Early Career
Five years later Carlin teamed up with Texas newscaster, Jack Burns. They attracted the attention of the legendary Lenny Bruce. Bruce helped Burns and Carlin secure appearances on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. But Burns and Carlin eventually split up. Over the next few years Carlin continued to make numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, as well as 29 appearances on The Merv Griffin Show.
Infamous Seven Words Routine
In July of 1972, Carlin was arrested for violating obscenity laws in Milwaukee after his infamous routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.” As a self-professed atheist and avid cocaine user, his adversaries deemed him anti-religious and disrespectful of society. However, the comedian’s new material brought him success from the younger counterculture. Carlin illustrated his anti-establishment views by being the first host of the risque TV show Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975.
Comic Great
Carlin starred in his first of HBO comedy specials in 1977 with On Location: George Carlin at USC. In all, he did 14 such specials, including 2008’s It’s Bad For Ya! In 1997 he published Brain Droppings. The book included his comedic take on life, society and politics. Brain Droppings spent 18 weeks on the New York Times’ best-seller list.
Throughout his career, Carlin took on a number of comedic roles in films such as 1987’s Outrageous Fortune and as Rufus, an emissary from the future, in 1990’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. He took a more dramatic turn in The Prince of Tides (1991). He also was featured in Kevin Smith’s film Dogma (1999), in which he played Cardinal Glick, a fame-seeking religious figure. In 2006, he provided the voice of Fillmore, a hippie Volkswagen bus, in the animated Cars.
Legacy of George Carlin
Carlin was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987. In the 1990s, Carlin enjoyed success with series television. Starting in 1991, he provided the voice of the train conductor on PBS’ kid-friendly Shining Time Station for two years and narrated Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends through 1998. He also starred as a cab driver in The George Carlin Show from 1993 to 1995. In addition to his acting, writing and recording, Carlin continued to perform about 150 dates a year on the road. In 2004, he placed second behind Richard Pryor on Comedy Central’s list of “Top 100 Comics of All Time.”
Death of a Legend
Carlin had a history of cardiac problems spanning three decades. These included three heart attacks (in 1978, 1982, and 1991), an arrhythmia requiring an ablation procedure in 2003, and a significant episode of heart failure in late 2005. He twice underwent angioplasty to reopen narrowed arteries. In early 2005, he entered a drug rehabilitation facility for treatment of addictions to alcohol and Vicodin.
Carlin died on June 22, 2008 at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, of heart failure at age 71. His death occurred one week after his last performance at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. In accordance with his wishes, his body was cremated, and the ashes were scattered in front of various nightclubs he played in New York City and over Spofford Lake, in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, where he attended summer camp as an adolescent
On June 17, 2008, just five days before his death, it was announced that he was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
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