Net Worth

Andrew Dice Clay Net Worth: What Role Did Andrew Dice Clay Play in a Star is Born?

Lakshmi

Andrew Dice Clay, also known as “The Diceman,” is an American comedian and actor with a $10 million net worth. Clay is known for his insult comedy, which many consider being misogynistic and rude. In 1990, he became the first comedian ever to sell out Madison Square Garden for two consecutive nights.

Andrew was banned from MTV in 1989 for performing adult versions of children’s songs at the MTV Video Music Awards, but the ban was lifted in 2011. Clay has appeared in several films and television productions, such as “Dice” (2016–2017), “Entourage” (2011), and “A Star Is Born” (2018), and he began hosting the “I’m Ova Hea’ Now” podcast in 2018.

Early Life

Andrew Dice Clay was born Andrew Clay Silverstein in Brooklyn, New York, on September 29, 1957. He was raised in a Jewish household with his mother Jacqueline, father Fred (a boxer and real estate agent), and sister.

Andrew began imitating his family at age 5 and playing the drums at age 7. As a teen, he attended James Madison High School and played drums at Catskills weddings and bar mitzvahs. Andrew attended Kingsborough Community College after high school but dropped out to pursue stand-up comedy.

Personal Life

Andrew married Kathy Swanson in 1984, and they divorced in 1986; in 1990, Kathy filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Clay, suing him for $6 million and alleging that he deceived her into hiring their mutual attorney as her divorce attorney. Andrew and Kathleen Monica were married in 1992 and had two sons, Maxwell and Dillon, before divorcing in 2002.

Max is a stand-up comedian who has supported his father on tour. Clay was also married to Valerie Vasquez from 2010 to 2014, and he dated comedian Eleanor Kerrigan for eight years. In 2017, Dice had a stent placed in his heart after he was hospitalized for exhaustion and dehydration and doctors discovered that one of his arteries was partially blocked.

Career

In 1978, Clay auditioned at Pips Comedy Club and, under the name Andrew Clay, booked a headlining gig at the Sheepshead Bay venue the following week. The majority of his act consisted of impressions, and he debuted his impression of Jerry Lewis’ Buddy Love from “The Nutty Professor” and John Travolta’s Danny Zuko from “Grease.” Andrew moved to Los Angeles in 1980, shortly after beginning to perform at The Improv, Dangerfield’s, Catch a Rising Star, and other well-known comedy clubs.

Mitzi Shore permitted Dice to perform late-night sets at The Comedy Store, and in 1982 he made his film debut in “Wacko,” a parody of slasher films. In 1983, he officially added “Diceman” to his name, ceased performing impressions, and transformed “The Diceman” into a fully-formed alter ego, making his debut at The Comedy Store.

Andrew’s performances at The Comedy Store led to guest-starring roles on “M*A*S*H” (1982) and “Diff’rent Strokes” (1982–1983), in addition to “Making the Grade” (1984) and “Pretty in Pink” (1986). In addition, he appeared in 13 episodes of “Crime Story” on NBC from 1986 to 1988 in a recurring role.

The following day after Clay’s performance at a Big Brother Association event in 1988, 20th Century Fox offered him a movie contract. In the same year, he gained national recognition when he appeared on Rodney Dangerfield’s HBO stand-up comedy special “Nothing Goes Right.” In 1989, “Performance” magazine named Andrew the Comedy Act of the Year, and in March of that year, he released his gold-certified debut album, “Dice.” In March 1990, he released his second album, “The Day the Laughter Died,” which reached #39 on the “Billboard” 200 charts. In September 1989, he performed a three-minute set at the MTV Video Music Awards, which led to MTV banning him from the network.

Clay was the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden for two consecutive nights in 1990, and he hosted “Saturday Night Live” in May of the same year, resulting in cast member Nora Dunn and planned musical guest Sinead O’Connor refusing to appear on the show. Andrew starred in the 1990 film “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” for which he received the Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.

Clay founded his production company, Fleebin Dabble Productions, in 1991. In the same year, he released the controversial stand-up concert film “Dice Rules,” which had a limited theatrical release. In 1993, he signed a contract with ABC, but his proposed one-hour drama was canceled because Andrew was deemed too controversial by network management. In July 1993, he released the pay-per-view special “No Apologies,” which was purchased over 250,000 times, and in July 1994, he released “The Valentine’s Day Massacre,” which was purchased by roughly 100,000 households.

In 1995, Clay’s HBO special “Assume the Position” premiered, and he also signed a development deal with producer Bruce Helford and CBS, which led to the 16-episode sitcom “Bless This House.” Around this time, Andrew began to distance himself from the “Diceman” persona and focused more on discussing marriage and fatherhood in his act, while maintaining an edgy demeanor. In 1998, he released “Filth,” a triple album, and made his first appearance on the “Opie and Anthony” radio show.

Clay returned to Madison Square Garden in 2000 and released the stand-up specials “I’m Over Here Now” and “Banned for Life” along with the album “Face Down, Ass Up.” In 2007, he starred in the VH1 reality series “Dice: Undisputed.” In 2009, he competed on the second season of “The Celebrity Apprentice” but was fired after the first week.

Andrew guest-starred on HBO’s “Entourage” and Fox’s “Raising Hope” in 2011, and the following year he released “Indestructible,” a Showtime special. He co-hosted “Rollin’ with Dice and Wheels…The Podcast” (until 2015) and appeared in the award-winning film “Blue Jasmine” beginning in 2013. In 2014, Clay published “The Filthy Truth,” and in 2018, he played the father of Lady Gaga’s Ally in the Oscar-winning film “A Star Is Born.”

One Night Alters His Destiny

Clay was destined to be a performer. According to Rugrats, by the age of five, the comedian was entertaining the family gathered in the living room by doing impressions and anything else. At the age of seven, he was Jerry Lewis-obsessed, and his impressions were based on the late comedian.

However, his talents were not limited to impressions alone; in high school, Clay took up drumming, which would later help him pay the bills when he joined the Catskills as a drummer.

Clay’s dabbling in drumming, singing, and entertainment increased his interest in theatre, and he was considering a comedy act. Therefore, he would perform impressions of Lewis and The Nutty Professor whenever he went on stage. After the release of “Grease,” Clay decided that portraying John Travolta would be his next greatest feat.

Clay believed that his act would be perfect if he could dance and sing like Travolta after watching the film and concluding that they resembled one another.

According to The Village Voice, he consequently brought the “Fever” and “Grease” soundtracks to Fly Studios. To avoid imitating Travolta’s singing, he eliminated the lead vocals but kept the backup vocals. Clay was prepared to audition at Pips, a comedy club in his hometown of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, after rehearsing for three weeks and perfecting his impression of John Travolta.

Clay believes that his life was altered on September 13, 1978, the night of his audition at Pips. It was amateur night, and his Lewis and The Nutty Professor impressions got him booed off the stage. Clay did not give up and instead transitioned to an impersonation of John Travolta, which impressed the audience.

Therefore, he was hired to headline that weekend’s festivities. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, George Schultz, the owner of the Pips Comedy Club, paid $50 for the entire weekend. Clay did not have a manager, but when asked by the club owners, he pointed to his father in the crowd.

Real Estate

In 2003, Clay paid $1,179,000,000 for a home in Hollywood, and in 2006, he paid $450,000 for a 4,461-square-foot home in Las Vegas. In 2010, he sold his 2,720-square-foot Hollywood residence for $1,399 million.

FAQs

What is Andrew Dice Clay’s age?

The comic celebrates his birthday on September 29 each year. Clay, who was born in 1957, will turn 65 years old in the fall of 2022.

What role did Andrew Dice Clay play in A Star Is Born?

Clay portrayed Lorenzo in the film A Star Is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.