Shapiro was born in
New Jersey. Spending his early years in
New York City and New Jersey, Shapiro started his career in the early 1980s as a comedian at
Catch A Rising Star on Broadway. Besides performing regularly on stage, Additionally, he portrayed the re-occurring character "Angry Poet" in ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. In the 2000s, Shapiro's career continues in multiple fields. He is performing stand-up comedy nationally and internationally, debuting a one-man show in 2007 in the
Edinburgh Festival, and touring Australia in 2009. He had his first video game appearance in 2008, portraying the character Mason Waylon on the radio station PLR in
Grand Theft Auto IV, a guest on a talk show who eventually drills holes in the heads of the two other guests. Shapiro has an active acting career, appearing in numerous film and television productions. In film, his most recent roles are in
Top Five by
Chris Rock, portraying T-Rick in the movie
Project X, and acting in the German comedy
Timeless. His television credits include Jerry in
Lucky Louie by Louis C.K. on
HBO. Additionally, he appears in a scene originally filmed for the pilot of
Louie. Shapiro's first book
Unfiltered, containing over 200 previously unreleased writings, was released in 2012 along with his second CD,
Catalyst for Change. In 2013, Rick Shapiro was diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease. As of August 2014, he is practically symptom-free and is productive, and in 2014–15, Shapiro appeared in the role of Marc Maron's eccentric neighbor, Bernie, in the IFC comedy series
Maron. ==Style==