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Prepping for Pilots - Back Stage


Back Stage

Prepping for Pilots
Back Stage
We cast Molly Shannon, John Michael Higgins, Selma Blair, and Mikey Day, but the fifth role was constantly a struggle. It started out as a heavyset girl, ...

Posted on January 21, 2010, 12:10 pm

In Passing: 2009, Part II - Box Office Prophets


Box Office Prophets

In Passing: 2009, Part II
Box Office Prophets
Then again, considering it's Kevin Nealon and Molly Shannon, it's not like they'd know any different anyway, so hey; maybe the casting directors knew what ...

Posted on January 21, 2010, 7:02 am

Bigg Mouth strikes again! - Music Indistry News Network


Bigg Mouth strikes again!
Music Indistry News Network
... by Sean Anders (featuring Seth Green, James Marsden and Amanda Crew). NBC's hit comedy "Kath&Kim" (featuring Selma Blair and Molly Shannon) to name a few.

Posted on January 21, 2010, 7:49 am

Circus Finelli celebrates fifth anniversary - San Francisco Chronicle


Circus Finelli celebrates fifth anniversary
San Francisco Chronicle
Her partners in the absurd - Molly Shannon, Lux Gaxiola and Elizabeth "Z" Smith - met at San Francisco Circus Center's Clown Conservatory in 2004, ...

Posted on January 6, 2010, 5:08 pm

Winona Ryder as Spock's Mom: Are Young Women Cast as Matriarchs the New Trend? - Blogcritics.org (blog)


Blogcritics.org (blog)

Winona Ryder as Spock's Mom: Are Young Women Cast as Matriarchs the New Trend?
Blogcritics.org (blog)
Surely part of its complete unwatchability (aside from Selma Blair, 36, attempting comedy) was the fact that no one bought Molly Shannon, 43, as her mom. ...

Posted on January 17, 2010, 2:25 pm

Scott Thompson overcomes cancer and career setbacks on road to Kids comeback - The Canadian Press


The Canadian Press

Scott Thompson overcomes cancer and career setbacks on road to Kids comeback
The Canadian Press
McCulloch moved on to feature film directing, helming Molly Shannon's comedy "Superstar" in 1999 and the Tom Green farce "Stealing Harvard" in 2002, ...

and more »

Posted on January 10, 2010, 11:25 am

Doherty, Benson lead locals in opening cross-country races - Meredith News


Doherty, Benson lead locals in opening cross-country races
Meredith News
Breezy Clausen was second for the Eagles, coming home in 116th place in a time of 22:59, while Molly Shannon raced to 120th place in 23:30. ...

and more »

Posted on January 11, 2010, 8:37 pm

Disney star Chelsea Staub will be in Fiesta Bowl Parade - AZ Central.com


Disney star Chelsea Staub will be in Fiesta Bowl Parade
AZ Central.com
She was given that chance, and in only one week of auditions, she booked a role in the television show "Cracking Up" starring Molly Shannon and Jason ...

and more »

Posted on January 1, 2010, 7:56 am

The 10 Best Film Portrayals of God & The Devil - Paste Magazine (blog)


The 10 Best Film Portrayals of God & The Devil
Paste Magazine (blog)
he exclaims, when Molly Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher first envisions him flying in through the window on golden light. All the answers we seek can be ...

Posted on January 13, 2010, 5:15 am

IL TELECOMANDO, LA GUIDA TV DI DM: 29 DICEMBRE 2009 - DavideMaggio.it (Blog)


DavideMaggio.it (Blog)

IL TELECOMANDO, LA GUIDA TV DI DM: 29 DICEMBRE 2009
DavideMaggio.it (Blog)
... con Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Craig Bierko, Simon Rex, Leslie Nielsen, Carmen Electra, Bill Pullman, Chris Elliott, Michael Madsen, Molly Shannon. ...

and more »

Posted on December 29, 2009, 10:38 am

Molly Shannon Biography

Molly Shannon
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Molly Shannon

Shannon at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Born Molly Helen Shannon
September 16, 1964 (1964-09-16) (age 45)
Shaker Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation Actress, Comedian, Writer
Years active 1987–present
Spouse(s) Fritz Chesnut (2004-present)

Molly Helen Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress, comedian and writer, best known for her work as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1995-2001. Most recently, she starred on the NBC sitcom Kath & Kim until its cancellation in 2009.

Contents

Early life

Shannon was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio to an Irish American Catholic family.12 Her mother, Peg Shannon, was a teacher, and her father, James F. Shannon, was a sales manager.3 Shannon was involved in a traumatic car accident when she was four years old which killed her mother, younger sister, and cousin.4 Shannon attended St. Dominic School in Shaker Heights for grade school, and Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio, for high school.

Career

Before Saturday Night Live, Shannon had a struggling career in films, her most notable being a supporting role as Meg in the 1989 horror film remake of The Phantom of the Opera with Robert Englund. In 1991, she had a brief appearance in the second season of Twin Peaks, and in 1993, she appeared in a supporting role in two episodes of In Living Color, the first in a fake TV commercials with Chris Rock (played by Shawn Wayans), and the second in a sketch with Jim Carrey, playing LAPD Sergeant Stacy Koon (think Rodney King).

Shannon's major break came in February 1995, when she was hired as a featured player on Saturday Night Live to replace Janeane Garofalo after Garofalo left mid-season. Shannon was one of the few cast members to be kept (along with David Spade, Norm Macdonald, Mark McKinney, and Tim Meadows) when Lorne Michaels engaged in a major cast overhaul between seasons 20 and 21.

She appeared in a 1997 episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Summer of George," where she played Sam, the co-worker who drove Elaine Benes crazy because she did not swing her arms while walking. She also appeared in Sheryl Crow's video for the song "A Change (Will Do You Good)" and played the recurring role of loony neighbor Val Bassett, Grace Adler's nemesis, on Will & Grace, appearing in five episodes over the sitcom's eight-season run. In 1998, she played the role of Emily Sanderson in the film A Night at the Roxbury, featuring Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan who were also cast members of SNL at the time.

In 1999, Shannon starred alongside Will Ferrell in Superstar, a feature film based on her most famous SNL character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, the awkward Catholic school student who aspires to be a musical superstar.

Shannon left SNL in 2001, surpassing Victoria Jackson as the show's longest-serving female cast member (she has since been surpassed by Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler). In 2003, she appeared in the romantic comedy My Boss's Daughter and the television remake of The Music Man.

Fritz Chesnut and Shannon in 2009.

In 2004, she starred in a short-lived Fox network television series Cracking Up with actor Jason Schwartzman. That same year, she guest starred in an episode of Scrubs and starred as Mrs. Baker in the film Good Boy! . In 2006, Shannon was featured in the Sofia Coppola directed movie Marie Antoinette as Aunt Victoire. The next year, Shannon guest starred on ABC's Pushing Daisies and the film Evan Almighty. Shannon also made a rare move to drama, appearing in the critically acclaimed film Year of the Dog in 2007.

Shannon hosted Saturday Night Live on May 12, 2007, making her the second former female cast member to host (after Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the first one to have been a cast member for Lorne Michaels (Louis-Dreyus was a cast member under Dick Ebersol).

Since September, 2008, Shannon has starred as Kath in the US version of the hit Australian sitcom Kath & Kim (U.S. TV series).

In 2008, she also starred in an episode of the comedy series Pushing Daisies and the TV movie More of Me.

Personal life

Shannon married artist Fritz Chesnut on May 29, 2004. They have two children: daughter Stella (b. 2003), and son Nolan (b. 2005).

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1989 The Phantom of the Opera Meg
1991 Twin Peaks Judy Swain 1 episode
1993 In Living Color Officer Trainee 1 episode
General Hospital Surrogate Mother #2 1 episode
1994 The John Larroquette Show 1 episode
Sister, Sister Cashier 1 episode
Ellen Woman 1 episode
1995 Saturday Night Live Various 120 episodes (1995-2001)
Return to Two Moon Junction Traci
1996 Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace Homeless Lady
1997 Dinner and Driving Arguing Woman in Café
The Single Guy Melody Pugh 1 episode
Seinfeld Sam 1 episode
1998 The Thin Pink Line Aanl
Happiness Nancy
A Night at the Roxbury Emily Sanderson
Daydream Believer Susan Bradley
1999 Analyze This Caroline
Never Been Kissed Anita
My Neighbors the Yamadas Matsuko Yamada Dubbed English Voice
Superstar Mary Katherine Gallagher
Will & Grace Val Bassett 5 episodes (1999-2004)
2000 SNL Fanatic Anna Nicole Smith TV
My 5 Wives Barbara Van Dyke
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Betty Lou Who
2001 Wet Hot American Summer Gail von Kleinenstein
Saturday Night Live Primetime Extra 1 Elizabeth Taylor TV
Osmosis Jones Mrs. Boyd
Serendipity Eve
Shallow Hal Mrs Mary Larson Uncredited
2002 Sex and the City Lily Martin 3 episodes
The Santa Clause 2 Tracy
2003 American Splendor Stage Actor Joyce
The Music Man Mrs Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn TV
Ed Linda Berringer 1 episode
My Boss's Daughter Audrey Bennett
Good Boy! Mrs. Baker
2004 Scrubs Denise Lemmon 1 episode
The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve Angie TV
Cracking Up Lesley Shackleton 7 episodes (2004-2006)
2005 Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie Jackie Frost Voice
American Dad Kristy 3 episodes (2005-2007)
2006 Shut Up and Sing Trish
Scary Movie 4 Marilyn
Marie Antoinette Aunt Victoire
Little Man Soccer Mom
Talladega Nights Mrs. Dennit
My Gym Partner's a Monkey Pretties 1 episode
The Amazing Screw-On Head Patience the Vampire TV / Voice
Gray Matters Carrie
Air Buddies Molly Voice
2007 The Mastersons of Manhattan Amanda Masterson
Year of the Dog Peggy
30 Rock Katherine Catherine 1 episode
Evan Almighty Eve Adams
More of Me Alice TV
Pushing Daisies Dilly Balsam 1 episode
2008 More of Me Alice Made of televisión
Snow Buddies Molly Voice
Igor Eva Voice
Kath & Kim Kath 18 episodes (2008-2009)
2009 What Goes Up Penelope Little
The New Adventures of Old Christine Jeannie 1 episode

Saturday Night Live characters

Original characters

  • Mary Katherine Gallagher, Shannon's best known character. An odd, outcast student at a Catholic school who enjoyed performing in the choir and school plays. Shannon starred in a 1999 feature film based on the character.
  • Sally O'Malley, a proud 50-year old dancer with a bouffant hairdo, who wore tight red pants and proclaimed how much she loved to "kick, stretch and kick!"
  • Helen Madden, an overly exuberant self-proclaimed "Joyologist", who appeared on talk shows with the trademark catchphrase "I love it, I love it!"
  • Jeannie Darcy, an unfunny mullet-haired stand-up comedian, who ended almost every joke with the phrase "Don't get me started, don't even get me started!"

Celebrity characters

References

External links