David Brenner

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American comedian and actor (1936–2014)

title: "David Brenner" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1936-births", "2014-deaths", "20th-century-american-comedians", "20th-century-american-jews", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-comedians", "21st-century-american-jews", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "american-documentary-filmmakers", "american-male-comedians", "american-stand-up-comedians", "american-television-talk-show-hosts", "comedians-from-philadelphia", "deaths-from-cancer-in-new-york-(state)", "jewish-american-comedians", "jewish-american-male-actors", "jewish-male-comedians", "jewish-american-military-personnel", "jewish-american-comedy-writers", "male-actors-from-philadelphia", "temple-university-alumni", "united-states-army-soldiers"] description: "American comedian and actor (1936–2014)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brenner" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American comedian and actor (1936–2014) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox comedian"]

FieldValue
imageDavid Brenner 1976.jpg
captionBrenner in June 1976 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
birth_nameDavid Norris Brenner
birth_date
birth_placePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death_date
death_placeNew York City, U.S.
alma_materTemple University
mediumStand-up, television
years_active1969–2013
genreObservational comedy, self-deprecation, topical comedy
occupationStandup comedian, actor, author and filmmaker
spouse{{plainlist
* {{marriageGeraldine Judith Leno
* {{marriageElizabeth Slater
* <ref namehr/
domestic_partnerCharisse Brody
Tai Babilonia (2002–2009)
::

| image = David Brenner 1976.jpg | caption = Brenner in June 1976 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | birth_name = David Norris Brenner | birth_date = | birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = New York City, U.S. | alma_mater = Temple University | medium = Stand-up, television | years_active = 1969–2013 | genre = Observational comedy, self-deprecation, topical comedy | occupation = Standup comedian, actor, author and filmmaker | spouse = {{plainlist|

| domestic_partner = Charisse Brody Tai Babilonia (2002–2009)

David Norris Brenner (February 4, 1936 – March 15, 2014) was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author. The most frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s and 1980s, Brenner "was a pioneer of observational comedy." His friend, comedian Richard Lewis, described Brenner as "the king of hip, observational comedy."

Early life

Brenner was born to Jewish parents in 1936 and raised in South and West Philadelphia.

After high school, Brenner spent two years in the U.S. Army, serving in the 101st Airborne and as a cryptographer of the 595th Signal Corps in Böblingen, Germany. After being discharged, he attended Temple University, where he majored in mass communication and graduated with honors.

Career

Brenner was a writer, director or producer of 115 television documentaries and headed the documentary units of Westinghouse Broadcasting and Metromedia, winning nearly 30 awards including an Emmy, before moving to comedy. His first paid gig was at The Improv in June 1969, and following that he frequently performed at clubs in Greenwich Village. He also wrote five books, and starred in four HBO Specials.

Books

Brenner released the comedy album Excuse Me, Are You Reading That Paper? on MCA Records in 1983. The title arose from a gag in the album wherein a fellow passenger on a subway asked Brenner if he was reading a newspaper on which he was sitting. Brenner stood up, turned the page, sat down and said, "Well, yes I am." Brenner also penned five books including Soft Pretzels With Mustard (1983), Revenge is the Best Exercise (1984), Nobody Ever Sees You Eat Tuna Fish (1986), If God Wanted Us to Travel... (1990), and I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup: How to Survive Personal and World Problems with Laughter—Seriously (2003), which was also released as an audiobook.

Television

After making his national television debut in 1971, on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he became the show's most frequent guest, with 158 appearances. He guest-hosted for Johnny Carson 75 times between 1975 and 1984, placing him fifth on the list of Carson's most frequent guest hosts.

Brenner was the star of the 1976 TV series Snip, which was inspired by the film Shampoo and set in a hair dressing salon. The situation comedy was shelved by NBC shortly before its broadcast premiere, because network executives became nervous about a supporting character who would have been one of the first gay characters on television in an American sitcom. Years later, Brenner said, "They made up all kinds of excuses, but the reason Snip was pulled is we had an actor who was gay and who played a gay part. They were afraid to have a gay on television."

In 1986, King World Entertainment gave Brenner his own 30-minute syndicated late-night talk show, Nightlife, in an attempt to compete with Carson, but it was cancelled after one season. The show premiered September 8, 1986, on 102 stations and was touted as "alternative". Filmed in Manhattan and featuring a casually dressed Brenner, it was unique among the late night talk genre for not having a monologue. It gave some comedians, such as Bobby Slayton, their national television premieres.

In addition to the Tonight Show, Brenner also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The David Frost Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show With David Letterman, Real Time With Bill Maher and The Daily Show and was a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show. In later years he appeared on both MSNBC and Fox News Channel shows commenting on current events.

Film

Brenner portrayed a charity ball auctioneer in the 1989 romantic comedy Worth Winning (with Mark Harmon, Madeleine Stowe, and Lesley Ann Warren, who was also Brenner's co-star on Snip). He also starred in his own workout video, David Brenner's I Hate to Work Out Workout.

Radio

From 1994 to 1996, Brenner hosted a talk-radio program, inheriting the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. timeslot of the daytime Larry King Show on the Mutual Broadcasting System. He had earlier hosted a syndicated weekly radio show, David Brenner Live, for three months in 1985. The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia named Brenner their Person of the Year in 1984 and inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2003.

Personal life

Brenner had three children: Cole, Slade, and Wyatt. He and the mother of Cole, his first son, fought a custody battle for several years. Brenner finally won child custody in 1992. Because family courts would have regarded him as an absentee father if he were away from home more than 50 nights a year, Brenner substantially reduced the number of appearances in his stand-up comedy work, including performances on the Tonight Show, in order to secure and maintain custody of his son. Brenner married Elizabeth Slater of New York, the mother of his sons Slade and Wyatt, in the closing minutes of his David Brenner: Back with a Vengeance! HBO Special recorded in Las Vegas, on February 19, 2000. They divorced a little over a year later with Brenner claiming their first year of marriage was "the best year I had in my whole life ... I was the happiest man in the world" but then she grew "into this new person" and he didn't fit into her new lifestyle. They fought two custody battles, both of which Brenner won. Brenner was engaged to Tai Babilonia in 2005, but they never married. For a while in the 2000s, Brenner lived in Las Vegas.

Death

Brenner died on March 15, 2014, at age 78, from pancreatic cancer at his Manhattan home.

References

References

  1. (March 15, 2014). "Comedian David Brenner Dies at 78". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
  2. (October 9, 1991). "Comedian David Brenner's Missing Son Shows Up with Mom".
  3. Bort, Ryan. (March 17, 2014). "David Brenner: 1936-2014".
  4. (March 15, 2014). "Comedian David Brenner dead at 78". [[Chicago Tribune]].
  5. [http://www.howardstern.com/howard-on-air/howard-100-101/2005-02-04#gallery-17432 Happy birthday Brenner!]{{Dead link. (August 2025)
  6. (June 29, 2012). "Interview with David Brenner: "Always Leave 'Em Laughing"". Reel Change Films.
  7. "Amazon.com: David Brenner: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle".
  8. "David Brenner Dies of Cancer at 78".
  9. Elber, Lynn. (February 18, 2000). "Comedian David Brenner is 'Back With a Vengeance'".
  10. Winfrey, Lee. (November 29, 1986). "And the latenight winner is...". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
  11. Hill, Michael E.. (August 29, 1986). "Brenner Waking Up 'Nightlife' With Own Late Show". The News-Journal.
  12. Nordyke, Kimberly. (March 15, 2014). "David Brenner Dead: Comedian Bobby Slayton Remembers His Friend". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. (December 3, 1989). "BRENNER MUSCLES IN WITTILY ON WORKOUT MARKET".
  14. Puig, Claudia. (June 24, 1994). "Today's Talk-Radio Topic: The Future of Talk Radio". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  15. (March 17, 2014). "David Brenner Dies; Top Comedian Hosted Radio Show In '90s". All Access.
  16. (August 31, 1985). "Radio: Featured Programming".
  17. (November 2, 1985). "David Brenner show on radio is dropped". [[The Day (New London).
  18. "Person of the Year Recipients: David Brenner".
  19. ''David Brenner: Back with a Vengeance!'', 2000, HBO.
  20. (March 15, 2014). "Comedian David Brenner, 'Tonight' favorite, dies".
  21. "Stern Show News - Archive".
  22. "'Tonight Show' Legend David Brenner -- On Death Bed". [[TMZ]].
  23. Clarke, Norm. "Comedy Legend David Brenner Dead At 78". [[Las Vegas Review-Journal]].
  24. Webber, Stephanie. (March 15, 2014). "David Brenner, Comedian and Actor, Dies at the Age of 78". [[Us Weekly]].

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1936-births2014-deaths20th-century-american-comedians20th-century-american-jews20th-century-american-male-actors21st-century-american-comedians21st-century-american-jews21st-century-american-male-actorsamerican-documentary-filmmakersamerican-male-comediansamerican-stand-up-comediansamerican-television-talk-show-hostscomedians-from-philadelphiadeaths-from-cancer-in-new-york-(state)jewish-american-comediansjewish-american-male-actorsjewish-male-comediansjewish-american-military-personneljewish-american-comedy-writersmale-actors-from-philadelphiatemple-university-alumniunited-states-army-soldiers