# Crista Flanagan

Crista Flanagan is an American actress, best known for her work as a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy series MADtv from 2005 to 2009, various roles in films made by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, and her recurring role as Lois Sadler on the AMC series Mad Men.

## Early life

Flanagan, a native of Mount Vernon, Illinois, is the daughter of Bonnie Jerdon and David Flanagan. She received a bachelor of science in theatre from the University of Evansville and a master of fine arts from the University of California, Irvine, where she sharpened her theatrical skills in plays including Fool for Love, The Time of Our Life, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Marriage of Figaro, and Oklahoma!. Her extensive background in theater led to the development of Flanagan's one-person show titled But wait…I have Impressions!

## Career
### MADtv

Flanagan officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2005 as a featured performer, for the 10th season, then became a repertory cast member at the beginning of the following season. Her frequent impersonations were of Alex Hooser, Ellen Pompeo, Heidi Klum, Patricia Arquette (as Allison DuBois from Medium), Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, and Miley Cyrus (as herself and as Hannah Montana from the Disney Channel show of the same name).
Crista had a long-standing gag with fellow cast member Bobby Lee, where their behind-the-scenes characters had a love/hate relationship. This relationship can be seen in the "Secret Santa" skit, where Bobby proposes to Crista, to which she replies, "I cannot marry someone I have a restraining order against." This can also be seen in the "Celebrity Triathlon" skit, where Crista slams the door after Bobby asks for her help, and she makes reference to not helping him dig up a dead body, but reluctantly agrees to help him train.

#### Characters

| Character | Sketch | Season of first appearance | Catch phrase |
| Christie | "QVC: Quacker Factory" | | |
| Denise | "Jazzed for Crafts" | | |
| Luann Lockhart | "Luann Lockhart, Stand-up Comedian" | Season 10, 2005 | "I recently broke up with my boyfriend, but that's okay because he hit me.! I went to a party and he said, 'Yuck, I thought I smelled you here.'" (to the audience) "Will you talk to me?'" |
| Nippy | "Clownin' and Krumpin'" | | |
| Sally | "Sesame Street" | | |
| Peggy Partane | "Peggy Partane, the Rollerskating Champ" | | "Dangit!" |
| Wendy Walker | "Three-minute Meal" | | "Just stop that ticking!" "Okay, let's get this three-minute meal going!" "Will you stop that clock while I look for my finger?!" |

### Impressions

* Alex Hooser
* America Ferrera
* Angela Cartwright
* Aaron Carter
* Cheryl Hines
* Elliot Page (then Ellen Page) (as Juno MacGuff)
* Ellen Pompeo (as Meredith Grey)
* Emilie de Ravin (as Claire Littleton)
* Gilbert Gottfried
* Hayden Panettiere (as Claire Bennet)
* Heidi Klum
* Judy Reyes
* Kate Moss
* Khloé Kardashian
* Lindsay Lohan
* Lynne Spears
* Lo Bosworth
* Mary Murphy
* Meredith Vieira
* Michelle Ryan
* Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana
* Natalie Horler in a loose parody of Cascada's "Everytime We Touch"
* Natalie Maines (of the Dixie Chicks)
* Patricia Arquette
* Scarlett Johansson
* Rachel McAdams
* Ron Howard (as Opie from The Andy Griffith Show)
* Tom Cruise
* Toni Basil
* Tracy Hutson
* Vanna White
* Vivian Vance (as Ethel Mertz from I Love Lucy)
* Whitney Port

### After MADtv

After MADtv, Flanagan's most notable television role was the recurring role of Lois Sadler on the drama series Mad Men, on which she appeared for the first three seasons from 2007 to 2009. She has also appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Practice, and ER, and had a recurring role on You've Got a Friend (TV program). She partnered up with the team behind Ask a Ninja to create a video podcast called Hope is Emo. Flanagan played the role of Hermione Granger in the 2007 film, Epic Movie. She later appeared as Ugly Betty/Oracle in the "sequel" Meet the Spartans, and in Disaster Movie played Juney, a parody of Juno, and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. She also appeared in Seltzer and Friedberg's 2010 project, Vampires Suck, as Eden Sullen. With the release of Best Night Ever in 2013, she became the most recurring actress in Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer films. She posed nude in the August 2010 issue of Playboy. She appeared in an episode of Big Time Rush as an evil producer named Kennedy.
Crista plays the title character in Hope Is Emo, an Internet comedy podcast that satirizes the life of a struggling emo girl named Hope. The series was created by Crista and the Ask a Ninja' team at Beatbox Giant Productions.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Outpost | Sonia | Video short |
| 2007 | Epic Movie | Hermione Granger | |
| 2008 | Meet the Spartans | Oracle / Ugly Betty Look-A-Like | |
| 2008 | Other Plans | Beth | Short film |
| 2008 | Disaster Movie | Juney / Hannah Montana | |
| 2010 | Vampires Suck | Eden | |
| 2012 | Buried Treasure | Waitress | Short film |
| 2013 | Happy and You Know It | Alexis | Short film |
| 2013 | Best Night Ever | Janet | |
| 2018 | Doubting Thomas | Lucy | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | ER | Pam | Episode: "Finders Keepers" |
| 2003 | The Practice | Marcia | Episode: "Les Is More" |
| 2005 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Mrs. Seiderman's Nurse | Episode: "The Larry David Sandwich" |
| 2005–2009, 2016 | MADtv | Various | Series regular (82 episodes) |
| 2007–2009 | Mad Men | Lois Sadler | Recurring role (9 episodes) |
| 2009 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Andrea | Episode: "Honey, I Ran Over the Kid" |
| 2009–2010 | Hank | Dawn | Episodes: "Yard Sale", "Hanksgiving", "Hank's Got a Friend" |
| 2010 | Brothers & Sisters | Stacy Hodges | Episode: "The Pasadena Primary" |
| 2010 | Big Time Rush | Kennedy | Episode: "Big Time Live" |
| 2011 | Cougar Town | Destiny | Episode: "Damaged by Love" |
| 2012 | Beautiful People | Lisa | TV film |
| 2013 | Last Man Standing | Miss Clevenger | Episode: "The Fight" |
| 2013 | 2 Broke Girls | Catherine | Episode: "And the Kitty Kitty Spank Spank" |
| 2013 | Key & Peele | Margot | Episode: "3.8" |
| 2013 | You're Whole | Donna | Episode: "Lemonade/Fishing/Cupcakes" |
| 2013 | Garden Apartments | Crista | TV film |
| 2013 | The Sticks | Rita | TV film |
| 2013–2014 | Hello Ladies | Marion | Recurring role (4 episodes) |
| 2013–2014 | Trophy Wife | Ms. Wickersham | Episodes: "Russ Bradley Morrison", "The Punisher" |
| 2014 | Mom | Beth | Episode: "Chicken Nuggets and a Triple Homicide" |
| 2014 | Dr. Brown | Gemma | TV film |
| 2015 | Marry Me | Libby Berman | Episodes: "Test Me", "Friend Me" |
| 2015 | Grey's Anatomy | Andrea | Episode: "With or Without You" |
| 2015 | Workaholics | Woman's Studies Professor | Episode: "Dorm Daze" |
| 2015 | Clipped | Rhonda Doyle | Recurring role (8 episodes) |
| 2015 | Club 5150 | Angela | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Love | Loud Nasal Girl | Episode: "The Date" |
| 2016 | The Grinder | Professor Danforth | Episode: "From the Ashes" |
| 2017 | Disjointed | Woman | Episode: "Olivia's S***balls" |
| 2018 | Grace and Frankie | Katie | Episode: "The Home" |
| 2018 | G.P.A | Jen Holland | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | The News Tank | Kirsten Flannery | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | I'm Sorry | Michelle | Episode: "Little House in the Prairie" |
| 2019 | The Resident | Nurse Sharon Colby | Episode: "If Not Now, When ?" |
| 2020 | Dirty John | Dr. Katherine Difrancesca | Episode: "Perception is Reality" |