George Carlin
Born 1937 · Age 88
American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author; dubbed the 'dean of counterculture comedians.' Famous for the 'seven dirty words' routine; 14 HBO specials; multiple Grammy winner and influential cultural critic.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New York City (Bronx)
George Denis Patrick Carlin was born in the Bronx, New York.
Served as Roman Catholic altar boy; attended parochial school
Raised Catholic; experiences in parochial schools and as an altar boy influenced his later critique of religion.
Enlisted in U.S. Air Force (biography source)
Dropped out of high school (after 2 years) and enlisted in the USAF as a radar technician (biography.com account).
First professional radio job: KJOE, Shreveport
Began professional radio career while serving in the USAF, at KJOE in Shreveport (per official site).
General discharge from USAF; earned high school equivalency
Received a general discharge and completed his high school equivalency during/after service.
Worked at WEZE (Boston) and KXOL (Fort Worth); met Jack Burns
Brief stints in Boston (WEZE) and then KXOL in Fort Worth where he teamed with newsman Jack Burns and began developing comedy routines.
Worked at KDAY (Hollywood) as the Wright Bros. with Jack Burns
Worked as morning DJs 'Wright Bros.' with Jack Burns for about three months in Hollywood; quit radio in June 1960 to pursue nightclubs.
Left radio to perform nightclubs as Burns & Carlin
Burns and Carlin quit radio (June 1960) to work nightclubs full-time as a comedy duo.
Recorded 'Burns & Carlin at the Playboy Club Tonight' (duo album)
Burns & Carlin recorded an album on Era Records during their nightclub run.
Married Brenda Hosbrook
Met Brenda while appearing at the Racquet Club in Dayton, Ohio; they married in June 1961.
Burns & Carlin duo split; Carlin pursues solo career
The duo broke up so both could pursue solo careers; Carlin struggled initially in nightclubs.
Began performing in folk clubs / Café au Go Go residency
Moved into Greenwich Village folk/jazz clubs (Café au Go Go), developing edgier material like 'Wonderful Wino' and 'Hippy Dippy Weatherman'.
Birth of daughter Kelly (approx., during Village period)
George and Brenda's only daughter, Kelly, was born during the Café au Go Go period (sources indicate mid-1960s; exact year not consistently cited).
Major TV exposure: ~58 appearances across 1965–66
From 1965–66 Carlin appeared extensively on TV (Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, The Tonight Show), boosting national profile (sources cite 58 appearances in that period).
First solo album 'Take-Offs and Put-Ons' (date conflict)
Sources conflict: some cite 1966 and others 1967 (RCA Victor). The album is widely recognized as his first solo LP.
Regular on Kraft Summer Music Hall
Summer 1966: Carlin was a regular on Kraft Summer Music Hall with John Davidson.
Transition attempts into acting; guest shot on That Girl
Took guest roles and auditions (e.g., That Girl, film With Six You Get Egg-Roll) but decided he wasn't ready and refocused on stand-up.
Three-year contract with Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas (late 1960s)
Worked major nightclub circuit including a multi-year contract at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
Multiple arrests tied to obscenity performances (1970s)
Reportedly arrested multiple times (sources cite up to seven arrests overall) for performing obscene material; these incidents increased his notoriety.
Shift to counterculture persona (beard, dress, material)
Around 1970 Carlin changed appearance and material to align with counterculture audiences, which changed his career trajectory.
Fired from Frontier Hotel for saying 'shit'
As Carlin adopted a counterculture persona, he was fired in September 1970 from the Frontier for using profanity onstage.
Last 'establishment' job: San Francisco Playboy Club (Dec 1970)
December 1970: performed his last establishment club job, signaling full shift to counterculture material.
Signed with Little David Records; began string of gold albums
Early 1970s: recorded multiple successful albums on Little David Records (four successive gold albums cited).
Released 'FM & AM' album; Grammy Award
'FM & AM' went gold and won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album (FM & AM cited as Grammy winner, 1972).
Arrested in Milwaukee for 'Seven Words' routine
July 1972: arrested (Milwaukee) after performing his 'Seven Dirty Words' monologue; judge dismissed the case (widely reported).
WBAI-FM aired 'Filthy Words' recording; FCC complaint and lawsuit
1973: a recorded version aired on New York station WBAI-FM triggered an FCC complaint and ensuing legal proceedings (led to Supreme Court case).
Hosted first episode of Saturday Night Live
October 11, 1975: Carlin was the first host of SNL's inaugural episode.
Film: Car Wash (feature film role)
Appeared in the motion picture Car Wash (1976), one of his early film roles.
First HBO special: 'On Location: George Carlin at USC'
1977: taped the first of 14 HBO stand-up specials, filmed at USC — beginning a long HBO relationship.
Supreme Court ruling in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation
1978: In a 5–4 decision the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the FCC's power to regulate indecent material on public airwaves, centered on Carlin's 'Filthy Words'.
Taped 'Carlin at Carnegie' (HBO special)
1982: filmed a well-regarded special at Carnegie Hall; part of his continuing HBO special series.
Award: Hollywood Walk of Fame star
1987: Carlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Film: Outrageous Fortune
Starred in the feature film Outrageous Fortune (1987).
Film role: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Appeared in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
Release: 'George Carlin: The Little David Years' compilation (multi-disc)
A multi-disc compilation highlighting his 1971–1977 Little David Records material was released (different sources cite 1990 and 1999 packages; multiple-package releases exist).
Narration: Continued narration work for Thomas & Friends through 1998
Provided narration for the American dubs of Thomas & Friends through 1998, expanding his audience to children/family programming.
Films: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and The Prince of Tides
1991: appeared in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and had a role in The Prince of Tides.
Role: Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station; narrated Thomas & Friends
Starting in 1991 he played Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station (about 45 episodes) and narrated the U.S. dubs of Thomas & Friends through 1998.
HBO special 'Jammin' in New York' (live); Grammy (for special)
1992: broadcast 'Jammin' in New York' live from the Paramount Theater (Madison Square Garden). The recording later won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album (often cited as 1992 award year).
Starred in 'The George Carlin Show' (premiered)
Co-created and starred in the Fox sitcom The George Carlin Show (series ran 1994–1995; pilot work and production around 1993–1994).
The George Carlin Show (1994–1995)
Starred as the lead in the Fox sitcom during its run 1994–1995.
First wife Brenda Hosbrook died (May 11, 1997)
Brenda Hosbrook (first wife) died on May 11, 1997 from complications of liver cancer. They had been married nearly 35 years.
Book sales milestone: nearly 900,000 copies for Brain Droppings
Brain Droppings sold nearly 900,000 copies across hardcover and paperback editions per official site.
Mike Barnicle plagiarism controversy increases book sales
After columnist Mike Barnicle was suspended for plagiarizing passages from Brain Droppings, publicity led to increased book sales (reported by biography sources).
Audiobook 'Brain Droppings' wins Grammy (2001)
The book-on-tape version of Brain Droppings, read by Carlin, won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Spoken Comedy Recording.
Published first book 'Brain Droppings'
1997: Hyperion published Brain Droppings; it spent ~40 weeks on the NYT bestseller list and sold nearly 900,000 copies; audiobook later won a Grammy (2001).
Married second wife Sally Wade (approx. year)
Sources state he was married to Sally Wade for about ten years at the time of his death, implying marriage around 1998 (exact date varies between sources).
Narration role ends: Thomas & Friends narration through 1998
Concluded his narration duties for the U.S. dubs of Thomas & Friends in 1998.
Total recorded output milestone: Over 20 comedy albums
By the late 1990s Carlin had released more than 20 comedy albums and several audiobook releases.
HBO special: 'Jammin' in New York' legacy / continued specials (14 total)
By late 1990s Carlin had produced multiple HBO specials; ultimately did 14 HBO specials total (1977–2008).
Film: Dogma (role as Cardinal Glick)
Appeared in Kevin Smith's Dogma (1999) as Cardinal Glick.
Touring milestone: performing dozens to 150 dates per year (varied reports)
Sources report he performed ~90 concerts per year (georgecarlin.com) selling nearly a quarter-million tickets, while other sources report up to ~150 dates a year; he also did regular multi-night Vegas residencies.
Film: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001).
Published 'Napalm & Silly Putty'; audiobook Grammy (2002)
April 2001: published Napalm & Silly Putty; it reached #1 on NYT list and (with paperback) sold ~600,000 copies; audiobook won a Grammy in 2002.
American Comedy Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award
Honored with the American Comedy Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award (2001).
Audiobook 'Napalm & Silly Putty' wins Grammy
The audiobook version of Napalm & Silly Putty won a Grammy in 2002 (Best Spoken Comedy category as reported in sources).
Film: Scary Movie 3 (appearance)
Appeared in Scary Movie 3 (2003).
Comedy Central ranking: #2 on '100 Greatest Stand-Ups'
2004: Placed second on Comedy Central's list of top 100 stand-ups (behind Richard Pryor).
Film: Jersey Girl (substantial role)
Spring 2004: had a substantial role (Affleck's father) in Kevin Smith's Jersey Girl.
Published 'When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?'
Fall 2004: third book published by Hyperion; paperback followed a year later; combined sales ~600,000, raising total book sales to ~2M.
Voice role: Fillmore in Pixar's 'Cars'
Voiced the hippie-van character Fillmore for the animated Pixar film Cars (2006).
Audiobook nomination: 'When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?' (Grammy nomination 2006)
Audiobook version nominated for a 2006 Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album (sources report nomination).
HBO special: 'It's Bad for Ya' (14th special); CD and DVD release
Spring 2008: broadcast his fourteenth HBO special, 'George Carlin: It's Bad For Ya' and released the CD/DVD; it was his final special.
Posthumous award: Mark Twain Prize presented (2008)
He was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008.
Announced recipient: Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2008)
June 17, 2008: it was announced he would receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (announcement made five days before his death).
Died of cardiac failure in Santa Monica, CA
June 22, 2008: George Carlin died of cardiac failure at age 71.
Posthumous Grammy for 'It's Bad for Ya' (recording)
The recording of 'It's Bad for Ya' won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album posthumously (award cycle often cited as 2009).
Posthumous memoir 'Last Words' published
His memoir Last Words was published posthumously in 2009.
Rolling Stone ranking: #2 best stand-up comedians (posthumous)
2017: Rolling Stone ranked Carlin #2 on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time (behind Richard Pryor).
Britannica article updated (notable bio update)
Encyclopaedia Britannica updated its George Carlin entry (not an event in his life but indicates continuing relevance).
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