About
Sandra Bernhard was born in Michigan but moved to Scottsdale, Arizona with her family when she was ten. When she graduated from high school, Bernhard high-tailed it Los Angeles and found work in an upscale nail salon. Although the fiery comedian had some luck landing small parts in movies and on the occasional television special, her big acting break came in 1983, when she was cast as Misha, Robert DeNiro's psychotic fan in The King of Comedy. Throughout her career, Bernhard's adult humor and in-your-face approach repelled almost as many people as it attracted, so it was somewhat surprising for her to be cast in a Muppet movie (Follow That Bird). It made for rather compelling casting, however, when she landed the role of Nancy Bartlett, the openly gay friend on the hit television show, Roseanne. Bernhard was a series regular from 1! 991-1997, and proved a popular character. When the series ended, Bernhard once again focused her energies on stand-up, and in 1998 opened in a one- woman show titled I'm Still HereĀ
Damn It! The show was a huge critical and commercial hit, and ran for five months in New York before moving to other cities. One of these shows was filmed for an HBO special, which put her back in the public eye once again. Guest appearances on Ally McBeal, Will and Grace and Chicago Hope followed, as did appearances on the comedy-oriented shows Late Night with David Letterman, Mad TV and The Tonight Show. In between it all, Bernhard finds time to writes books and contribute articles to publications such as New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone.
- Linda Ryan
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