Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to The Business

The Business

Neil Berkeley on 'Gilbert,' a quiet portrait of a loud-mouthed comedian

Documentary filmmaker Neil Berkeley desperately wanted to make a movie about the screeching comedian Gilbert Gottfried.

  • rss
Download MP3
  • Share
By Kim Masters • Dec 4, 2017 • 28m Listen

Documentarian Neil Berkeley spent seven months filming loud-mouthed comedian Gilbert Gottfried at home and on the road. He learned that Gottfried can squeeze a penny until it screams, and that off-stage, the bombastic Gottfried is a quiet, devoted family man. Berkeley tells KCRW's Matt Holzman about the risky strategy he used to make Gilbert -- filming the entire documentary even though Gottfried had not signed a release. And Berkeley explains how he funds his filmmaking through a day job as a graphic designer for TV shows like the Property Brothers and Real Housewives.

Photo: Director Neil Berkeley filming comedian Gilbert Gottfried for the documentary Gilbert (Arlene Gottfried)

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Kim Masters

    partner/writer at Puck News, host of KCRW's “The Business.”

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Kaitlin Parker

    Producer, 'The Business' and 'Hollywood Breakdown'

    CultureEntertainmentArts
Back to The Business