The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree with the Rickles family. Don Rickles’ daughter Mindy is also a brilliant comedian. Mindy’s father passed away on April 6 at the age of 90 after suffering from kidney failure. The funnyman had been married to his wife Barbara for 52 years. Together, they had two children, Mindy, born in 1966, and Larry, born in 1970. Tragically, Larry Rickles passed away in 2011 after complications from pneumonia.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Mindy’s Kids Were Most Impressed by Their Grandfather’s Work in Toy Story
Despite a more than 60 year comedy career, Don Rickles said in a memoir that his grandkids, Ethan and Harrison were most impressed by his Toy Story. The comedian played Mr. Potato Head in the movie series. In an interview with Maxim, Rickles said, “Well, sure. I busted my bird for 60 years in the business, but my grandkids only know me as Mr. Potato Head.”
2. Her Husband Is a Renowned Jazz Musician
Mindy’s husband Ed Mann. (Twitter)
Mindy is married to radio executive and jazz musician Ed Mann. Mann says on his Twitter page, “Happy radio person for 36 years, doing syndication and loving it! Jazz is my thing, and I play trumpet wherever I can. Married with two amazing boys.”
On March 8, Mann paid tribute to his wife on Twitter, thanking her for 20 years of marriage. The couple’s wedding announcement that was published in Variety, says the couple was married in Beverly Hills.
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm Star Jeff Garlin Got Mindy Into Comedy
Mindy told LA Weekly that it was Curb Your Enthusiasm star Jeff Garlin who recommended she go into comedy. Mindy adds that Garlin didn’t know she was Don Rickles’ daughter at the time.
Mindy also appeared in Garlin’s comedy movie, Dealin’ With Idiots, according to her IMDb page.
Mindy is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She writes on Facebook that her dad thought she had majored in tennis. Prior to going into comedy, Mindy was a preschool teacher in Los Angeles, according to a feature on her dad in the New York Times that was published in 1996.
4. Mindy Says: ‘My Dad Was a Storyteller’
Mindy described her father as a “storyteller” in a 2015 interview. Mindy added that Rickles “wasn’t a setup-punchline comic.” Mindy says her comedic style is similar. She adds, “I think being older and married and having kids, I’m able to be more honest about my life and all that. I think I would’ve felt even more vulnerable years ago. I just would not have been able to do it.”
5. Mindy Performed With Her Dad Throughout His Career
Mindy Rickles pictured on her Twitter page.
In her youth, Mindy appeared on an episodes of In the Heat of the Night with Carroll O’Connor.
In addition, in June 1990, Mindy appeared in an episode of Tales From the Crypt that starred her father. Her cameo showed her hanging out in a bar with Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner.
On her Facebook bio, Mindy say she “survived [her] upbringing by Barbara and Don Rickles and spent most every Christmas and Hannukah in Las Vegas on the lawn of the Sahara Hotel where she was entertained by the cooks and maids.”