Abby Elliott
Encyclopedia
Abigail "Abby" Elliott is an American
actress and comedian currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live
.
, the daughter of Paula Niedert, a talent coordinator, and actor/comedian Chris Elliott
. As a child, she enjoyed acting in school plays at Our Lady of Fatima School in Wilton, and decided that she wanted to pursue acting as a career from an early age. She attended high school at Immaculate High School
in Danbury, Connecticut
. There she had a lot of success acting in school plays and musicals. In her senior year she held the lead role of Sandy in the musical Grease (musical)
. After graduating from Immaculate High School in 2005, she attended at Marymount Manhattan College
in New York City
but dropped out during the first semester after her dormitory became infested with mice, one of which she believes to have urinated in her eye and consequently given her conjunctivitus.
She is the third generation of her family to have been featured on SNL (and the second to be hired as a cast member). Her father is actor and comedian Chris Elliott
, who was an SNL cast member during the 1994-1995 season (season 20) and her grandfather is Bob Elliott
of the popular comedy duo Bob & Ray, who co-starred on a Christmas episode in the 1978-1979 season (fourth season).
Before joining SNL, Elliott took comedy classes at The Groundlings
and eventually began training and performing sketch comedy
at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT) in Los Angeles. In 2006, Elliott appeared with small roles in the comedy pilots "You've Reached The Elliotts" and "Chrissy: Plain & Simple", both pilots starring her father, Chris Elliott. While at UCBT, she frequently performed with The Midnight Show
sketch troupe. She has also occasionally performed comedy with her younger sister Bridey. Elliott joined the cast of SNL midway through the 2008–2009 season, in November 2008, to replace the departing Amy Poehler
. Before joining SNL, Elliott had also done guest voices roles on King of The Hill
and Minoriteam
. She has also been featured in a number of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
sketches such as Jersey Floor and 6-Bee.
In August 2010, media outlets reported Elliot was dating fellow Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen
. According to the Us Weekly website, Elliot and Armisen ended their relationship in September 2011.
In 2011, Elliott made her film debut with a small role in No Strings Attached and had a supporting role in the indie-comedy High Road.
, Anne Hathaway
, Katy Perry
, Angelina Jolie
, Joan Cusack
, Anna Faris
, Khloe Kardashian
, Laura Linney
(as Cathy Jamison in The Big C
), Rachael Maddow, Sarah McLachlan
, Marilyn Monroe
, Brittany Murphy
(which she performed 15 days before the real Brittany Murphy died. As a result, her segment on Weekend Update was removed in reruns), Ke$ha, Rosie Pope
, Leah Remini
, Chloë Sevigny
, Meryl Streep
, Jamie Lynn Spears
, Zooey Deschanel
, Lea Michele
(as Rachel Berry from Glee
) and Heather Menzies
(as Louisa von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and comedian currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Life and career
Elliott was born in New York City and raised in Wilton, ConnecticutWilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
, the daughter of Paula Niedert, a talent coordinator, and actor/comedian Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott
Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...
. As a child, she enjoyed acting in school plays at Our Lady of Fatima School in Wilton, and decided that she wanted to pursue acting as a career from an early age. She attended high school at Immaculate High School
Immaculate High School
Immaculate High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Danbury, Connecticut, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport...
in Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
. There she had a lot of success acting in school plays and musicals. In her senior year she held the lead role of Sandy in the musical Grease (musical)
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. After graduating from Immaculate High School in 2005, she attended at Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, coeducational, independent, private, liberal arts college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York with a focus in performing arts. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
but dropped out during the first semester after her dormitory became infested with mice, one of which she believes to have urinated in her eye and consequently given her conjunctivitus.
She is the third generation of her family to have been featured on SNL (and the second to be hired as a cast member). Her father is actor and comedian Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott
Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...
, who was an SNL cast member during the 1994-1995 season (season 20) and her grandfather is Bob Elliott
Bob Elliott (comedian)
Robert Brackett "Bob" Elliott is an American actor and comedian, formerly one-half of the comedy duo of Bob and Ray. He is the father of comedian/actor Chris Elliott and the grandfather of Saturday Night Live cast member Abby Elliott.-Life and career:Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the...
of the popular comedy duo Bob & Ray, who co-starred on a Christmas episode in the 1978-1979 season (fourth season).
Before joining SNL, Elliott took comedy classes at The Groundlings
The Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
and eventually began training and performing sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT) in Los Angeles. In 2006, Elliott appeared with small roles in the comedy pilots "You've Reached The Elliotts" and "Chrissy: Plain & Simple", both pilots starring her father, Chris Elliott. While at UCBT, she frequently performed with The Midnight Show
The Midnight Show
The Midnight Show is a Los Angeles-based sketch comedy group which performs monthly at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Founded in 2008, the show owes its notoriety not only to production of several viral internet videos on Funny or Die and YouTube The Midnight Show is a Los Angeles-based...
sketch troupe. She has also occasionally performed comedy with her younger sister Bridey. Elliott joined the cast of SNL midway through the 2008–2009 season, in November 2008, to replace the departing Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
. Before joining SNL, Elliott had also done guest voices roles on King of The Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
and Minoriteam
Minoriteam
Minoriteam is an animated television series on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The pilot episode premiered on November 6, 2005...
. She has also been featured in a number of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
sketches such as Jersey Floor and 6-Bee.
In August 2010, media outlets reported Elliot was dating fellow Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
. According to the Us Weekly website, Elliot and Armisen ended their relationship in September 2011.
In 2011, Elliott made her film debut with a small role in No Strings Attached and had a supporting role in the indie-comedy High Road.
Recurring characters
- Shirley, one of the singing sisters on The Lawrence Welk ShowThe Lawrence Welk ShowThe Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
- One of the French Girls in "Les Jeunes de Paris"
- Fur Coat Rhonda, one of the comedians in "The Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy"
Celebrity Impressions on SNL
Elliott has been noted for her celebrity impressions of Christina AguileraChristina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
, Joan Cusack
Joan Cusack
Joan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions....
, Anna Faris
Anna Faris
Anna Kay Faris is an American actress, singer and comedienne. She is known for her starring role in the Scary Movie film series, as well as roles in The Hot Chick , Lost in Translation , Just Friends , My Super Ex-Girlfriend , Smiley Face , and The House Bunny...
, Khloe Kardashian
Khloe Kardashian
Khloé Kardashian Odom is an American businesswoman, television personality, radio host, socialite, and model...
, Laura Linney
Laura Linney
Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
(as Cathy Jamison in The Big C
The Big C (TV series)
The Big C is a Showtime original television series created by Darlene Hunt which premiered on August 16, 2010. It drew the largest audience for a Showtime original series premiere in eight years. On September 20, 2010, The Big C was renewed for a second season which premiered on June 27, 2011...
), Rachael Maddow, Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
(which she performed 15 days before the real Brittany Murphy died. As a result, her segment on Weekend Update was removed in reruns), Ke$ha, Rosie Pope
Pregnant in Heels
Pregnant in Heels is a documentary drama airing Tuesdays at 10/9c on Bravo, which premiered in 2011. Following fashion designer Rosie Pope as she helps expectant mothers through her maternity concierge service, Rosie also owns a couture maternity clothing boutique and runs MomPrep , a training...
, Leah Remini
Leah Remini
Leah Marie Remini is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens and as Stacey Carosi on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell...
, Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American film actress, fashion designer and former model. Sevigny gained reputation for her eclectic fashion sense and developed a broad career in the fashion industry in the mid 1990s, both for modeling and for her work at New York's Sassy magazine, which labeled her...
, Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
, Jamie Lynn Spears
Jamie Lynn Spears
Jamie Lynn Marie Spears is an American actress and singer. The younger sister of pop star Britney Spears, she rose to prominence for her appearances on Nickelodeon shows All That and for playing Zoey Brooks on Zoey 101....
, Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
, Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
(as Rachel Berry from Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
) and Heather Menzies
Heather Menzies
Heather Urich , born December 3, 1949 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian-born actress who moved to California via Florida at the age of 11. She enrolled at the Falcon Studio’s University of the Arts, in Hollywood. Her first professional role at the age of 13 was on My Three Sons...
(as Louisa von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (film)
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
).
External links
- "...The Barrymores of Comedy" - Interview with Bob, Chris & Abby Elliott.