Biography
Joan Rivers distinguished herself in entertainment through her verbal dexterity as a comedian. Her performances routinely opened with the signature phrase "Can we talk?" Viewers recognized her at once by her hoarse delivery, prominent nasal contour, chin-length bob, clothing choices, rapid-fire humor, and recurring role as an on-air commentator during major celebrity award shows. She further supplied regular fashion commentary for the entertainment network E! Entertainment Television.
An Emmy Award in 1990 honored her daytime talk program The Joan Rivers Show. Between segments she interwove conversational stand-up material, highlighted by repeated exclamations of "Gossip gossip gossip!" Comedy clubs nationwide booked her act, and she maintained a standing engagement in Las Vegas.
During the first half of the 1980s she repeatedly served as guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. She debuted her own late-night talk series in 1986, yet the program was canceled the next season. That same year her husband, manager and producer Edgar Rosenberg, died by suicide. Years afterward a made-for-TV movie titled Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story dramatized the personal ordeal she and her daughter endured in its aftermath.
Attempts to develop a sitcom, direct a feature film (Rabbit Test, which starred Billy Crystal), and mount a Broadway production all failed to gain traction despite her visibility. She continued to accept small and supporting parts on television and in motion pictures. Several comedy albums and books proved successful, among them the best-seller Enter Talking.
Before she began critiquing red-carpet attire at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Emmy Awards, Rivers worked as a fashion consultant at Bond Clothing Stores and later as a publicist for Lord & Taylor. After seven years performing on the nightclub circuit she received an appearance on The Tonight Show, an opportunity that launched a career spanning into the twenty-first century.
Her parents were Russian immigrants. She attended Connecticut College for Women and received a B.A. in English and anthropology from Barnard College. Rivers married twice and accepted a third engagement. Her daughter Melissa frequently appeared alongside her during commentary segments. Following surgery on her vocal cords, she died in New York City in September 2014 at the age of 81.
An Emmy Award in 1990 honored her daytime talk program The Joan Rivers Show. Between segments she interwove conversational stand-up material, highlighted by repeated exclamations of "Gossip gossip gossip!" Comedy clubs nationwide booked her act, and she maintained a standing engagement in Las Vegas.
During the first half of the 1980s she repeatedly served as guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. She debuted her own late-night talk series in 1986, yet the program was canceled the next season. That same year her husband, manager and producer Edgar Rosenberg, died by suicide. Years afterward a made-for-TV movie titled Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story dramatized the personal ordeal she and her daughter endured in its aftermath.
Attempts to develop a sitcom, direct a feature film (Rabbit Test, which starred Billy Crystal), and mount a Broadway production all failed to gain traction despite her visibility. She continued to accept small and supporting parts on television and in motion pictures. Several comedy albums and books proved successful, among them the best-seller Enter Talking.
Before she began critiquing red-carpet attire at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Emmy Awards, Rivers worked as a fashion consultant at Bond Clothing Stores and later as a publicist for Lord & Taylor. After seven years performing on the nightclub circuit she received an appearance on The Tonight Show, an opportunity that launched a career spanning into the twenty-first century.
Her parents were Russian immigrants. She attended Connecticut College for Women and received a B.A. in English and anthropology from Barnard College. Rivers married twice and accepted a third engagement. Her daughter Melissa frequently appeared alongside her during commentary segments. Following surgery on her vocal cords, she died in New York City in September 2014 at the age of 81.
Albums
Singles
