Laraine Newman

Voice Artist

Writer

Editor

**Laraine Newman** (born March 2, 1952) is an American comedian, actress, voice artist, and writer who was part of the original cast of NBC's *Saturday Night Live*, and played the villain Lawanda Dumore in the 1991 film *Problem Child 2*.

## Personal life

Newman was born on March 2, 1952, in Los Angeles, California,[2] the granddaughter of a cattle rancher from Arizona. Her family is Jewish.[3] She is the youngest of four children and a twin (brother Paul). Her sister, Tracy Newman, is an Emmy Award-winning television writer. Newman attended Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California and graduated from there in 1970. Newman married actor-writer-director Chad Einbinder (born 1963) in 1991. They have two daughters, Lena (born 1991) and Hannah (born 1995).

The song *Never Let Her Slip Away*, written and recorded by Andrew Gold, was about Newman. The two were a couple at the time. The song hit #5 on the UK charts in 1978.

## Early life and career

Newman took her first Improvisational theatre classes when she was 15. After finishing high school she auditioned for four acting schools in England including Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Artand Bristol Old Vic. She was not accepted after the second round of auditions for all four schools, so she went to Paris to study mime with Marcel Marceau for a year.[4]

By the age of 19, Newman returned to the United States, and moved to Los Angeles, where she did a brief stint at a secretarial school. Committed to continue performing, she became a founding member of the pioneering comedy improvisational group The Groundlings.[5] At the same time, Newman was working for a booking agent who worked with rock bands, typing up contracts.[6]

Newman cites Eve Arden, Madeline Kahn and Richard Pryor as her first major influences, saying “They led me into my life of comedy, they led me into understanding ‘The Art of Play’."[7]

## *Saturday Night Live*

At age 22, her work as founder and original member of The Groundlings got Newman hired by Lorne Michaels for a Lily Tomlin special. A year later she became an original cast member on NBC's *Saturday Night Live*, appearing on the show from its inception in 1975 through 1980.

During her five years on *SNL* she became a close friend of co-star Gilda Radner (although there was also a degree of rivalry between them).[8] The instant success of SNL propelled her to stardom very quickly. Newman recalled being stopped in New York City by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on the street to introduce themselves to her.[9]

Newman admits that she was “never a good improviser,” but when in character, like an angry Jewish poet, a flight attendant, an eccentric chef or a British groupie, she was “free.”

Commenting on her early experiences during Saturday Night Live she said:

“When I first performed (my characters) and the audience responded, I felt like crying, I mean the idea that what I saw — what other people saw — (meant) I wasn’t so alone in my perspective. I hope this doesn’t sound too overblown, but it really did feel like a Communion.”[10]

However, by her own account, she was unhappy for much of her time with the show—she disliked living in New York. During her years on SNL Newman had developed serious eating disorders as well as a heroin addiction. She spent so much time in her dressing room playing Solitaire that for Christmas 1979, castmate Radner gave her a deck of playing cards with a picture of Laraine on the face of each card.[11]

### Recurring characters on *Saturday Night Live*

* Sherry
* Connie Conehead
* Lina Wertmüller

She's best known for her roles as Connie Conehead and Sherry. Newman decided not to repeat her characters. Therefore, fewer signature characters are remembered, in contrast to some of her other fellow cast members on SNL, like Dan Aykroyd or Chevy Chase. Still she created many important SNL characters and helped as part of the whole ensemble cast, to shape the early years of NBC's *Saturday Night Live*[12]

Newman states when asked about her favorite *Saturday Night Live character*:

" ...my favorite character that I created at *Saturday Night Live*, which, I think, only pleased me and no one else, was Lina Wertmüller."[13]

She sang in the "Chevy's Girls" sketch in episode 2 of season 2 alongside Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin.