Elayne Boosler
Encyclopedia
Elayne Boosler is an American comedian
.
Boosler was born and raised in Brooklyn
, the youngest child and only daughter of a Russian
-acrobat father and a Romanian
-ballerina mother. She attended Public School in Brooklyn including Shellbank Junior High School and Sheepshead Bay High School.
After a brief unsuccessful stint at the University of South Florida
, Boosler worked as doorman at The Improvisation
comedy club in New York
for three years, and it was there that she met comedian Andy Kaufman
, a regular at the club, who convinced her she should do standup comedy. The two dated for three years and remained friends until Kaufman's death. Boosler credits Kaufman for her "comedy education" as well as her other peers at the time which included Freddie Prinze
, Jay Leno
, Larry David
, Richard Lewis
, Richard Belzer
, Jimmie Walker
and Ed Bluestone.
Boosler was an instant success in a field which was then still dominated by male performers. In 1986 Boosler became the first female to get her own comedy special on cable when Showtime aired "Party of One". Boosler had to save her money and produce the special herself, because none of the cable networks thought people would tune in to see a female do an hour of comedy. People magazine gave it an ‘A’. John J. O’Connor in the New York Times wrote, ”how refreshing, a woman who doesn’t have to tear her own skin off for our amusement. . an attractive human being simply standing there being funny, the first to feel she doesn’t have to be a grotesque..”
Following the rave reviews, Showtime immediately gave her a deal for three more specials, and rival HBO announced its own new series of specials, “Women of the Night”. For this reason, Boosler is widely credited with opening new doors to women in comedy.
In 1988 in an appearance on CNN
's "Crossfire)
" program, near the end of the show she called Mother Teresa
a hypocrite for not bringing birth control to Calcutta. Hosts Michael Kinsley
and Robert Novak
both gasped and were visibly shaken. The show quickly cut to a commercial. After that remark her career went into a decline.
To date, Boosler has done seven cable specials. Her one-hour standup comedy concert specials for Showtime include: “Party of One”, “Broadway Baby”, “Top Tomata”, broadcast live from Omaha and voted Best Comedy Special of the Year by readers of Cable Guide magazine, and “Live Nude Girls”. Her New Year’s Eve comedy-variety special, “Elayne Boosler’s Midnight Hour”, was a 90-minute special from at Town Hall in New York and telecast live on Showtime. Elayne has also written, directed, and acted in two half-hour movies for Cinemax; “Comedy From Here”, a drama, and “The Call”.
Boosler hosted the short-lived game show Balderdash
, on PAX (now ION Television).
Boosler is married to Bill Siddons
, music industry executive and former manager of The Doors
.
Besides her comedy career, Boosler also appeared as an actress on Night Court
, and in a series of commercials for Fantastik cleaning spray.
hosted by the National Organization for Women
. She is also a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post
.
Boosler has on occasion substituted for Stephanie Miller
on The Stephanie Miller Show
, a progressive radio talk show
.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Boosler was born and raised in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, the youngest child and only daughter of a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
-acrobat father and a Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
-ballerina mother. She attended Public School in Brooklyn including Shellbank Junior High School and Sheepshead Bay High School.
After a brief unsuccessful stint at the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
, Boosler worked as doorman at The Improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
comedy club in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for three years, and it was there that she met comedian Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...
, a regular at the club, who convinced her she should do standup comedy. The two dated for three years and remained friends until Kaufman's death. Boosler credits Kaufman for her "comedy education" as well as her other peers at the time which included Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was known as the star of Chico and the Man. He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-Early life:...
, Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
, Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis (comedian)
-Early life:Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. His father worked as a caterer and his mother was an actress. Lewis is Jewish. He later attended Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity....
, Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
, Jimmie Walker
Jimmie Walker
James Carter "Jimmie" Walker is an American actor and stand-up comedian, known for portraying J. J. Evans on the television series Good Times, which ran from 1974 to 1979...
and Ed Bluestone.
Boosler was an instant success in a field which was then still dominated by male performers. In 1986 Boosler became the first female to get her own comedy special on cable when Showtime aired "Party of One". Boosler had to save her money and produce the special herself, because none of the cable networks thought people would tune in to see a female do an hour of comedy. People magazine gave it an ‘A’. John J. O’Connor in the New York Times wrote, ”how refreshing, a woman who doesn’t have to tear her own skin off for our amusement. . an attractive human being simply standing there being funny, the first to feel she doesn’t have to be a grotesque..”
Following the rave reviews, Showtime immediately gave her a deal for three more specials, and rival HBO announced its own new series of specials, “Women of the Night”. For this reason, Boosler is widely credited with opening new doors to women in comedy.
In 1988 in an appearance on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's "Crossfire)
Crossfire (TV series)
Crossfire was a current events debate television program that aired from 1982 to 2005 on CNN. Its format was designed to present and challenge the opinions of a politically liberal pundit and a conservative pundit.-Format:...
" program, near the end of the show she called Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
a hypocrite for not bringing birth control to Calcutta. Hosts Michael Kinsley
Michael Kinsley
Michael Kinsley is an American political journalist, commentator, television host, and pundit. Primarily active in print media as both a writer and editor, he also became known to television audiences as a co-host on Crossfire...
and Robert Novak
Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for...
both gasped and were visibly shaken. The show quickly cut to a commercial. After that remark her career went into a decline.
To date, Boosler has done seven cable specials. Her one-hour standup comedy concert specials for Showtime include: “Party of One”, “Broadway Baby”, “Top Tomata”, broadcast live from Omaha and voted Best Comedy Special of the Year by readers of Cable Guide magazine, and “Live Nude Girls”. Her New Year’s Eve comedy-variety special, “Elayne Boosler’s Midnight Hour”, was a 90-minute special from at Town Hall in New York and telecast live on Showtime. Elayne has also written, directed, and acted in two half-hour movies for Cinemax; “Comedy From Here”, a drama, and “The Call”.
Boosler hosted the short-lived game show Balderdash
Balderdash (game show)
Balderdash is an American television game show that aired on PAX TV from August 2, 2004 to February 4, 2005 with repeats airing until April 22. It was hosted by Elayne Boosler and announced by John Moschitta...
, on PAX (now ION Television).
Boosler is married to Bill Siddons
Bill Siddons
Bill Siddons is best known for managing The Doors from 1968 to 1972.After the death of The Doors' lead singer Jim Morrison he managed the remaining three members for two records. He was the one person in the United States Pamela Courson contacted from Paris after Morrison had died...
, music industry executive and former manager of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
.
Besides her comedy career, Boosler also appeared as an actress on Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
, and in a series of commercials for Fantastik cleaning spray.
Political activism
Boosler is active in liberal politics and animal rights. On July 11, 2003 she moderated a Democratic presidential candidate forum on the topic of women's rightsWomen's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
hosted by the National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
. She is also a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
.
Boosler has on occasion substituted for Stephanie Miller
Stephanie Miller
Stephanie Catherine Miller is an American comedienne and host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles and syndicated nationally by Dial Global. Talkers magazine ranked her as the 24th most important radio talk show host in America for 2010.-Early...
on The Stephanie Miller Show
The Stephanie Miller Show
The Stephanie Miller Show is a syndicated progressive talk radio program that discusses politics, current events, and pop culture using a fast-paced, impromptu style. The three-hour show is hosted by comedienne Stephanie Miller along with voice artist Jim Ward and the show's engineer and executive...
, a progressive radio talk show
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
.