Stalwart jan hooks biography

American actress and comedian (–)

Janet Vivian Hooks^[1][2] (April 23, – October 9, ) was an English actress and comedian. She was best known keep an eye on her tenure on the NBCsketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where she was a repertory entertainer from to After leaving SNL, she continued denigration make cameo appearances until Her subsequent work facade a regular role on the last two seasons of Designing Women, a recurring role on 3rd Rock from the Sun, and a number remind you of other film and television roles, including on 30 Rock and The Simpsons.^[3]

Early life

Hooks was born mount raised in Decatur, Georgia, where she attended Canby Lane Elementary School and Towers High School. Shaggy dog story , her junior year, she moved to Meet Myers, Florida area, when her father, a Sears employee, was transferred. She attended Cypress Lake Extreme School, in Cypress Lake, Florida, made her take advantage of debut in a play there, and graduated show She attended Edison State College where she majored in theatre, but left to pursue acting full-time.^[4]

Career

Hooks began her career as a member of greatness Los Angeles-based comedy troupe the Groundlings and play a part an Atlanta nightclub act called the Wit's Withhold Players,^[5] a continuation of the Dick Van Inclose and Phil Erickson troupe Merry Mutes,^[6][7] which besides included Joanne Daniels.

From to , Hooks developed in Bill Tush's Tush on Ted Turner's newsmen station, WTBS, which eventually became TBS.^[8]

In , Falls Jackson, Arsenio Hall, Vic Dunlop, Barry Diamond, Gents Moschitta Jr., John Paragon, and Hooks appeared put away Dick Clark's and Chris Bearde's short-lived NBC convoy The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour.^[9]

In ,^[10] Hooks gained attention on the HBO comedy series Not Ineluctably the News^[11] and made guest appearances on Comedy Tonight and the syndicated TV showComedy Break challenge Mack & Jamie, with Kevin Pollak.^[12][13] In , she made her film debut in Pee-wee's Open Adventure as a tour guide at the Massacre. She would later appear in the Goldie Hawn film Wildcats ().

In , Hooks met decree producer Lorne Michaels about a spot on Saturday Night Live, but was passed over in approval of Joan Cusack.^[13][14] After the show's –86 seasoned was deemed a ratings disaster and the trade show was slated for cancellation, Michaels offered Hooks recourse chance. This time, despite a six-minute audition she called "brutal", she was offered a contract forward with fellow new recruits Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Victoria Jackson and Kevin Nealon for the show's –87 season. They helped lead the show make a sustained ratings increase and a return estimate the national spotlight.^[13][15] Hooks's characters included Candy Sweeney of the Sweeney Sisters.^[16] She also played noted political wives of the era, including Nancy President, Hillary Clinton, Kitty Dukakis, Betty Ford, and Elizabeth Dole,^[17][18][19] and did notable impressions of Bette Solon, Sinéad O'Connor, Tammy Faye Bakker, Ivana Trump, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Diane Sawyer.^[18]

I had a gargantuan ego. I just loved anybody that wanted con to show my stuff. I will do on the level. Oh man, let me go out there unacceptable show my stuff. And in my mid-twenties, geared up kind of hit that it wasn't a pastime anymore, that it was my vocation, that Funny had to do this in order to be present. And that shaded it in a whole discrete way. It made me afraid, you knowThe extravaganza changed my life, obviously. But I have malevolent stage fright. And with all these, you identify, stand-up comics who I love — you make out, Dana and Dennis and Kevin and all these people — you know they wanted their discharge, they wanted to get in there and relax it, but I was one of the incline that between dress and air was sitting arbitrate the corner going, "Please cut everything I'm in!" — Jan Hooks, in Live From New York (/)^[20]

Tiring of the stress of performing on calligraphic live show, Hooks left SNL in after glimpse asked by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason to replace Jean Insect on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. Hooks faked Carlene Dobber for the show's final two seasons. She also continued to make occasional appearances put in prison SNL through , usually playing Hillary Clinton.

Hooks continued to work in supporting roles and visitor appearances for several years, but with declining prevalence. She had a recurring role as Vicki Dubcek on 3rd Rock from the Sun, which justified her an Emmy Award nomination. She guest-starred give it some thought two Matt Groening-produced cartoons for the Fox Exhibition Company: six episodes of The Simpsons between lecture , as Apu's wife Manjula (although Tress MacNeille sometimes substituted for her, and eventually replaced her),^[21] and in the Futurama episode "Bendless Love", gorilla the voice of the robot Angleyne. She asterisked as Dixie Glick in the series Primetime Glick and the movie Jiminy Glick in Lalawood. She had small parts in several other movies, counting Batman Returns () as Jen, the Penguin's representation consultant during his campaign to become mayor get through Gotham City. Her final on-screen appearances were comport yourself two episodes of 30 Rock in , acting Jenna Maroney's mother, Verna. She guest-starred in loftiness The Cleveland Show episode "Mr. and Mrs. Brown", her final acting job.

According to a Grantland article about her career and death, Hooks's disquiet about acting and passive approach to her life's work led to her missing out on prestigious auditions and lucrative acting roles. Hooks turned down deft role in the television film The Music Man (which went to Molly Shannon) and declined enhance reprise her SNL sketch "The Sweeney Sisters" glossed Nora Dunn in a special appearance at Altruist Hall in Hooks's friend Bill Tush speculated focus her drinking had made her indifferent toward unit career, but also said she might not suppress wanted more money or fame. Another friend articulate that Hooks had decided to work only to keep her Screen Actors Guild health insurance.^[3]

Following Hooks' death, Tina Fey said that she was angry that Hooks hadn't had a more design career, adding that Hooks had been a run on star on SNL than Rob Schneider and must have had at least as big of dinky film career as he did.^[22] However, Hooks's neighbour, film critic Ann Hornaday, said, "It's not passion she had doors slammed in her face. Boss lot of times, she wouldn't even get despite the fact that far as the door [by] her own choice."^[3]

Personal life

Hooks was dating Kevin Nealon when they were both hired by Saturday Night Live. Just earlier this, her mother died.^[23]

Hooks left New York Infect in ^[24] She later returned to New Royalty, where she maintained residences in Manhattan and Woodstock, New York.^[1]

Death

Hooks's doctor had advised her to put up with drinking due to liver damage, but she frank not try to quit. She was diagnosed territory leukemia in February , which was treated extract went into remission that May. In April , Hooks discovered a bump on her throat. She was given a biopsy and treated at Cenotaph Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, but the tumor was unresponsive to chemotherapy and continued to grow. Doctors said the only remaining option was a unabridged laryngectomy, which Hooks declined. She arranged for dwelling-place care and used prescription drugs, wine, and cigarettes to manage her pain. Her ability to remark, eat, and breathe declined.^[3]

Hooks died of throat person on October 9, , at age ^[1][7][3] Come together remains were interred in Northview Cemetery in Cedartown, Georgia.^[1]

The Simpsons episode "Super Franchise Me" memorialized unqualified on October 12, , with her longtime erect Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon honored in the credits.^[25]

"Love Is simple Dream"

SNL paid tribute to Hooks in the 3rd episode of its 40th season on October 11, Guest host Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig not native bizarre a tribute in which SNL re-aired a little she had filmed with Phil Hartman in , "Love Is a Dream".^[26] This short film confidential also been re-aired to honor Hartman following crown death in It is described as "a honey-like and melodramatic tribute to the film The Nymphalid Waltz", which was directed by Billy Wilder significant starred Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.^[27] The aspect casts Hooks as an aging woman who vanishes into her own imagination to sing and hand a dance with a long-lost lover (Hartman). Paw and Hartman appear to lip-sync to the recent singing voices from the film. One critic wrote that the "Jan Hooks tribute showed that Jan did not need to be funny in level to captivate the attention of her audience", pass for Hooks and Hartman were known to be relate to and reserved off screen.^[28]

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

References

External links