February 28: Notable Births and Deaths, with Quotes

Let’s explore notable birth and death anniversaries for February 28.

Gilbert Gottfried, comedian and actor (February 28, 1955–April 12, 2022)

“It was my wife who told me that I should start a podcast, and since I live in the 1400s, I wouldn’t even know how to find my own podcast online. When people ask me where to find it, I go, ‘I don’t know, I guess on the internet somewhere.’” —Gilbert Gottfried
Fagerholm, Matt. “Hot Docs 2017 Interview: Gilbert Gottfried on ‘Gilbert.’” RogerEbert.com, May 2, 2017, https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hot-docs-2017-interview-gilbert-gottfried-on-gilbert.

“I am very proud of my son, and there was one particular time where I was really proud of him. He was very small at the time—he’s seven now—and he asked me, ‘Daddy, tell me a joke that’s inappropriate for children.’ That’s when I realized I didn’t need to do a DNA test on him. He is definitely my son.” —Gilbert Gottfried
Fagerholm, Matt. “Hot Docs 2017 Interview: Gilbert Gottfried on ‘Gilbert.’” RogerEbert.com, May 2, 2017, https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hot-docs-2017-interview-gilbert-gottfried-on-gilbert.

“I can say any bad thing about another person, but if they start making fun of the shirt I’m wearing, I go, ‘Oh come on, that’s just—it’s one thing to joke, but now you’re taking it to a really cruel area.’ So I’m as hypocritical as anybody.” —Gilbert Gottfried
Fagerholm, Matt. “Hot Docs 2017 Interview: Gilbert Gottfried on ‘Gilbert.’” RogerEbert.com, May 2, 2017, https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hot-docs-2017-interview-gilbert-gottfried-on-gilbert.

Bernadette Peters, singer and actor (February 28, 1948–present)

“Every role I’ve played, I’ve thought, ‘That’s me. That’s me!’” —Bernadette Peters
Soloski, Alexis. “Bernadette Peters: ‘Every role I’ve played, I’ve thought – that’s me!’” The Guardian, May 30, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/may/30/bernadette-peters-broadway-sondheim.

“You have to be very regimented. You have to make sure you get eight hours of sleep. You can’t go to loud restaurants — you’ll lose your voice. You can’t talk on the phone too much. But the payoff is so, so beautiful. You make your instrument ready to go, ready to receive.” —Bernadette Peters
Soloski, Alexis. “Bernadette Peters: ‘Every role I’ve played, I’ve thought – that’s me!’” The Guardian, May 30, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/may/30/bernadette-peters-broadway-sondheim.

Mario Andretti, race car driver (February 28, 1940–present)

“Throughout my career, I look back and every year, every season I look back at, am I better off? Do I know more this year than I did last year? Yes. Am I a better driver? Yes. And as long as I could answer that, I was in good shape and I felt that I was moving forward.” —Mario Andretti
Morrison, Mac. “Mario Andretti: The Mega Interview, Part 1 [Exclusive].” Motor Trend, May 22, 2019, https://www.motortrend.com/news/mario-andretti-interview-part-1-exclusive/.

“One thing for sure, I was never too bashful to ask questions of the other drivers, befriend some of the other drivers and so on and so forth, and trying to pick their brain, and then tried to discard what were lies. Not so many people are willing to really give you the right tips and so forth. But at the same time, read between the lines, and again, also keep an eye peeled as to what you see and so forth, about tires they’re running, and the siping that they use and all that.” —Mario Andretti
Morrison, Mac. “Mario Andretti: The Mega Interview, Part 1 [Exclusive].” Motor Trend, May 22, 2019, https://www.motortrend.com/news/mario-andretti-interview-part-1-exclusive/.

“A race car, no matter what, it’s a different animal, it grows differently, and it runs differently and all that, but it’s still an animal that will respond to the same command. And that’s one thing that I’ve found out, and I found that to be the most fascinating aspect of it all, because it was always a challenge, of course. The biggest challenge that I found along the way was to find the limit of that particular animal.” —Mario Andretti
Morrison, Mac. “Mario Andretti: The Mega Interview, Part 1 [Exclusive].” Motor Trend, May 22, 2019, https://www.motortrend.com/news/mario-andretti-interview-part-1-exclusive/.

Paul Harvey, radio broadcaster (September 4, 1918–February 28, 2009)

“Since I was 14, that voice has been my vocation, my avocation. It’s been my life.” —Paul Harvey
King, Larry. “Interview with Paul Harvey.” CNN, January 30, 2003, https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2003-01-30/segment/00.

“I can remember in the 1930s, when the United Nations was called the League of Nations until it ignored the intrusion of Japan into Manchuria and China, until it ignored the intrusion of Italy into Ethiopia, until it failed to recognize Hitler for what he was, publicly tearing up the Versailles Treaty. And, so, the League of Nations, impotent, disappeared.” —Paul Harvey
King, Larry. “Interview with Paul Harvey.” CNN, January 30, 2003, https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2003-01-30/segment/00.

“Don’t let noisy news distress you. Don’t let the headline writers rain on your parade.” —Paul Harvey
King, Larry. “Interview with Paul Harvey.” CNN, January 30, 2003, https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2003-01-30/segment/00.

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