Nora Dunn

Nora Eloise Dunn (born April 29, 1952) is an American actress and comedienne, known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

Biography

Early life

Dunn was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Margaret, a nurse, and John Dunn, a musician and poet.^[1] Her brother is actor Kevin Dunn. She attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1970 to 1972, San Francisco City College, and the Academy of Fine Arts.^[2]

Career

Dunn joined SNL in 1985 with the return of Lorne Michaels as executive producer. The 1985 – 86 season proved to be a ratings disaster, and she was one of only five cast members who were not fired at its end (the others were newcomers Jon Lovitz, A. Whitney Brown, Dennis Miller and longtime featured player Al Franken). As part of the 1986 – 87 cast including newcomers Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon, Dunn would be part of what was considered the show's second golden age.Dunn was also in Max Keebles Big Move.

Although she never became one of its breakout stars, Dunn was a dependable supporting player. Her characters included half of "The Sweeney Sisters" lounge act alongside Hooks, as well as talk show host Pat Stevens (which became a popular recurring role starting in the low-rated 1985-1986 season), melodramatic French hooker Babette, and film buff Ashley Ashley from the "Actors on Film" sketch from the 1985-1986 season. Her many impressions included Ann Landers, Imelda Marcos, Liza Minnelli, Tyne Daly, Joan Baez, Martina Navratilova, and Cokie Roberts.

Dunn made headlines in 1990 when she, along with original musical guest Sinéad O'Connor, boycotted an episode which was hosted by comedian Andrew Dice Clay because they found his misogynistic humor offensive. Since then, in addition to numerous feature film roles, she has gone back to television with recurring roles on Sisters from 1993-1996 and The Nanny from 1998-1999, as well as a guest-starring role in a two-part episode of The X-Files in 1998.

Her many films include Miami Blues with Alec Baldwin, Three Kings with George Clooney, Runaway Jury with John Cusack and Zoolander with Ben Stiller and most recently the indie hit Love For Rent.

Recurring characters on SNL

• Ashley Ashley, a pretentious film critic from the recurring sketch, "Actors on Film" (her partner was Jimmy Chance, played by Robert Downey, Jr.)
• Babette, a melodramatic French prostitute
• Pat Stevens, a model turned talk show host
• Denise Venetti, host of "Learning To Feel"
• Dr. Norma Hoeffering, a lesbian psychiatrist who writes male-bashing self-help books
• Liz Sweeney, one half of a pair of singing sisters (the other half played by Jan Hooks)
• Loose Chang, Ching Chang's (Dana Carvey) love interest
• Mrs. Campbell, Wayne Campbell's (Mike Myers's) mom

Celebrity impersonations

• Ann Landers
• Imelda Marcos
• Liza Minnelli
• Tyne Daly
• Martina Navratilova
• Cokie Roberts
• Jeane Dixon
• Jeane Kirkpatrick
• Joan Baez
• Brigitte Nielsen
• Catherine Deneuve
• Donna Rice
• Barbara Bush
• Cindy Adams
• Barbara Merrill
• Leona Helmsley
• Linda Dano
• Peggy Lee
• Shelley Duvall
• Marilyn Quayle
• Pat Schroeder
• Linda Ellerbee
• Mary Hart
• Raisa Gorbacheva
• Frida Kahlo

Personal life

Nora married Ray Hutcheson, a playwright, in September 1987. The couple divorced in 1995. In 1998 Nora married Sean McGarry, a set builder.

References

External links

• Nora Dunn at the Internet Movie Database
• Nora Dunn at TV.com