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1.1 Early life

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Artie Lange Wiki Information

Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality author and actor. Lange is most notable for replacing Jackie Martling on The Howard Stern Show , and as a member of the original cast of the sketch comedy series MADtv . Lange co-wrote a book with Anthony Bozza, titled Too Fat to Fish. It was released on November 11, 2008, and was named on the New York Times best-seller list on November 21, 2008. ^[1]

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Biography

Early life

Artie Lange was born at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston Township, New Jersey, and raised in Union Township. His mother, Judy (née Caprio), was a homemaker and his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. Two weeks after he was born, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money, but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son. ^[2] His family identified themselves as Italian-Americans. During a segment of The Howard Stern Show , Lange provided a blood sample which was taken to a laboratory for DNA testing. The results indicated that Lange was 25 percent American Indian. Lange said that his father's background was a "grey area." ^[3]

During high school, Lange excelled in baseball, becoming an All County third baseman, and spent his free time working with his father. Some time after Lange finished high school in 1985, his father fell from a roof and broke his back, becoming quadriplegic. ^[4] Money soon became an issue within his family, and when they contacted celebrities to donate items for them to auction, the only one who responded was Howard Stern, sending them an autographed jacket, and then talking about the donation on the air, including the remark, "Does this guy think that if he puts the jacket on he's going to walk again?" which Lange's father found funny. ^[5] His father would eventually die from an infection four-and-a-half years after the accident. ^[6]

Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was only trying to flirt with the teller by passing her a fake holdup note that said he was armed and demanding $50,000. However, the teller took it seriously and triggered a silent alarm. Lange had signed his name on the note. When he learned that the police were searching for him, he turned himself in. He was charged with disorderly conduct and sentenced to 25 hours of community service. ^[7]

As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987. Based on his work at the school, Lange was offered a radio job in Wyoming. ^[8] Instead of taking the job, he stayed in New Jersey and took up work as a longshoreman to help support his family. ^[9] It was around this time that, inspired by Richard Lewis, Lange first started doing stand-up comedy. ^[10] He eventually quit his job to focus full time on his comedy career.

MADtv

In 1995, he landed a role as one of the original cast members of FOX's sketch comedy show MADtv. Lange had previous sketch comedy experience with the improv troupe "Live on Tape". Lange later attributed his hiring to the fact that he fit the John Belushi mold that was popular in sketch comedy. ^[11] His most popular recurring character on the show was "That's My White Mama".

Among his impersonations on the show were Ed Harris, Ed McMahon, F. Lee Bailey, Joe Pesci, Larry Csonka, Newt Gingrich, Richard Karn, Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell, and Yassir Arafat.

Lange stated that his lowest point of cocaine use occurred during a shooting of the MADtv sketch "Babewatch" (a parody of Babe and Baywatch ), in which he played Babe the pig as a lifeguard. Because the sketch involved going through hours of make-up so as to transform the comedian into a pig, he snorted cocaine in his car in full pig make-up during a break in the shooting of the sketch. Upon returning from the shoot, he passed out in his hotel room, awakening to find he had defecated in his bed. ^[12] The cast and fanbase of The Howard Stern Show now refer to this incident as "The Pig Story." During the second season of MADtv , his stint with the show came to a dramatic end. After a cocaine binge, cast and crew members attempted to have an intervention for him. Lange fled the studio running through streets and backyards with his co-workers chasing after him. The chase ended in a supermarket, where he was arrested. Lange attempted to punch one of the police officers. He was sentenced to time served and probation. ^[13] Lange began psychiatric counseling and inpatient drug rehabilitation. However, the producers decided not to renew his contract for a third season.

Lange cameoed on a fifth season MADtv episode, a tenth season MADtv episode, the final episode of MADtv on FOX (on May 16, 2009), and on the season finale of ''MADtvs rival show, Saturday Night Live (also on May 16, 2009), hosted by former SNL'' castmember Will Ferrell.

The Howard Stern Show

After Lange served a short jail term and a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm Macdonald, impressed by Lange's work on Mad TV , offered him a part in the 1998 movie Dirty Work . Although Lange frequently jokes about the film's poor reception (on his stand-up comedy DVD, ''It's The Whiskey Talkin, after a fan asks him to autograph a copy of Dirty Work, he does so, and then gives the fan "[his] ten bucks back," saying "you don't see Ben Affleck doing that for Gigli''") he credits Macdonald and director Bob Saget with rejuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and a lucrative (though ultimately fruitless) TV development deal. ^[14]

He joined the cast of Macdonald's sitcom The Norm Show during its second season, staying until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point, but a creative low point; he enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late, and being in healthy physical shape as well as working with the cast, particularly his friend, Norm Macdonald, and Laurie Metcalf (whom he called "a brilliant actress," and later cast as his mother in his film Beer League ). However, he disliked the show itself, referring to the material as "ridiculously lame, easy jokes... like the jokes on that show would be I'd go to Norm Macdonald and say 'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' and he'd say 'No, I'm not thinking of cheeseburgers,' then I'd make a face like 'oh, you got me'" ^[15] (with which, he claims, Macdonald agreed), and maintaining that it was the lowest rated network sitcom for most of its run. After its cancellation, Lange would be selected from numerous guest comedians auditioning to replace Jackie Martling on The Howard Stern Show , beginning full time on October 29, 2001.

Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, gambling, drinking, drug use, and sleeping at work. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents; Lange had grown up listening to The Howard Stern Show, and was a fan to the point of being able to recall obscure details from years ago on a regular basis. Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence; his mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment, he continually gorges himself on pizza and other fattening foods, and his drunken binges are legendary among Stern fans.

In early June 2005, Lange missed four days of work at the Howard Stern Show , prompting concerns of a possible relapse of past substance abuse. ^[16] ^[17] The situation climaxed in Lange behaving strangely and belligerently on-the-air. ^[18] In July 2005, he infamously sneered at Stern and crew: "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!" ^[19] ^[20] Lange missed the next two days of work. ^[21] Lange's absence was written off as stress from doing the radio show and filming his movie Beer League . The real reason for Lange's absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on the September 21, 2006 episode, in which Lange acknowledged that he had regularly snorted heroin. ^[22] Lange discussed past episodes of heroin use, beginning when he was a stand-up comedian and continuing until Beer League was set to begin shooting. Lange detailed his painful withdrawal, which included common side effects such as aching, cold sweats, shaking and vomiting. Lange recalled taking his telephone off the hook to avoid speaking to his mother, who ultimately intervened to help him recover. Lange was threatened with legal action by the Beer League producers if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting, which led Lange to secure a home visit from a doctor who prescribed buprenorphine (Subutex) to alleviate his heroin dependency. Since starting the medicine, Lange has relapsed at least once.

In the days leading up to Stern's departure from terrestrial radio, Lange revealed that he and Gary Dell'Abate were approached by Infinity Broadcasting about replacing Stern on terrestrial radio with a show of their own. Lange claimed he was offered roughly $5 million to defect, but he and Dell'Abate claimed to have never given the offer much thought.

Lange is known for doing many impressions on the show, among them are Rush Limbaugh, Ted Kennedy, Iron Sheik, Eric the Midget, Don Rickles, Katt Williams, Blue Iris, Jeff the Drunk, Harry Caray, Brian Johnson, Mark the Bagger, Elliot Offen, Bigfoot, Crazy Alice, Henry Hill, Mike Tyson, Bubba the Love Sponge, The Notorious B.I.G., Alec Baldwin, and others.

On April 10, 2008, Lange walked off The Howard Stern Show after an on-air argument and subsequent outburst at his personal assistant, Teddy (during which, he mentioned that Teddy embarrassed him by referring to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's") resulting in a physical altercation. ^[23] Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast, Lange returned to apologize, and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.

The last thing Lange said to Stern before his departure on April 10, 2008 was, "I’m not a good person ... I gotta leave ... I love you." Atypically, the show was not rebroadcast on Howard 100 that day (normally during the week the full five hours of The Howard Stern Show are replayed around the clock on Howard 100, starting at 12 p.m., 6 p.m., and 12 a.m.). Tim Sabean (Sirius Program Manager) when interviewed by the Howard 100 News program stated that they had not yet decided on the fate of Artie's future on the Howard Stern Show .

On April 21, 2008, Lange did return to the Howard Stern Show , following a scheduled one-week vacation hiatus for the cast members. He apologized for his behavior and took full responsibility. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite their on-air confrontation, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship. As of December 2008, Teddy continues to work as road manager for Artie's out-of-town comedy appearances.

On June 15, 2009, Lange made a controversial appearance on HBO's Joe Buck Live . ^[24] ^[25] ^[26] ^[27] Lange made several obscene and derogatory comments towards homosexuals and even to Joe Buck himself. At one point Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports President, said Lange "bordered on bad taste" with his "mean-spirited" tone. However, on the June 16, 2009 Howard Stern Show, Artie claimed Greenburg told him, "If [fellow panelists] Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis get boring, you go nuts." His attitude and remarks caused Joe Buck to thank Artie for being on the first and last taping of his show.

Too Fat To Fish

On November 11, 2008, Artie's first book, Too Fat To Fish , was released. The book is a collection of narrative episodes from throughout Lange's life, from his childhood to his recent USO trip to Afghanistan in July 2008. The foreword is written by Howard Stern. ^[28] The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list under hardcover non-fiction. ^[29] The soft cover edition is due out in June 2009 with a change to the back cover from the hard cover edition, and includes a bonus chapter.

Personal life

On July 10, 2009 at approximately 2:00 PM EST, Lange was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Toms River, NJ after a minor traffic accident. ^[30]

Lange frequently discussed his on-again/off-again relationship with longtime girlfriend Dana Cironi after they began dating in early spring 2002. Most of the couple's problems stemmed from Lange's lifestyle. In mid-2006 Lange declared that the couple had officially broken up, for which Lange cited his heroin abuse as the primary reason. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 Stern Show that he and Cironi were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007, but began dating again in December 2007. On January 29, 2008, Vinnie Favale, from The Late Show with David Letterman, accidentally e-mailed Dana the itinerary for the night of Artie's appearance. The e-mail contained the details of the reservations Vinnie made for Artie and three Penthouse Pets at a hotel and the Penthouse club. The long-suffering couple have since parted ways. However, Dana accompanied Artie to an appearance on the Letterman show in March 2009. On June 9, 2009, Artie admitted on The Howard Stern Show that he is dating a girl named Adrian that he met in a tanning salon.

Lange remains very close to his family, which includes his sister Stacie, a successful corporate fashion designer, ^[31] and his mother Judy, who retired in March 2007 from a secretarial career. ^[32] He was raised Catholic though his father was an atheist, he has said that, like Howard Stern, he sincerely doubts the existence of God but is "afraid" to identify himself as an atheist in the event that he is wrong.

Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, a supporter of gay rights (despite his notorious penchant for gay jokes), and a supporter of unions due to his former career as a longshoreman. He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and voted for John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited The Howard Stern Show in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films.

He has indicated that his favorite band is The Who, although he is also a devotee of Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC. His favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces. He considers comedian George Carlin to be the all-time greatest, and immediately said "it's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first talk show appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn . ^[33] He has been critical of the "unbelievably positive press" given to comedians such as Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais, while acknowledging their talents, feeling that their acclaim approaches hyperbole.

Health

During a Stern Show weight loss competition, Lange was the only contestant to actually gain weight. He has also been asked to appear on Celebrity Fit Club for each of the show's four seasons, but has declined every time, due to his commitment to "The Stern Show."

In May 2004, Las Vegas station KLAS-TV reported him dead. The story turned out to be a prank executed by Stern Show regular caller Captain Janks.

The website was started to predict when Lange would die if he continues this lifestyle. Before discontinuing updates, the site projected that he would die at age 53. ^[34] The site resulted in Artie getting turned down for special life insurance, when the company came across it. ^[35] During the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner'' in 2006, octogenarian Betty White quipped that she would outlive Artie.

Since his break up with Cironi, Lange has gained well over ; on March 3, 2008, it was determined on The Howard Stern Show that he had reached .

Also in September 2007, Lange gave details of his experiences with sleep apnea. Lange claims that he has awoken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and has fallen asleep while sitting on the toilet.

Artie was tested by Jon Hein for Type-2 diabetes on October 24 on the Howard Stern show, and discovered his blood sugar was at 238. The next day on the show, Artie stated his mother took him to see a doctor and was tested for diabetes. The tests came back negative and he stated his blood pressure was normal. The doctor, however, was very concerned with the speed that Lange has gained so much weight and suggested he go on a diet to save his heart. Since this incident, Artie has begun a moderate diet. Staff members have already commented that he looks "less bloated."

On November 1, 2007, Lange revealed on-air that he had taken a tablet of Subutex and was feeling slightly high. Howard insisted it was because of his new diet. Less than an hour after feeling the effects of Subutex, Lange threw two objects, one of which being a CD case, in a fit of rage at cast member Sal the Stockbroker; the two were not on speaking terms after a heated argument that they had the day before along with Richard Christy. Artie became frustrated once Sal and Richard attempted to amend the situation with an apology he found to be "phony". Artie would soon afterwards apologize to Sal, admitting that he overreacted and "crossed a line [he] never thought [he] would" and would make up with Sal and Richard one week later on November 8.

A picture on November 7, 2007 was revealed on air from the previous day when Artie was photographed holding a McDonald's bag and drink. Artie had called in sick the next day—blaming his "diet" for his illness—and the cast teased him anyway.

On August 6, 2008, Lange claimed to have begun an intensive outpatient rehab program after missing the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget . ^[36] On the August 11th airing of the show Artie admitted to having been back on heroin for the past 7 weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool-hall. ^[37] Comedian Richard Lewis recommended a therapist to Lange.

Lange missed work on December 2 and 3, 2008, due to self-described "general discomfort" and "painful vomiting," causing concern that Lange was having a relapse in his addiction. On December 4, Lange said his doctor believed the symptoms may be the manifestation of a bleeding ulcer.

On the December 8 show, Lange admitted that he lied about intensive outpatient rehab, and had only gone to the therapist twice, not even making it through the end of the second session. This has resulted in the now-familiar fear that he is back in trouble with heroin, pills, and/or alcohol. ^[38]

On the June 17, 2009, episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast, Lange revealed that he had been sober for two and a half months, had lost 45 pounds and hoped to lose 45 more. ^[39]

On July 10, 2009, Artie was arrested for DUI in Toms River, New Jersey following a minor car accident. A witness at the scene said Lange had everyone guffawing. According to Toms River police, Artie was driving a 2009 Nissan Sentra when he rear-ended a 2004 Pontiac. He was charged with DUI and careless driving. ^[40] He has entered a plea of Not Guilty. ^[41]

On the August 10, 2009 show, Howard Stern noticed Artie's weight loss. Artie then confirmed that his current weight is 230 lb and that he wishes to continue in his endeavor to lose more weight. ^[42]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
2007	Entourage	Scott Segil	Ad-libbed Leslie Bibb ass bite
2006	Rescue Me	Mike - Kenny's cousin	TV series
	Artie Lange's Beer League	Artie DeVanzo	Remake of Gameday
	Fox Sports' 2006 World Series coverage	Himself	TV - promos alongside Jerry Stiller
	Supertwink	The Plumber	'' On Demand Film
2005	Waltzing Anna	Jacob Kline	Film
2004	Game Over	Turbo	voice; TV series
	Artie Lange: It's the Whiskey Talkin'	Himself	Stand-up DVD
	A Piece of My Heart	Lenny Steinberg
2003	Elf	Fake Santa
	Mail Order Bride	Tommy	Jackie Martling also stars but they do not appear together
	Old School	Booker
2002	Boat Trip	Brian	Refused to kiss co-star Will Ferrell
2001	Gameday	Artie	short, featured as extra on Artie Lange: It's the Whiskey Talkin'
2001	Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth	Swim Coach Hasselhoff
1999	The Norm Show	Artie Henderson	TV series; once smoked pot with Peter Boyle behind a The West Wing set
	The Bachelor	Marco
	Mystery Men	Big Red
	Lost & Found	Wally
	The 4th Floor	Jerry
	Puppet	Alexie
1998	Dirty Work	Sam McKenna
1996	Jerry Maguire	Sports radio host	scene deleted; Tom Cruise yelled at him
1995	MADtv	various	TV series

Roles lost

Lange auditioned for the role of Milton in Office Space , and for a role in Mike Judge's film Idiocracy , he lost both roles to Stephen Root. ^[43] Lange auditioned for Paul Giamatti's role in Man on the Moon . He also auditioned for the role of Nick Volpe (Wass Stevens was ultimately cast) in the 2008 film The Wrestler . During a December 18, 2008 call to The Howard Stern Show, director Darren Aronofsky, a stand-up comedy fan, stated he was impressed by Lange's acting but felt his celebrity would be distracting to the audience; Stern, who said it was his favorite movie of the year, agreed with this assessment.