Actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried continues to reinvent himself.
The 64-year-old Brooklyn native started out on the New York City comedy circuit as a teenager in 1969 and today he continues to entertain crowds with his live shows and weekly podcast that is focused on classic films and actors.
Gottfried will bring his comedic talents to Westfield Jan. 31 at East Mountain Country Club. Tickets are $60 and include a buffet dinner, opening acts and Gottfried’s show. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets and information are available at eastmountaincc.com.
Gottfried may be best known for his voice, something that he said he has always been able to manipulate.
“I used to watch TV shows and imitate the characters,” he said during a phone interview from his home in New York. “I started out doing impersonations.”
Gottfried’s voice is recognized around the world. He is the voice of Iago the parrot in the Disney “Aladdin” movies and television series, Digit in “Cyberchase,” and was the Aflac duck for 11 years.
He appeared in many movies throughout his career, including the “Problem Child” films, “Beverly Hills Cop II” and “Dr. Doolittle.” Gottfried has portrayed many characters in children’s shows, a stark contrast to his comedy, which is strictly for adults.
“I walk a tightrope between Saturday morning children’s programming and pornography,” Gottfried said.
While Gottfried spoke in his own voice during the interview, rather than the screeching voice most often accompanied by squinted eyes that are one of his claims to fame, his humor came through as he answered questions and spoke of his career.
When asked what the audience could expect at the upcoming show in Westfield, Gottfried chose to speculate what he would expect.
“I expect that five minutes into my show everyone will start looking around their tables and asking ‘whose idea was this’,” he joked.
Gottfried did say his style of stand-up did not lend itself to a family crowd.
“Leave the grandkids at home,” he said.
Gottfried said he when he was 15 and performing wherever he could that he never expected to have a career in comedy that spanned five decades.
“I have always felt like one of those people who snuck into a party and at any moment a guy with a clipboard would come over and ask me to leave,” he said.
Instead of being asked to leave, Gottfried became the life of the party. Many times over, he grabbed the spotlight with his strange voices and irreverent humor.
His career was a surprise, he said.
“There was never any real plan in my career,” Gottfried said.
Gottfried reflected on some of his roles – not all of which he enjoyed.
“I did enjoy doing ‘Aladdin’,” he said. “And with Beverly Hills Cop II, I had a good scene and I remember we were just going back and forth and having fun.”
Gottfried looked up to comedians like Rich Little, who has appeared on “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast.”
Gottfried said traversing Hollywood was a constantly winding road.
“I feel like the minute I had a vague idea of how the business worked, it changed,” he said. “And it kept changing. When I started, there were movies and TV. Today there is the internet – there are websites and podcasts and I feel like to have a manager today starting out, that manager would have to be five-years-old because kids know these things.”
In addition to his podcast, Gottfried also appears on Cameo.com, which is a website where anyone can purchase a personal “shout out” from a number of actors, musicians, politicians and athletes.
Gottfried said one of his cameo shout outs caused a stir on social media.
“Apparently I was asked to read something revealing I was going to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge,” he said. “People were posting about it!”
Gottfried is humble about his career and said he always remembered something actor Michael Caine said in an interview.
“He said that you don’t leave the business, the business leaves you,” Gottfried said.
It doesn’t appear that the business is leaving Gottfried any time soon.
