Sarah Silverman is a
writer/
stand up comic who has also appeared in numerous films and television shows. Her act consists of shockingly
taboo subject matter, however her ability to pull it off with sharp
wit and satirical
charm instead of blind ignorance has gotten her a building
reputation as "the female
Lenny Bruce".
Sarah Silverman was born in Bedford, New Hampshire to her women's department store owner father and homemaker mother, both jewish, in 1971. Her father taught her and her sisters to swear at an early age. Growing up, Silverman admired comedy, in particularly Steve Martin and Bill Murray's performances in films like "Stripes" and "Caddyshack". She knew she wanted to grow up to be a comic and actress by the time she was in 3rd grade.
"I've been making my nephew laugh since the day he was born. You know what babies really love? Ethnic Slurs." - Sarah Silverman
In high school Sarah was involved in youth theater, playing lead parts in productions of musicals like "Bye Bye Birdie". Upon graduating, she quoted Woody Allen in her Senior Yearbook and headed to college at NYU, doing stand up on the weekends. After a year of school, she came home and told her father that she not only didn't want to go back, but that she wanted to pursue stand up full time instead. Her father, surprisingly, told her okay, and even agreed to finance her career for the next three years.
Shortly after building a following in Boston and New York City Sarah was offered a position writing for Saturday Night Live's 1993-1994 season, which she accepted. She became friends with many of the other writers and cast members, including a then unknown Conan O'Brien and Weekend Update News Anchor Kevin Nealon. She appeared as a feature player on some episodes, noticeably attractive but getting by on her talent rather than her looks. At the end of the season, however, Sarah was fired without explanation.
"I was licking jelly off my boyfriend's penis the other day when I thought to myself 'Oh, God. I'm turning in to my mother'." - Sarah Silverman
After SNL, Sarah continued to do stand up and make friends with other up and coming comedians. She began acting, playing small roles in films like "Bulworth" and "There's Something About Mary" and appearing on television shows like "Seinfeld", "Star Trek: Voyager" and "The Larry Sanders Show". She also started contributing legitimate pieces to magazines such as GQ, Penthouse and Esquire. She has become a staple of the late night talk show circuit, doing stand up and appearing on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Carson Daly, Craig Kilborn, The Daily Show and most notably and familiarly, Conan O'Brien. A 2000 appearance on the latter got Sarah Silverman in a bit of trouble after using the racial slur "Chink" on the air for satirical purposes. NBC, the network that airs O'Brien's show, was immediately contacted by Guy Aoki, co-founder of the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans. NBC issued a public apology for the remark, but Aoki was not satisfied. He squared off against Silverman on ABC's "Politically Incorrect" to accuse her of using the degrading term just for cheap laughs. Silverman was slammed by Aoki, who had 25 members of MANAA in the audience to support him. Silverman had nobody.
"What kind of a world do we live in when a white girl can't say 'chink' on national television?" - Sarah Silverman (being sarcastic, of course)
Silverman recouped from the attack and is currently a regular on the Comedy Central hit show "Crank Yankers" (she was also a cast member on the recently cancelled FOX sitcom "Greg The Bunny" - Both shows feature puppets). She has written two plays, "Susan Says Cheese" and "Jesus Is Magic", the latter of which has been turned in to a concert film scheduled for release in November 2005 and directed by Liam Lynch. She was recently voted one of MAXIM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women, something she doesn't feel particularly one way or the other about. In 2001 she performed a three minute stint at the "Friar's Club Roast for Hugh Hefner" that was so harsh towards the PLAYBOY creator she managed to make her male comic counterparts blush, earning her a much yearned for and nearly impossible to get seat at the boys table of stand up comedy. She's daring and daunting in her unsympathetic approach to comedy, and on top of it all she's a reluctant bombshell.
Not bad, for a girl.
Sarah Silverman's Filmography:
Jesus is Magic (2005) .... Herself (also writer)
Rent (2005) .... Alexi
Hair High (2004) .... Cherri
Nobody's Perfect (2004)
The School of Rock (2003) .... Patty DiMarco
Strippers Pole (2002) .... Actress
Run Ronnie Run! (2002) .... Network Executive #3
Evolution (2001) .... Denise, Kane's Ex
Heartbreakers (2001) .... Linda
Say It Isn't So (2001) .... Gina
The Way of the Gun (2000) .... Raving Bitch
Screwed (2000) .... Hillary
What Planet Are You From? (2000) (uncredited) .... Woman on plane
The Bachelor (1999) .... Carolyn
There's Something About Mary (1998) .... Brenda
Bulworth (1998) .... Second American Politics Assistant
Overnight Delivery (1998) .... Turran
Who's the Caboose? (1997) .... Susan (also producer)
Television Appearances:
Celebrity Poker Showdown (2003) TV Series .... Herself
TV's Most Censored Moments (2002) .... Herself
"Crank Yankers" (2002) TV Series (voice) .... Hadassah Guberman
"Greg the Bunny" (2002) TV Series .... Alison Kaiser
New York Friars Club Roast of Hugh M. Hefner, The (2001) (TV) .... Roaster
"Rocky Times" (2000) TV Series .... Kate
"Smog" (1999) (TV)
Late Last Night (1999) (TV) .... Jen
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley (1998) (TV) .... Chop Suey in Lunch Lady Land
"Mr. Show" (1995) TV Series .... Various
"Saturday Night Live" (1975) TV Series .... Herself (1993-1994)