Mr. Warmth Don Rickles brings his zingers to Las Vegas in October

Don Rickles, the legendary Mr. Warmth, marks his 56th consecutive year as a Las Vegas headliner with two shows at The Orleans Showroom on Oct. 17 and 18. Some consider a zinger from comedian and actor Rickles a badge of honor.

The Merchant of Venom is never mean-spirited; in fact, his punches are all part of the act. Most recently, the 89-year-old Rickles appeared on “The Tonight Show” to heckle Jimmy Fallon.

Back in 1957, Rickles spotted Frank Sinatra in the audience at a nightclub in Miami Beach, went up to him and said, “I just saw your movie, ‘The Pride and the Passion,’ and I want to tell you, the cannon’s acting was great. Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody,” Rickles recalls on his website.

From then on, Sinatra referred to Rickles as “bullet-head,” and told his celebrity friends to see his show at Murray Franklin’s nightclub, making him the “in” comic among Hollywood stars who wanted to be the target of his insults.

Rickles first performed in Las Vegas in 1959 with help from Sinatra and has kept his name in lights every year since.

Rickles made his acting debut in 1958’s “Run Silent Run Deep.” Since then, he’s appeared in “Casino,” “Kelly’s Heroes,” “The Rat Race,” all three “Toy Story” films, HBO’s “Tales From the Crypt” and Bravo’s “My Life on the D-List” with Kathy Griffin.

Comedians took their own jabs at Rickles in June 2013 when he was roasted as he earned the Friars Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy.

Tickets start at $79.95.

Tickets: Boyd Gaming box office, (702) 284-7777