Andrew "Dice" Clay (born Andrew Clay Silverstein on September 29, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American comedian and actor. Notorious for his highly profane comedy, his popularity and success peaked during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Clay has worked on various show business projects to this day with a more modest degree of success. Rick Rubin was quoted on the "E! True Hollywood Story: Andrew Dice Clay" as saying to the effect "What's the bad news? That he's making seven figures in Vegas?", a reference to Clay's popular Las Vegas Strip comedy shows. He was ranked number 95 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Standups of All Time.

Early career

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As Andrew Clay, he made sitcom appearances on M*A*S*H and Diff'rent Strokes. He then landed roles in movies such as Making the Grade, starring Judd Nelson (1984) (playing a character named "Dice"), Pretty In Pink (1986) (credited for the first time as Andrew "Dice" Clay). As Andrew Dice Clay, he also had a regular role on Crime Story from 1986–1988. This was followed by a series of less-notable films. He eventually turned from acting towards stand-up comedy, focusing on the character "Dice" as in Pretty in Pink. Possibly named after The Dice Man, a novel by Luke Rhinehart, the persona was that of a highly racist, homophobic woman-hating street-wise Brooklyn tough.

Comedic style

Unlike comics such as Lenny Bruce, Sam Kinison or Bill Hicks, who would use their aggression as a tool for political or social commentary, Clay's seeming intent was simply to be as shocking as possible. His material consisted of profane, sexist routines emphasizing women as sex objects, featuring his purported sexual prowess and his total self-involvement, as well as extremely offensive racist comments aimed mainly toward Asian and Arab people. At its best, Clay's overbearing character hovered between a performance-art rejection of stereotypical misogynism and a celebration of pure excess (similar to the old joke/new film The Aristocrats). However, at its worst the material was simply insulting, and detractors, fans and the comedian alike seemed to have had a hard time separating character from reality.

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