Lenny Bruce

Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
	Bruce in 1961
Born	Leonard Alfred Schneider; October 13, 1925; Mineola, New York, U.S.
Died	August 3, 1966 (aged 40); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Eden Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupations	Comedian; satirist; social critic;
Years active	1947–1966
Spouse	Honey Bruce (m. 1951; div. 1957)
Children	1
Relatives	Sally Marr (mother)
Notable work	The Lenny Bruce Originals; The Carnegie Hall Concert; Let the Buyer Beware; How to Talk Dirty and Influence People;
Comedy career
Medium	Stand-up; television; books;
Genres	Satire; political satire; black comedy; blue comedy;
Subjects	American culture; American politics; race relations; religion; sexuality; obscenity;
Signature

Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy that combined satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon in 2003.

Bruce forged new paths in comedy and counterculture. His trial for obscenity was a landmark of freedom of speech in the United States. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Bruce third, behind Richard Pryor and George Carlin, on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.