Patrice O'Neal

Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor.

He was known for his stand-up comedy career and his regular guest appearances on the talk show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and the radio show Opie and Anthony.

Patrice Malcolm O'Neal was born in New York City on December 7, 1969.

He was named by his mother after Patrice Lumumba, leader of the Congolese independence movement and the Republic of the Congo's first prime minister, and the African-American human rights activist Malcolm X.

He was bullied at school over his name, but later said that it taught him "how to be a man".

He and his sister, Zinder, were raised by their mother in Boston's largely Black working class Roxbury neighborhood.

O'Neal never had a relationship with his father, although he was aware of his identity.

O'Neal attended West Roxbury High School, during which he took up football and ended his playing career with three varsity letter awards and winning a state championship in his senior year.

He turned down a sports scholarship at Northeastern University in Boston, which included a housing grant, in favor of studying performing arts at the university with a major in theater studies.

His interest in comedy had grown by this time, and he took up work as a bouncer at the Comedy Connection in Boston.

He also sold food to guests at the Boston Garden arena.

In the mid-1990s, he met comedian and later close friend Jim Norton.

O'Neal began performing stand-up in 1992 and developed an act based on conversations with the audience, deconstructive analysis, and occasionally confrontational points of view.

O'Neal performed his first stand-up in October 1992 at Estelle's in Boston.

He had attended an open-mic night at the venue the week prior to his debut where he heckled a performer, who in turn challenged him to try stand-up himself.

Comedian Dane Cook witnessed one of O'Neal's earliest sets and noted his "gentle-giant appeal ... he already had an edge, but he was a little more vulnerable".

O'Neal developed his act in the Boston area for the next six years, where his earlier performances were done under the name Bruiser O'Neal.

In 1998, O'Neal relocated to New York City, working regular spots at the Comedy Cellar.

In early 1998, he took part in the fourth annual US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

He then moved to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding greater fame: "I tap danced like you wouldn't believe ... trying to get something."

O'Neal ignored demands from club owners to change his confrontational act and struggled to earn enough money.

He was "essentially thrown out of America" and accepted offers to perform in the UK, first by English stand-up John Simmit for a part on his Upfront Comedy circuit.

O'Neal worked hard to gain the respect of his peers, recalling that it took several months "for them to go 'okay, this guy's not playing around'".

By mid-1999, he had headlined a comedy tour of Australia.

Between 2000 and 2002, he performed stand-up across Europe, including spots at the Black International Comedy Awards in London and in Edinburgh with comedians Lewis Schaffer and Rich Vos.

In late 2000, O'Neal took a position as a writer for WWE after an associate of the company saw him perform.

A big fan of professional wrestling, he pitched his idea for building a feud over three weeks that culminated in a pay-per-view event, which won him the job.

He visited Vince McMahon's house, traveled with the organization for one week of live shows on their private jet, and directed some vignettes.

He was then offered a 13-week contract, but turned it down as he already had plans.

He later said that "it wouldn't have been a dream" if he had kept doing it and that it was enjoyable because "it was short and sweet".

Later in his career, he also walked away from potential opportunities such as acting roles on Web Junk 20, The Office, and Arrested Development, though he would eventually guest star on the latter two.

From 2006 to 2008, he presented The Black Phillip Show on XM Satellite Radio.

In 2006 and 2007, O'Neal joined Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour, playing large arenas across the US.

In 2010, O'Neal recorded his first and only hour special for Comedy Central, Elephant in the Room.

It originated after comedian Dave Attell had praised O'Neal's material to his manager, who entered discussions with the network about producing one.

Despite O'Neal being adamant on filming in Washington, D.C., the network wanted it recorded in New York City and O'Neal eventually agreed.

His only stand-up comedy special, Elephant in the Room (2011), was released nine months before his death at the age of 41 from a stroke caused by type 2 diabetes.

The special premiered on February 19, 2011, with an uncut version released on CD and DVD three days later.

O'Neal promoted the special with an interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, his first network television appearance in four years.

A posthumous follow-up, Mr. P (2012), was released as audio only.