How Gilbert Gottfried's iconic 'Iago' voice helped a father connect with his autistic son
The lesser known story behind our favorite cartoon bird.

Gilbert Gottfried in 2016.
Gilbert Gottfried was a legendary stand-up comic, who somehow managed to pull off bizarre, even crude humor with a sense of lighthearted charm. He also appeared in countless films and TV shows as an actor, including āSaturday Night Live,ā āBeverly Hills Cop IIā and more recently āThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.ā
But for many ā90s kids (myself included) he was quite simply the one, the only ⦠Iago.
Gottfried brought a wisecracking, chaotic Disney parrot to life in a way that no one else could. In fact, fellow āAladdinā actor Jonathan Freeman credited Gottfried for bringing out his best rendition of the movieās sinister villain, Jafar.
āMy performance was much improved by having had Gilbert as the parrot because I didnāt have to be psychotic. I could let him be psychotic,ā Freeman said in an interview for Theater Mania.
And while nearly everyone on the planet might know about Gottfriedās Iago, they might not know how his beloved character helped one father connect once again with his autistic son.
In 2014, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ron Suskind wrote an article for The New York Times sharing how his son Owenās regressive autism diagnosis came as a frustrating, confusing and painful shock.
Unlike children born with it, those with regressive autism seem to be developing typically then will suddenly experience a rapid loss in communication and social skills. This meant his once āchatty, energeticā boy stopped speaking. For four years.
In the midst of the familyās upheaval, one saving grace provided comfort and stability: Disney.
Movies such as āThe Little Mermaid,ā āBeauty and the Beastā and even old classics like āDumboā and "Bambiā still held Owenās interest. And eventually, Suskind discovered that they could also be the key to communication.
On his brother Waltās birthday, Owen used a Disney reference to speak a complex sentence: āWalter doesnāt want to grow up, like Mowgli or Peter Pan.ā
Eager to find a way to keep the momentum going, Suskind followed Owen into his room.
As he tiptoed up the stairs, Suskind saw a puppet of Iago, one of Owenās āfavorite characters.ā
Owen had been doing lots of Iago echolalia, repeating certain character lines. Echolalia is commonly described as both a symptom of autism and as a point of entry for a parent.
Suskind joked that it was āeasy to identify because the character is voiced by Gilbert Gottfried, who talks like a busted Cuisinart.ā
Suskind successfully grabbed the Iago puppet, then froze, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, an idea came. āWhat would Iago say?ā
Doing his best Gilbert Gottfried, Suskind started to ask Owen simple questions.
āHow ya doin'?ā
āHow does it feel to be you?ā
He must have done a convincing Gottfried impression, because it worked. Owen and āIagoā had a long, heartfelt conversation. Owen even channeled his inner Jafar. They were playing together. A miracle.
āI hear a laugh, a joyful little laugh that I have not heard in many years,ā the father wrote.
That breakthrough would eventually lead to Suskind writing a book about the life-changing discovery. He even teamed up with Owen (now all grown up) to adapt the book into a documentary called āLife Animated.ā
Owen now seems to be a happy, healthy adult (a picture of him next to Gottfried below) with a fulfilling lifeāand yes, still a love of Disney, thanks in part to a wisecracking, chaotic parrot.
Gottfriedās voice was indeed iconic. But, as with many great artists, it also helped others find their voice. His talent made a lasting positive impact, and he will be missed.
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