Emerging from Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay, he began entertaining family with impressions before turning to drums on the Catskill circuit, later abandoning college to pursue comedy full-time. After an 1978 audition at Pips club launched his stand-up career, a brash “Diceman” persona propelled him from local venues to the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, leading to early TV spots on MASH and Diff’rent Str…
