Daniele Gaither
Encyclopedia
Daniele Gaither is an American comic actress. Gaither is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv
.
and Josh Meyers
, she attended Northwestern University
at Evanston, Illinois
. In 1993, she moved to Los Angeles
to pursue an acting career, and attend the Groundlings School
, where aspiring sketch and improv performers are given a systematic approach to learning improvisation and writing skills.
While she studied at the Groundlings school, Gaither was trained by Michael McDonald
, before his tenure on MADtv. She completed the school and became a member of The Groundlings on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. After several years as a member, she left the group in 2006.
In her comedy, Gaither tries to "represent people that you see in the streets and know in everyday life," and sometimes uses her family experiences as material. She does impressions of people that she grew up admiring, such as Patti Labelle
, Marla Gibbs
and Isabel Sanford
, but also does impressions of current celebrities like Oprah Winfrey
, Star Jones
and Lil Kim.
Gaither's first regular television appearance was on Hype
in 2000. After her first big break, she appeared on NBC
's The Rerun Show
. Gaither has a recurring role as Chandra the hairdresser on Comedy Central
's Reno 911!
.
star Ice T
. The skit was concerned a mock debate between U.S. President
Bill Clinton
(played by Bryan Callen
) and U.S. Senator Bob Dole
(played by David Herman
) who transformed himself into a "twisted" version of the 1970s blaxploitation
icon Dolemite
. Gaither played one of Dole's "Dolemite girls."
Gaither officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2003, seven years after her initial appearance on the series, as a feature performer for the ninth season. She became the second African American
female cast member in the show's history, when she replaced Debra Wilson
. Gaither was later promoted to a repertory performer status the following season. Some of her characters were only seen one time on the discussion show Real Mother****ing Talk. Outside of that, some of her best characters included senior citizen Dilly Mae Jackson, Taco Hell boss Loretta, and Yvoone Criddle, a middle aged woman who openly acknowledges her own sociopath
ic behavior yet simultaneously appears to be oblivious to its perversity.
Gaither portrayed offbeat impersonations of celebrities, which included Condoleezza Rice
, Eve
, La La, and Tyra Banks
.
Gaither was released from MADtv by FOX in June 2006.
’s 2004 "World’s Sexiest Vegetarians", which Alicia Silverstone
won. She also recently co-hosted the "2003 Rotten Jellyfish awards" with fellow Groundling Jennifer Coolidge
.
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
.
Early life
Daniele Gaither was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a child, Gaither was always the class clown with a knack for storytelling and mimicry. Like her fellow MADtv castmates Nicole SullivanNicole Sullivan
Nicole Julianne Sullivan is an American actress, comedian and voice artist. Sullivan is best known for her six seasons on the sketch comedy series MADtv and five seasons on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.She has played a recurring character on Scrubs and voices the villainous Shego in...
and Josh Meyers
Josh Meyers
Joshua Dylan "Josh" Meyers is an American actor, known for being a cast member of the sketch comedy MADtv and playing Randy Pearson in the eighth and final season of That '70s Show...
, she attended Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
at Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. In 1993, she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to pursue an acting career, and attend the Groundlings School
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...
, where aspiring sketch and improv performers are given a systematic approach to learning improvisation and writing skills.
While she studied at the Groundlings school, Gaither was trained by Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (actor)
Michael James McDonald is an American actor, writer, comedian, and director, best known for starring in the sketch comedy show MADtv. McDonald joined the show during the fourth season and remained in the cast until the end of the thirteenth and penultimate season, having become the...
, before his tenure on MADtv. She completed the school and became a member of The Groundlings on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. After several years as a member, she left the group in 2006.
In her comedy, Gaither tries to "represent people that you see in the streets and know in everyday life," and sometimes uses her family experiences as material. She does impressions of people that she grew up admiring, such as Patti Labelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs is an American television and film actress and singer. She is best remembered for playing Louise and George Jefferson's sarcastic maid, Florence Johnston, on The Jeffersons and spinoff Checking In...
and Isabel Sanford
Isabel Sanford
Isabel Sanford was an American actress best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons .-Career:...
, but also does impressions of current celebrities like Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
, Star Jones
Star Jones
Star Jones is an American lawyer, journalist, writer, and television personality. She is known for her role as a co-host of the ABC weekday morning talk show The View...
and Lil Kim.
Gaither's first regular television appearance was on Hype
Hype (TV series)
Hype is a sketch comedy television series on The WB Television Network. Most of the central jokes making fun of celebrities in the news at the time...
in 2000. After her first big break, she appeared on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Rerun Show
The Rerun Show
The Rerun Show was a short-lived sketch comedy television series that aired on NBC from August 1, 2002 until August 20, 2002. VH1 also aired the show on Friday nights at 11:30 P.M...
. Gaither has a recurring role as Chandra the hairdresser on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's Reno 911!
Reno 911!
Reno 911! is an American comedy television series on Comedy Central that ran from 2003 to 2009. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically COPS, with comic actors playing the police officers. Most of the material is improvised, using a broad outline, and...
.
MADtv
Gaither first appeared in an episode of MADtvs second season, which featured rapHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
star Ice T
Ice T
Tracy Marrow , better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician and actor.He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years...
. The skit was concerned a mock debate between U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
(played by Bryan Callen
Bryan Callen
Bryan Christopher Callen is an American actor. Callen is notable for being one of the original cast of comedians on the sketch comedy series MADtv.-Early life:...
) and U.S. Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
(played by David Herman
David Herman
David Herman is an American actor, comedian and voice actor best known as an original cast member of MADtv and for his role as Michael Bolton in Office Space. He is also known for his voice roles on television programs such as Futurama and King of the Hill.- Biography :David Herman was born in New...
) who transformed himself into a "twisted" version of the 1970s blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
icon Dolemite
Dolemite
Dolemite is a 1975 blaxploitation feature film, and is also the name of its principal character, played by Rudy Ray Moore, who co-wrote the film and its soundtrack...
. Gaither played one of Dole's "Dolemite girls."
Gaither officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2003, seven years after her initial appearance on the series, as a feature performer for the ninth season. She became the second African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
female cast member in the show's history, when she replaced Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson Skelton , professionally known as Debra Wilson or Debra Wilzon, is an American comedienne and actress. Wilson is likely most famous for being the second longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv, having appeared for the show's first eight seasons...
. Gaither was later promoted to a repertory performer status the following season. Some of her characters were only seen one time on the discussion show Real Mother****ing Talk. Outside of that, some of her best characters included senior citizen Dilly Mae Jackson, Taco Hell boss Loretta, and Yvoone Criddle, a middle aged woman who openly acknowledges her own sociopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
ic behavior yet simultaneously appears to be oblivious to its perversity.
Gaither portrayed offbeat impersonations of celebrities, which included Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, Eve
Eve (rapper)
Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the...
, La La, and Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
.
Gaither was released from MADtv by FOX in June 2006.
Characters
- Dellie Mae Jackson (7 A.M. Condo Report)
- Loretta (Taco Hell)
- Mrs. Conkling (Holly Meadow Estates)
- Renee (QVCQVCQVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
Quacker Factory) - Shatrice (The B.S.)
- Yvoone Criddle
- Miranda BaileyMiranda BaileyDr. Miranda Bailey is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actress Chandra Wilson, who won a 2007 Screen Actor's Guild Award for the role...
(Grey's AnatomyGrey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
)
Impressions
- Aisha TylerAisha TylerAisha N. Tyler is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and author, known for her regular role as Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer and voicing Lana Kane in Archer, as well as her recurring roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and on Friends as Charlie...
- Alicia KeysAlicia KeysAlicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
- Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
- Brittany MurphyBrittany MurphyBrittany 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...
(on the animated recurring series, "The Power Slut Girls") - Capri
- Chandra WilsonChandra WilsonChandra Danette Wilson is an American actress and director, best known as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama, Grey's Anatomy.-Early life:...
- Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
- EveEve (rapper)Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the...
- FantasiaFantasia BarrinoFantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
- Jackee
- Jada Pinkett SmithJada Pinkett SmithJada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter, and businesswoman. She began her career in 1990, when she made a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom True Colors. She starred in A Different World, produced by Bill Cosby, and she featured...
- Jully BlackJully BlackJully Black |Julie]]"; born Jullyann Inderia Gordon; November 8, 1977) is a Canadian R&B singer–songwriter. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Missy Elliott, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Child, and Sean Paul.-Life & career:Black was born Jullyann...
- Kerry WashingtonKerry WashingtonKerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles's wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm, The Thing, in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007...
- Kim FieldsKim FieldsKim Victoria Fields is an American actress and television director. She is known for her roles as Tootie Ramsey on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life, and as Regine Hunter on the Fox sitcom Living Single...
- La La
- LaWanda PageLaWanda PageLaWanda Page , born Alberta Peal, was an American actress and comedienne best known for her portrayal of Aunt Esther in the 1970s TV sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
- Lil' KimLil' KimKimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
- Marla GibbsMarla GibbsMarla Gibbs is an American television and film actress and singer. She is best remembered for playing Louise and George Jefferson's sarcastic maid, Florence Johnston, on The Jeffersons and spinoff Checking In...
- Mary J. BligeMary J. BligeMary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
- Mo'NiqueMo'Nique Imes-JacksonMonica Imes Hicks , known professionally as Mo'Nique, is an American comedienne and actress. Mo'Nique rose to fame in the UPN series The Parkers while making a name as a stand-up comedian hosting a variety of venues, including Showtime at the Apollo...
- Omarosa Manigault-StallworthOmarosa Manigault-StallworthOmaroseonee Manigault-Stallworth , usually known simply as Omarosa, is a two-time participant on Donald Trump's television reality show The Apprentice.-Early life:Manigault-Stallworth was born in Youngstown, Ohio...
- Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Raven Symone
- Regina TaylorRegina TaylorRegina Taylor is an American actress and playwright. She has won several awards throughout her career, including a Golden Globe Award and NAACP Image Award.-Biography:...
- Rosa ParksRosa ParksRosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
- Star JonesStar JonesStar Jones is an American lawyer, journalist, writer, and television personality. She is known for her role as a co-host of the ABC weekday morning talk show The View...
- Tyra BanksTyra BanksTyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
- Vanessa MinnilloVanessa MinnilloVanessa Joy Lachey is an-American television personality, television host, model, and actress. A former Miss Teen USA, she has been a New York-based correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and a host of Total Request Live on MTV...
- Wanda SykesWanda SykesWanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America...
PETA involvement
Gaither is a lifelong vegetarian and animal lover, and was one of the 180 celebrities nominated for PETAPeta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
’s 2004 "World’s Sexiest Vegetarians", which Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone is an American actress, author, and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith, and is perhaps best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless and her portrayal of Batgirl in Batman & Robin .-Early life:Silverstone...
won. She also recently co-hosted the "2003 Rotten Jellyfish awards" with fellow Groundling Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress best known for playing "Stifler's mom," the older woman in the film American Pie ; Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story ; Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde and its sequel; the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots ; for her...
.
Trivia
- Gaither appeared on Hype!Hype!Hype! is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the steps of grunge, from its subversive inception in neighborhood basements, to its explosion as a pop culture...
with fellow MADtv castmember Frank CaliendoFrank CaliendoFrank Caliendo is an American comedian and impressionist, best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and as the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS...
and The Rerun ShowThe Rerun ShowThe Rerun Show was a short-lived sketch comedy television series that aired on NBC from August 1, 2002 until August 20, 2002. VH1 also aired the show on Friday nights at 11:30 P.M...
with Paul VogtPaul VogtPaul C. Vogt is an American actor and comedian best known for his work as a cast member on the sketch comedy programs MADtv, The Big Gay Sketch Show and The Rerun Show.-Life and career:...
.
Catch Phrases
- "I’m in Jimmy Choo Boots M***** F*****!" - Eve (Hollywood Squares)
- "I got Herpes.... The End" - Loretta (Taco Hell)
- "Yes I did" - Yvonne Criddle (Stolen Parking Spot)
- "Oh well, don't worry baby, you can be just like Angelina JolieAngelina JolieAngelina 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...
and adopt a couple little yellow babies"- Beyoncé Knowles (MadTV) - "Nobody asked you to talk! You better get to work! Do a better job cleanin' then you did wit' singin'! That ol' jive duet with NellyNellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, ain't nobody wanna hear that, nobody buyin' yo' album!"- Beyoncé Knowles (MadTV)
Television appearances
- Reno 911!Reno 911!Reno 911! is an American comedy television series on Comedy Central that ran from 2003 to 2009. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically COPS, with comic actors playing the police officers. Most of the material is improvised, using a broad outline, and...
(2003, 2005) as Chandra - The Rerun ShowThe Rerun ShowThe Rerun Show was a short-lived sketch comedy television series that aired on NBC from August 1, 2002 until August 20, 2002. VH1 also aired the show on Friday nights at 11:30 P.M...
(2002) as Series Regular - HypeHype (TV series)Hype is a sketch comedy television series on The WB Television Network. Most of the central jokes making fun of celebrities in the news at the time...
(2000) as Various Characters - MADtvMADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
(1996, 2003–2006) as Various Characters - Tyler Perry's House of PayneTyler Perry's House of PayneTyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...
(2007) as Smokey
Filmography
- Necessary EvilNecessary Evil (film)Necessary Evil is an American thriller film from 2008. It was directed by Peter J. Eaton, written by Eric Feldman and Christopher James Harvill, starring Frank Novak, Donald Agnelli and Lance Henriksen...
(2008) - Lincoln's Eyes (2005)
- Caught (2002)