Sandra Bernhard: Difference between revisions

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Removing link(s) to "The Love Machine (album)": WP:NALBUM; unreferenced, lacking coverage.
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| death_place        =  
| death_place        =  
| occupation        = {{hlist|Actress|comedian|singer|author}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Actress|comedian|singer|author}}
| education          = [[Saguaro High School]]
| known_for          = Nancy Bartlett Thomas in ''[[Roseanne]]'' and Judy Kubrak in ''[[Pose (TV series)|Pose]]''
| known_for          = Nancy Bartlett Thomas in ''[[Roseanne]]'' and Judy Kubrak in ''[[Pose (TV series)|Pose]]''
| years_active      = 1977–present
| years_active      = 1977–present
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==Career==
==Career==
Bernhard became a staple at [[The Comedy Store]] in Hollywood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gotham Comedy Club |url=https://gothamcomedyclub.com/comedian.cfm?id=109 |website=gothamcomedyclub.com |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=When the Belly Room grew — and flopped — for female comics |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-03-29/when-belly-room-grew-and-flopped-female-comics |website=The World from PRX |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> As her popularity as a comedian grew, she was cast as a supporting player on ''[[The Richard Pryor Show]]'' in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard On Sway: Talks Working With Richard Pryor & Robin Williams Being Known For Stealing Jokes - |url=https://comedyhype.com/sandra-bernhard-sway-talks-working-richard-pryor-robin-williams-known-stealing-jokes/ |website=comedyhype.com |access-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214162854/http://comedyhype.com/sandra-bernhard-sway-talks-working-richard-pryor-robin-williams-known-stealing-jokes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=RICHARD PRYOR SHOW, THE {TIM REID, SANDRA BERNHARD} (TV)|url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=see&p=146&item=121981|website=www.paleycenter.org|access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> Guest appearances on evening talk shows followed. Her big break came in 1981 when she was cast by [[Martin Scorsese]] to star as stalker/kidnapper Masha in the film ''[[The King of Comedy (film)|The King of Comedy]]'', for which she won the [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard remembers The King Of Comedy |url=https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/389-sandra-bernhard-remembers-the-king-of-comedy/ |website=The Dissolve |access-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-date=October 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021123237/https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/389-sandra-bernhard-remembers-the-king-of-comedy/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The King of Comedy |url=https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/2018/king-comedy/06-24_17-00 |publisher=[[Edinburgh International Film Festival]] |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> She was a frequent guest on [[David Letterman]]'s NBC program ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'', making 28 appearances starting in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 10, 2015 |author=Oswell, Paul |title=Sandra Bernhard on today's young actors: 'They don't have personalities' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jun/10/sandra-bernhard-comedy-letterman |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref>
Bernhard became a staple at [[The Comedy Store]] in Hollywood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gotham Comedy Club |url=https://gothamcomedyclub.com/comedian.cfm?id=109 |website=gothamcomedyclub.com |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=When the Belly Room grew — and flopped — for female comics |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-03-29/when-belly-room-grew-and-flopped-female-comics |website=The World from PRX |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> As her popularity as a comedian grew, she was cast as a supporting player on ''[[The Richard Pryor Show]]'' in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard On Sway: Talks Working With Richard Pryor & Robin Williams Being Known For Stealing Jokes - |url=https://comedyhype.com/sandra-bernhard-sway-talks-working-richard-pryor-robin-williams-known-stealing-jokes/ |website=comedyhype.com |access-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214162854/http://comedyhype.com/sandra-bernhard-sway-talks-working-richard-pryor-robin-williams-known-stealing-jokes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Richard Pryor Show, The {Tim Reid, Sandra Bernhard} (TV)|url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=see&p=146&item=121981|website=www.paleycenter.org|access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> Guest appearances on evening talk shows followed. Her big break came in 1981 when she was cast by [[Martin Scorsese]] to star as stalker/kidnapper Masha in the film ''[[The King of Comedy (film)|The King of Comedy]]'', for which she won the [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard remembers The King Of Comedy |url=https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/389-sandra-bernhard-remembers-the-king-of-comedy/ |website=The Dissolve |access-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-date=October 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021123237/https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/389-sandra-bernhard-remembers-the-king-of-comedy/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The King of Comedy |url=https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/2018/king-comedy/06-24_17-00 |publisher=[[Edinburgh International Film Festival]] |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> She was a frequent guest on [[David Letterman]]'s NBC program ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'', making 28 appearances starting in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 10, 2015 |author=Oswell, Paul |title=Sandra Bernhard on today's young actors: 'They don't have personalities' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jun/10/sandra-bernhard-comedy-letterman |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref>


She began performing her first one-woman show, ''I'm Your Woman'', in 1985, and [[I'm Your Woman (album)|an album version]] was released.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard - I'm Your Woman |year=1985 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Sandra-Bernhard-Im-Your-Woman/release/1036876 |publisher=Discogs |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> She appeared in a variety of small television roles throughout the 1980s while crafting her stand-up routine into a more performance art-oriented show.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} She launched an off-Broadway one-woman show called ''Without You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better'' in 1988, which played at the [[Orpheum Theatre (Manhattan)|Orpheum Theatre]]. By 1990, it had become [[Without You I'm Nothing (film)|a film]] and [[Without You I'm Nothing (Sandra Bernhard album)|a double album]] of the same title.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Melissa Anderson on Sandra Bernhard's Without You I'm Nothing at BAM |url=https://www.artforum.com/film/melissa-anderson-on-sandra-bernhard-s-without-you-i-m-nothing-at-bam-44277 |website=Artforum |date=December 9, 2013 |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |date=May 11, 1990 |title=Without You I'm Nothing |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/without-you-im-nothing-125139/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> The album was recorded in 1988 at the Orpheum and released in 1989 and the film was mostly shot on location in 1989 in the [[Cocoanut Grove (Ambassador Hotel)|Cocoanut Grove]] nightclub at the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Ambassador Hotel]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}} Bernhard was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]] in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/sandra-bernhard/1076 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>
She began performing her first one-woman show, ''I'm Your Woman'', in 1985, and [[I'm Your Woman (album)|an album version]] was released.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard - I'm Your Woman |year=1985 |url=https://www.discogs.com/Sandra-Bernhard-Im-Your-Woman/release/1036876 |publisher=Discogs |language=en |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> She appeared in a variety of small television roles throughout the 1980s while crafting her stand-up routine into a more performance art-oriented show.<ref>{{cite news |title=Controversial comedian Bernhard brings act to Bull Run |last=Hannan |first=Ed |work=[[The Sun (Lowell)|The Sun]] |date=July 14, 2011 |id={{Proquest|876253131}} }}</ref> She launched an off-Broadway one-woman show called ''Without You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better'' in 1988, which played at the [[Orpheum Theatre (Manhattan)|Orpheum Theatre]]. By 1990, it had become [[Without You I'm Nothing (film)|a film]] and [[Without You I'm Nothing (Sandra Bernhard album)|a double album]] of the same title.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Melissa Anderson on Sandra Bernhard's Without You I'm Nothing at BAM |url=https://www.artforum.com/film/melissa-anderson-on-sandra-bernhard-s-without-you-i-m-nothing-at-bam-44277 |website=Artforum |date=December 9, 2013 |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |date=May 11, 1990 |title=Without You I'm Nothing |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/without-you-im-nothing-125139/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref> Bernhard was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]] in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandra Bernhard {{!}} Artist |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/sandra-bernhard/1076 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>


During the run of ''Without You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better'' Bernhard appeared with her then good friend (and rumored lover) [[Madonna]] on a 1988 episode of ''Late Night with David Letterman''. The two alluded to their romantic relationship and staged a sexy confrontation; the appearance received much publicity. They continued to be friends for several years, with Bernhard making an appearance in Madonna's film ''[[Madonna: Truth or Dare|Truth or Dare]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sager |first=Jessica |date=February 6, 2017 |title=Stars You Didn't Know Madonna Dated - Nicki Swift |url=https://www.nickiswift.com/40287/stars-didnt-know-madonna-dated/ |website=NickiSwift.com |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 13, 2019 |title=Sandra Bernhard and Madonna Are 'Cool With Each Other' Again |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/sandra-bernhard-and-madonna-are-cool-with-each-other-again/ |website=Us Weekly |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Madonna: Truth or Dare |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102370/ |date=May 15, 1991 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |last1=Madonna |first2=Donna |last2=DeLory |first3=Niki |last3=Harris |first4=Luis |last4=Camacho}}</ref> The friendship ended in 1992.<ref>Johnson, Richard (October 20, 1992). "[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/470552869 Sandra can't justify Madonna's love]". ''New York Daily News''.</ref><ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/485128532 Bernhard claims she was dumped by Madonna]". ''Calgary Herald''. October 22, 1992. p. D13.</ref>
During the run of ''Without You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better'' Bernhard appeared with her then good friend (and rumored lover) [[Madonna]] on a 1988 episode of ''Late Night with David Letterman''. The two alluded to their romantic relationship and staged a sexy confrontation; the appearance received much publicity. They continued to be friends for several years, with Bernhard making an appearance in Madonna's film ''[[Madonna: Truth or Dare|Truth or Dare]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sager |first=Jessica |date=February 6, 2017 |title=Stars You Didn't Know Madonna Dated - Nicki Swift |url=https://www.nickiswift.com/40287/stars-didnt-know-madonna-dated/ |website=NickiSwift.com |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 13, 2019 |title=Sandra Bernhard and Madonna Are 'Cool With Each Other' Again |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/sandra-bernhard-and-madonna-are-cool-with-each-other-again/ |website=Us Weekly |language=en-US |access-date=January 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Madonna: Truth or Dare |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102370/ |date=May 15, 1991 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |last1=Madonna |first2=Donna |last2=DeLory |first3=Niki |last3=Harris |first4=Luis |last4=Camacho}}</ref> The friendship ended in 1992.<ref>Johnson, Richard (October 20, 1992). "[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/470552869 Sandra can't justify Madonna's love]". ''New York Daily News''.</ref><ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/485128532 Bernhard claims she was dumped by Madonna]". ''Calgary Herald''. October 22, 1992. p. D13.</ref>
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In September 2008, she warned vice-presidential candidate [[Sarah Palin]] that she would be gang-raped by her "big black brothers" if she visited Manhattan. Palin had a campaign stop planned in New York City at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/09/19/2008-09-19_sandra_bernhard_issues_gang_rape_warning-2.html|title=Sandra Bernhard issues 'gang rape' warning to Sarah Palin|website=[[New York Daily News]]|access-date=September 20, 2008|archive-date=September 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920061525/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/09/19/2008-09-19_sandra_bernhard_issues_gang_rape_warning-2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/17870 |title=Sandra Bernhard's 'gang rape by big black brothers' threat to Sarah Palin!}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080919/should-sarah-palin-come-after-sandra-bernhard-039-warning.htm|title=Should Sarah Palin come to NY after Sandra Bernhard's warning?|website=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=September 20, 2008|archive-date=September 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920112050/http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080919/should-sarah-palin-come-after-sandra-bernhard-039-warning.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In September 2008, she warned vice-presidential candidate [[Sarah Palin]] that she would be gang-raped by her "big black brothers" if she visited Manhattan. Palin had a campaign stop planned in New York City at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/09/19/2008-09-19_sandra_bernhard_issues_gang_rape_warning-2.html|title=Sandra Bernhard issues 'gang rape' warning to Sarah Palin|website=[[New York Daily News]]|access-date=September 20, 2008|archive-date=September 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920061525/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/09/19/2008-09-19_sandra_bernhard_issues_gang_rape_warning-2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/17870 |title=Sandra Bernhard's 'gang rape by big black brothers' threat to Sarah Palin!}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080919/should-sarah-palin-come-after-sandra-bernhard-039-warning.htm|title=Should Sarah Palin come to NY after Sandra Bernhard's warning?|website=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=September 20, 2008|archive-date=September 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920112050/http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080919/should-sarah-palin-come-after-sandra-bernhard-039-warning.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>


In November 2020, during an interview with [[Mariah Carey]], [[Naomi Campbell]] called out Bernhard for her comments about Carey and Black men in her 1998 comedy show ''I'm Still Here… Damn It!'' In the show, Bernhard disparaged Carey's Black ancestry, saying "She's trying to backtrack on our asses by acting real nigger-ish there at the Royalton Hotel suite with [[Sean Combs|Puff Daddy]] and all the greasy, chain-wearing Black men."<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Adam |title=Naomi Campbell condemns Sandra Bernhard over 'racist and disrespectful' Mariah Carey jokes |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/naomi-campbell-mariah-carey-sandra-bernhard-b1761487.html |access-date=November 25, 2020 |work=The Independent |date=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
In November 2020, during an interview with [[Mariah Carey]], [[Naomi Campbell]] called out Bernhard for her comments about Carey and Black men in her 1998 comedy show ''I'm Still Here... Damn It!'' In the show, Bernhard disparaged Carey's Black ancestry, saying "She's trying to backtrack on our asses by acting real nigger-ish there at the Royalton Hotel suite with [[Sean Combs|Puff Daddy]] and all the greasy, chain-wearing Black men."<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Adam |title=Naomi Campbell condemns Sandra Bernhard over 'racist and disrespectful' Mariah Carey jokes |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/naomi-campbell-mariah-carey-sandra-bernhard-b1761487.html |access-date=November 25, 2020 |work=The Independent |date=November 25, 2020}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Bernhard identifies herself as bisexual and is a strong supporter of [[LGBTQ social movements|LGBTQ rights]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sandra Bernhard: Bisexuality and savage wit |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sandra-bernhard-bisexuality-and-savage-wit-397472.html |access-date=June 24, 2013 |newspaper=The Independent |date=October 22, 2007 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="feminist">{{Cite web|title=INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA BERNHARD BY MARIANNE SCHNALL|url=https://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/interviews/sandrabernhard.html|access-date=March 2, 2022|website=www.feminist.com}}</ref> On July 4, 1998, she gave birth to a daughter, Cicely,<ref name="nytimes1998">{{citation |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E4D8123DF931A15753C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=At Home with: Sandra Bernhard When Baby Talk Makes Good Material |first=Julie V. |last=Iovine |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 22, 1998 |access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref> whom she raised with Sara Switzer, her partner of over 20 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/guest-diary/2015/liz-smith-the-time-of-the-season |title=LIZ SMITH: The Time of the Season ... |newspaper=New York Social Diary |date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=October 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jezebel.com/5057663/sandra-bernhard-daughter-are-a-duo-of-dames-with-rebel-red |title=Sandra Bernhard, Daughter, Are A Duo Of Dames With Rebel Red |first=Anna |last=Holmes |work=Jezebel |date=October 2008 |access-date=February 22, 2009 |archive-date=October 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004050717/http://jezebel.com/5057663/sandra-bernhard-daughter-are-a-duo-of-dames-with-rebel-red |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jun/10/sandra-bernhard-comedy-letterman |title=Sandra Bernhard on today's young actors: 'They don't have personalities' |last=Oswell |first=Paul |date=June 10, 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Bernhard was also in a relationship with Venezuelan actress [[Patricia Velasquez]].<ref name="people">{{cite web |title=First Latina Supermodel Patricia Velasquez Comes Out as a Lesbian |url=https://people.com/celebrity/first-latina-supermodel-patricia-velasquez-comes-out-as-a-lesbian/ |website=PEOPLE.com |access-date=8 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
Bernhard identifies herself as bisexual and is a strong supporter of [[LGBTQ social movements|LGBTQ rights]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sandra Bernhard: Bisexuality and savage wit |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sandra-bernhard-bisexuality-and-savage-wit-397472.html |access-date=June 24, 2013 |newspaper=The Independent |date=October 22, 2007 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="feminist">{{Cite web|title=Interview With Sandra Bernhard by Marianne Schnall|url=https://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/interviews/sandrabernhard.html|access-date=March 2, 2022|website=www.feminist.com}}</ref> On July 4, 1998, she gave birth to a daughter, Cicely,<ref name="nytimes1998">{{citation |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E4D8123DF931A15753C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=At Home with: Sandra Bernhard When Baby Talk Makes Good Material |first=Julie V. |last=Iovine |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 22, 1998 |access-date=October 29, 2015}}</ref> whom she raised with Sara Switzer, her partner of over 20 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/guest-diary/2015/liz-smith-the-time-of-the-season |title=Liz Smith: The Time of the Season ... |newspaper=New York Social Diary |date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=October 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jezebel.com/5057663/sandra-bernhard-daughter-are-a-duo-of-dames-with-rebel-red |title=Sandra Bernhard, Daughter, Are A Duo Of Dames With Rebel Red |first=Anna |last=Holmes |work=Jezebel |date=October 2008 |access-date=February 22, 2009 |archive-date=October 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004050717/http://jezebel.com/5057663/sandra-bernhard-daughter-are-a-duo-of-dames-with-rebel-red |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jun/10/sandra-bernhard-comedy-letterman |title=Sandra Bernhard on today's young actors: 'They don't have personalities' |last=Oswell |first=Paul |date=June 10, 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Bernhard was also in a relationship with Venezuelan actress [[Patricia Velasquez]].<ref name="people">{{cite web |title=First Latina Supermodel Patricia Velasquez Comes Out as a Lesbian |url=https://people.com/celebrity/first-latina-supermodel-patricia-velasquez-comes-out-as-a-lesbian/ |website=people.com |access-date=8 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>


==Music==
==Music==
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==Books==
==Books==
* ''[[Confessions of a Pretty Lady]]'', an autobiography ([[HarperCollins]] October 1989 {{ISBN|978-0-06-091620-6}})
* ''Confessions of a Pretty Lady'', an autobiography ([[HarperCollins]] October 1989 {{ISBN|978-0-06-091620-6}})
* ''Love, Love and Love'', essay collection (HarperCollins June 1993 {{ISBN|978-0-06-016615-1}})
* ''Love, Love and Love'', essay collection (HarperCollins June 1993 {{ISBN|978-0-06-016615-1}})
* ''May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra?'', semi-autobiography (HarperCollins October 1999 {{ISBN|978-0-68-817163-6}})
* ''May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra?'', semi-autobiography (HarperCollins October 1999 {{ISBN|978-0-68-817163-6}})
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| 2025
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| ''[[Marty Supreme]]''
| ''[[Marty Supreme]]''
| {{TableTBA}}
| {{TableTBA}}
| Post-production
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|''[[Out of Order! (2025 film)|Out of Order!]]''
|Judge Stevenson
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[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ comedians]]
[[Category:Bisexual comedians]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights activists from Michigan]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights activists from Michigan]]
[[Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent]]
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[[Category:Bisexual women musicians]]
[[Category:Bisexual women musicians]]
[[Category:Bisexual singers]]
[[Category:Bisexual singers]]
[[Category:Bisexual comedians]]
[[Category:Bisexual feminists]]
[[Category:Bisexual feminists]]
[[Category:Bisexual Jews]]
[[Category:Bisexual Jews]]
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[[Category:LGBTQ women singers]]
[[Category:LGBTQ women singers]]
[[Category:Jewish LGBTQ women]]
[[Category:Jewish LGBTQ women]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ comedians]]

Latest revision as of 21:50, 3 November 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is also well known as the ex-best friend of Madonna.

She played Nancy Bartlett Thomas on the ABC sitcom Roseanne from the fourth season (1991) to the end of the show in 1997. She played Masha in Martin Scorsese’s film The King of Comedy, Nurse Judy Kubrak in the FX drama series Pose, and Nurse Cecily on the Apple TV+ series Severance. She is number 96 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time.

Early life

Bernhard was born June 6, 1955,[1] in Flint, Michigan, the daughter of Jeanette (née LaZebnik; 1921–2014)[2] and proctologist Jerome Bernhard (1922–2025).[3] She was raised Conservative Jewish.[4]

She has three older brothers: Dan, David, and Mark.[2] Her family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona when she was 10.[5] She attended Saguaro High School, graduating in 1973.[6]

In 1973, she traveled to Israel and stayed for 7 months at Kibbutz Kfar Menahem with her friend Daniel Chick. She later returned to Israel during the Yom Kippur War.[7]

Career

Bernhard became a staple at The Comedy Store in Hollywood.[8][9] As her popularity as a comedian grew, she was cast as a supporting player on The Richard Pryor Show in 1977.[10][11] Guest appearances on evening talk shows followed. Her big break came in 1981 when she was cast by Martin Scorsese to star as stalker/kidnapper Masha in the film The King of Comedy, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress.[12][13] She was a frequent guest on David Letterman's NBC program Late Night with David Letterman, making 28 appearances starting in 1983.[14]

She began performing her first one-woman show, I'm Your Woman, in 1985, and an album version was released.[15] She appeared in a variety of small television roles throughout the 1980s while crafting her stand-up routine into a more performance art-oriented show.[16] She launched an off-Broadway one-woman show called Without You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better in 1988, which played at the Orpheum Theatre. By 1990, it had become a film and a double album of the same title.[17][18] Bernhard was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1990.[19]

During the run of Without You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better Bernhard appeared with her then good friend (and rumored lover) Madonna on a 1988 episode of Late Night with David Letterman. The two alluded to their romantic relationship and staged a sexy confrontation; the appearance received much publicity. They continued to be friends for several years, with Bernhard making an appearance in Madonna's film Truth or Dare.[20][21][22] The friendship ended in 1992.[23][24]

In 1991, Bernhard began playing Nancy Bartlett on the hit sitcom Roseanne. She appeared in 33 episodes between 1991 and 1997, and was one of the first actresses to portray an openly bisexual recurring character on American television.[25][26][27] In September 1992, Bernhard appeared in a nude pictorial for Playboy.[28] She hosted the USA Network's Reel Wild Cinema for two seasons beginning in 1995.[29][30] She continued acting in mostly independent films, TV guest roles, and forays into mainstream films such as Hudson Hawk and Dallas Doll. In 1991, she released her first studio album, Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part One). In 1995, she briefly appeared as a guest in the "Jerk" episode of the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In 1996, she guest-starred on an episode of Highlander: The Series called "Dramatic License", where she played a romance novelist writing about the life of the main character.

She appeared as herself on Will & Grace, in an episode where the title characters spuriously bid on Bernhard's Manhattan apartment in an attempt to become friendly with her. When their ruse is exposed, Bernhard rants at them, with the sounds of a blender (she was having a smoothie made) blotting out supposed obscenities. She briefly returned as herself two years later.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Bernhard returned to Broadway in 1998 with the show I'm Still Here... Damn It!, recorded for a live comedy album. She was pregnant at the time, and gave birth to a daughter, Cicely, on July 4, 1998.[31][32] She returned to New York in 2006 with the off-Broadway show Everything Bad & Beautiful. The CD of the show, released by indie label Breaking Records, was lauded as one of her best.[33] That year she also hosted the first season of the reality competition show The Search for the Funniest Mother in America on Nick at Nite. 2007 saw the debut of her one-woman show Plan B from Outer Space, and the inclusion of her Hanukkah-themed song "Miracle of Lights", which she co-wrote with Mitchell Kaplan, in the Breaking Records compilation album Breaking For the Holidays. She toured Plan B through 2008 and performed "Miracle of Lights" on some morning shows in New York.[34][35]

File:Jack E. Jett & Co Host Sandra Bernhard.jpg
Bernhard hosting The Queer Edge with Jack E. Jett

Bernhard was a featured guest singer with children's artist Dan Zanes on the Family Dance album's "Thrift Shop".[36] In an interview with Howard Stern, she revealed that she was originally offered the role of Miranda Hobbes on the TV show Sex and the City, but opted out owing to the "terrible" original script and small paycheck.[37] In 2013, it was announced that she would join the cast of ABC Family's Switched at Birth with GleeTemplate:'s Max Adler, where she would play an art professor on the season 3 opener in January 2014.[38] In 2015, she began hosting a radio show, Sandyland, on Sirius XM's Radio Andy.[39]

In 2015, she made her first appearance as the recurring character of Joedth ("Joe") in season 4 of 2 Broke Girls. From 2018 until 2021, she played Nurse Judy on FX's Pose, a show based on queer and trans ball culture in Manhattan inspired by the documentary Paris Is Burning.[40] In 2025, she appeared in Severance as Cecily, a nurse.[41]

Public controversies

In 1995, while serving as a guest panelist on the Comedy Central talk show Politically Incorrect, Bernhard became engaged in an argument with fellow panelist, conservative political commentator John Lofton. Bernhard then stood up and spat at Lofton and exclaimed, "If I had you, you’d be an abortion."[42]

In August 2006, Bernhard served as the spokesperson in a commercial for Make-up Art Cosmetics (MAC). In the commercial, promoting PlushGlass lipgloss, she referred to someone who might not approve of her outspokenness as a "little freaked out, intimidated, frightened, right-wing Republican thin-lipped bitch." MAC edited the line from the commercial to avoid offending some of its customers.[43]

In September 2008, she warned vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin that she would be gang-raped by her "big black brothers" if she visited Manhattan. Palin had a campaign stop planned in New York City at the time.[44][45][46]

In November 2020, during an interview with Mariah Carey, Naomi Campbell called out Bernhard for her comments about Carey and Black men in her 1998 comedy show I'm Still Here... Damn It! In the show, Bernhard disparaged Carey's Black ancestry, saying "She's trying to backtrack on our asses by acting real nigger-ish there at the Royalton Hotel suite with Puff Daddy and all the greasy, chain-wearing Black men."[47]

Personal life

Bernhard identifies herself as bisexual and is a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights.[48][49] On July 4, 1998, she gave birth to a daughter, Cicely,[50] whom she raised with Sara Switzer, her partner of over 20 years.[51][52][53] Bernhard was also in a relationship with Venezuelan actress Patricia Velasquez.[54]

Music

Bernhard performs classic pop music, jazz, and blues tunes. She has released several albums (combinations of music and comedy).Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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Books

  • Confessions of a Pretty Lady, an autobiography (HarperCollins October 1989 Template:ISBN)
  • Love, Love and Love, essay collection (HarperCollins June 1993 Template:ISBN)
  • May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra?, semi-autobiography (HarperCollins October 1999 Template:ISBN)

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Shogun Assassin Voice over in English dub
1981 Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams Girl Nut
1983 The King of Comedy Masha National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
1984 The House of God Angel Dutton
1985 Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird Grouch Diner Waitress Cameo
1986 The Whoopee Boys Extra (uncredited)
1988 Casual Sex? Extra (uncredited)
Track 29 Nurse Stein
1989 Heavy Petting Herself Documentary
1990 Without You I'm Nothing Herself (also writer)
1991 Madonna: Truth or Dare Herself Documentary
Hudson Hawk Minerva Mayflower
1992 Inside Monkey Zetterland Imogene
1994 Sandra Bernhard: Confessions of a Pretty Lady Herself
Dallas Doll Dallas Adair
1995 Unzipped Herself Documentary
One Hundred and One Nights La première quêteuse
The Reggae Movie Herself Documentary
Catwalk Herself
1997 Lover Girl Marci Guerra/'Angel'
The Apocalypse J.T. Wayne
Plump Fiction Bunny Roberts
1998 An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn Ann Glover
Exposé Janet
Wrongfully Accused Dr. Fridley
Somewhere in the City Betty
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died Sandy Sands/Professional Mourner and Stripper
2000 One Hell of a Guy God Voice
Playing Mona Lisa Bibi Carlson Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Stony Brook Film Festival
Dinner Rush Jennifer Freely
2001 Zoolander Herself Cameo appearance
2003 The Grumpy Bug Narrator Voice
2004 The N-Word Herself Documentary
The Easter Egg Adventure Claralyne Cluck Voice
2005 Searching for Bobby D Sherri Dansen
2009 Dare Dr. Serena Mohr
2010 See You in September Charlotte
2011 Looking for Lenny Herself Documentary
2024 Babes Dr. Shirley
2025 Marty Supreme Template:TableTBA Post-production
Out of Order! Judge Stevenson

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1977 The Richard Pryor Show Featured Performer 4 episodes
1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Karen Episode: "Night Caller"
1990 Pee-Wee's Playhouse Rhonda Episode: "Camping Out"
1991–1997, & 2018 Roseanne Nancy Bartlett Recurring role
1992 Sandra After Dark, with Your Hostess, Sandra Bernhard Herself (also co-executive producer) TV movie
1992–1993 The A-List Herself/host 1 episode
1994–1996 Reel Wild Cinema Herself/host 22 episodes
1995 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Herself 1 episode
Freaky Friday Frieda Debny TV movie
The Larry Sanders Show Herself 2 episodes
1996 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Voice, episode: "A Journey for the Betterment of People"
The Late Shift TV movie
Highlander: The Series Carolyn Marsh Episode: "Dramatic License"
1997 Superman: The Animated Series Ms. Gsptlsnz Voice, episode: "Mxyzpixilated"
Ally McBeal Caroline Poop 2 episodes
Spider-Man Sarah Baker Voice, episode: "Partners"
1998–1999 Hercules Cassandra Voice, main role
1999 Sandra Bernhard - I'm Still Here..Damn It! Herself (also writer) TV movie
2000 The Sopranos Herself Episode: "D-Girl"
2001–2002 Will & Grace 2 episodes
2001 Sandra Bernhard: Giving Them Lip TV movie
2002 The Grumpy Bug Narrator Nick Jr. Short Series
2001–2003 The Sandra Bernhard Experience Herself/host Unknown episodes
2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Priscilla Chaney Episode: "Desperate"
Girlfriends Marcia Episode: "And Baby Makes Four"
2004 Silver Lake Sheila Fontana Unsold pilot
The Grumpy Bug Narrator Voice
Whoopi's Littleburg The Macaroni Lady 1 episode
2005 Crossing Jordan Roz Framus 2 episodes
The L Word Charlotte Birch 5 episodes
2005–2006 The Queer Edge Herself/co-host 26 episodes
2007 Las Vegas Margo Poon Episode: "The Burning Bedouin"
The New Adventures of Old Christine Audrey Episode: "Strange Bedfellows"
2009 Head Case Herself 1 episode
2011 Roseanne's Nuts Herself 1 episode
Hot in Cleveland Nan Episode: "Beards"
2012 Family Guy Herself Voice, episode: "Ratings Guy"
GCB Debby Horowitz 1 episode
DTLA Carla 3 episodes
2013 The Neighbors Ms. Porsche 1 episode
2014 Switched at Birth Prof. Teresa Ledarsky 4 episodes
You're the Worst Herself 1 episode
2014–2015 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Darlene Linetti 3 episodes
2015 2 Broke Girls Joedth 5 episodes
2016 Difficult People Lilith Feigenbaum 1 episode
2017 Broad City Brenda 2 episodes
2018–2021 Pose Judy Kubrak 13 episodes
2018 American Horror Story: Apocalypse High Priestess Hannah Putt Episode: "Sojourn"
2019 Sweetbitter Maddie Glover 1 episode
2020 The Comedy Store Herself
2022 American Horror Story: NYC Fran Levinsky 6 episodes
2024 So Help Me Todd Attorney Belinda Tuttle Episode: "The Queen of Courts"
2025 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself (Guest Judge)
2025 Severance Nurse Cecily Recurring

Short subjects

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Museum of Love Kitty
2003 The Third Date Ola
2006 Twenty Dollar Drinks Star

Awards

Year Nominated work Award Category Result
1983 The King of Comedy NSFC Awards Template:Won
1991 Hudson Hawk Golden Raspberry Awards rowspan=2 Template:Nom
1997 Highlander: The Series OFTA Awards
  • Best Guest Actress in a Syndicated Series
2002 Herself GLAAD Media Awards rowspan=2 Template:Won
2006 Philadelphia QFest Awards
  • Artistic Achievement Award

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

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Template:Sandra Bernhard Template:National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Archived from the original on 2023-02-14.
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Dead link
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Johnson, Richard (October 20, 1992). "Sandra can't justify Madonna's love". New York Daily News.
  24. ↑ "Bernhard claims she was dumped by Madonna". Calgary Herald. October 22, 1992. p. D13.
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Bernhard Goes Maternal, CBS News, July 8, 1998. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1"., TV Fanatic. October 11, 2013
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ a b Template:Cite magazine
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