Gilbert Gottfried’s Daughter Reveals His Secret Talent

“You probably know my dad Gilbert Gottfried as the famous comedian and actor,” says 16-year-old Lily Gottfried, narrator of The Secret Talent of Gilbert Gottfried, a new short film that she also wrote and directed. “But nobody knew he was also a really talented artist.”

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As a kid, Gottfried’s early report cards were littered with complaints from teachers, grousing about his lack of effort and quiet, introverted personality. (Apparently, the screaming started later.) But one kind teacher recognized that Gottfried had a gift for art, cartooning in particular, and advised the family to encourage the emerging talent. His grandmother signed him up for art classes, where he learned to make masks and puppets that populated shows he put on for his family. 

But school didn’t get any easier. He dropped out at age 15, torn between a career in stand-up (his big sister took him to his first open mic at around that same age) and art. He spent his days drawing and his nights joking on stage. “Here’s what I sometimes think about Gilbert,” says his sister Karen. “People say the left part of the brain is more suited to mathematics and the right is your creative side. Well, Gilbert’s right must have been huge because he had all that creative energy.”

While Gottfried ultimately opted for a career as a comic and an actor, cartoonist Drew Freidman still marvels at his artistic gifts, influenced by underground comix artists like Robert Crumb and the best of Mad Magazine. Friedman describes Gottfried’s artwork as “insane, twisted, sweet and beautiful” and “vile fever dreams.” (Gottfried’s father noticed, a bit taken aback by the sexual imagery that sometimes showed up in the manic drawings). “His artwork reflected everything that was simmering around in that brain of his, nothing held back, his psyche splattered, regurgitated onto innocent sheets of paper, crazy and from the heart.”

“That way of looking at the world that was so important to his comedy also manifested itself visually,” says Penn Jillette. All of the qualities that made Gottfried’s stand-up so memorable, “the exaggerations, the cartoon quality, the pop culture, the taboos — they're all in the artwork.”

 “The art is wonderful,” Jillette continues, “and gives another little glimpse into a heart and soul that culture will be studying forever.”