The Personal Life of Lenny Bruce

Leonard Alfred Schneider, aka Lenny Bruce, was born October 13th, 1925 in Mineola, New York. He grew up with divorced parents, and rarely seeing his father. However, he would accompany his mother to her job as a stage performer. 

By the time Lenny was 16, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Within his time in the Navy, he saw active duty in World War II aboard the USS Brooklyn. He also fought in Italy and Northern Africa. Also while he was in the military, he performed a skit for his fellow ship-mates that involved him dressing in drag. This led to him being dishonorably discharged in 1945. He was able to successfully have his discharge changed to “Under Honorable Conditions…by reason of unsuitability for the naval service.” It was after he came back that he was introduced to the world of show business. Bruce was not only a stand-up comic. However, Lenny Bruce first started the stage as Lenny Marsalle one evening at the Victory club. He served as a stand-in master of ceremonies for one of his mothers shows. After changing his surname to Bruce soon after, he started doing stand-up for a spaghetti dinner and $12.In the earlier years of his career, he wrote screenplays. He had also released four albums that covered his comedy material that ranged from topics of abortion, discrimination, and religion (all of which were socially unacceptable to discuss).   

By 1951, Bruce met his soon to be wife, Honey Harlowe. After they married they moved to Hollywood, where Bruce made it his goal to end Harlowe’s days of a stripper. Together they had their daughter, Kitty Bruce in 1955.                                                                                                                                                                               

Not long after, Lenny found his way settling in New York City, where he hoped to establish himself as a comedian. There he met the comedian Joe Ancis who heavily influenced how Bruce approached comedy.

Unfortunately, Lenny Bruce met an untimely death. In 1966, Lenny Bruce died over an apparent overdose, at the age of 40 years old.

(Images used on this page are for a University school project).