Born March 2nd, 1952 in
Los Angeles, California, Laraine Newman is most famous for her place in
television history as an original cast member of
The Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Before that, Newman attended
Beverly Hills High School and the California Institute of the Arts. She was a mime for the Richmond Shepard Troupe, and was a part of The
Groundlings comedy troupe in L.A. Her early work in stage comedy developed enough of a reputation to be brought to the attention of
Lorne Michaels. She joined
Chevy Chase,
Dan Aykroyd,
John Belushi,
Jane Curtin,
Gilda Radner,
Garrett Morris and
Bill Murray into what should have been
superstardom. It was for some of her peers, but for some strange reason, Newman was passed over.
On SNL, she performed in a number of comedic skits and spoofs, but unlike her counterparts, she rarely played a role which endeared her to the teeming masses. Some notable roles include the daughter Connie of The Coneheads, and.. well.. ah... uhrm... well who could forget Connie of the Coneheads, huh? While with SNL, it's believed she experimented with anorexia, bulimia and various forms of drug abuse. But who cares? She was funny.
Newman worked for Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980, after which point she then began her battle with obscurity. Some of her more (or less) notable efforts on the silver screen include:
Newman has also been on some television shows like
3rd Rock from the Sun,
Chicago Hope,
Ellen and
7th Heaven. In more recent years she's had some success in
voice over work on such programs as
Hey Arnold!,
The Tick,
Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius,
Monsters, Inc. and
Batman: The Animated Series. Like
Mark Hamill of
Star Wars, Newman has kept herself busy in the years since her
brush with fame, and does make a living doing what she loves, but not in a megasuperstar sense. Perhaps that's for the best. There are perhaps some things more important. In 1991, Newman married Chad Edinbinder. She has two daughters: Lena was born in 1991 and Hannah was born in 1995.