Mary Birdsong
Encyclopedia
Mary Birdsong is an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer.
Birdsong was born on Long Beach Island
, New Jersey, one of five sisters. She may be best-known for her role as Deputy Cherisha Kimball on the Comedy Central
series Reno 911!
. She is a former correspondent on The Daily Show
and Crossballs
. As a voice actor, she has appeared in animated series such as Stroker and Hoop
and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, as well as the best-selling video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
. She is the reader of the audiobook version of the 2007 Bridie Clark book, Because She Can.
, Marc Shaiman
, Nicole Parker
, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Capathia Jenkins. In 2007, she won a Theater World Award for her performance. On January 29, 2008, Birdsong joined the Broadway
cast of the musical, Hairspray
. She played the role of Velma Von Tussle, the bigoted, pushy stage mother and television producer. Birdsong left the production on April 6, 2008. She then performed her one-woman show 3 Days in the Tub in Los Angeles. before going to San Francisco to play Mona Ramsey in ACT
's adaptation of Armistead Maupin
's Tales of the City
.
Birdsong was born on Long Beach Island
Long Beach Island
Long Beach Island is a barrier island and summer colony along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States...
, New Jersey, one of five sisters. She may be best-known for her role as Deputy Cherisha Kimball on the Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series 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...
. She is a former correspondent on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
and Crossballs
Crossballs
Crossballs: The Debate Show was a Comedy Central television show which poked fun at cable news networks' political debate shows, especially CNN's Crossfire and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. In each episode, comedians posing as experts on a particular subject would debate two real...
. As a voice actor, she has appeared in animated series such as Stroker and Hoop
Stroker and Hoop
Stroker and Hoop is an American Flash animated television series on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The series is a parody of buddy cop films and television series such as Starsky and Hutch, and features the voices of Jon Glaser as Stroker and Timothy "Speed" Levitch as...
and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, as well as the best-selling video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
. She is the reader of the audiobook version of the 2007 Bridie Clark book, Because She Can.
Broadway and live theater
From July 2006 – January 2007, Birdsong performed in the Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me comedy musical, alongside Martin ShortMartin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. He is perhaps best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical version of the cult John Waters film Hairspray, for which Shaiman won Tony and Grammy...
, Nicole Parker
Nicole Parker
Nicole Frances Parker is an Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best known for her work on Fox's sketch comedy show MADtv. In July 2009, she concluded her run as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked...
, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Capathia Jenkins. In 2007, she won a Theater World Award for her performance. On January 29, 2008, Birdsong joined the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
cast of the musical, Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
. She played the role of Velma Von Tussle, the bigoted, pushy stage mother and television producer. Birdsong left the production on April 6, 2008. She then performed her one-woman show 3 Days in the Tub in Los Angeles. before going to San Francisco to play Mona Ramsey in ACT
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
's adaptation of Armistead Maupin
Armistead Maupin
Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer, best known for his Tales of the City series of novels, based in San Francisco.-Early life:...
's Tales of the City
Tales of the City
Tales of the City refers to a series of eight novels written by American author Armistead Maupin. The stories from Tales were originally serialized prior to their novelization, with the first four titles appearing as regular installments in the San Francisco Chronicle, while the fifth appeared in...
.
Selected filmography
- Live on TapeLive on TapeLive on Tape is a late night comedy sketch show that aired on Saturday nights at 10pm on KLJB-TV in Davenport, Iowa from 1987 to 1989, and repeated through 1990. "Live on Tape" was the only locally produced entertainment show at that time in the Quad Cities area."Live on Tape" was a locally...
(1996) (TV) Various - Welcome to New YorkWelcome to New YorkWelcome to New York was a television sitcom that aired on CBS. The show starred Jim Gaffigan, who played a weatherman from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who then moved to New York and worked as a meteorologist for fictional morning news show called "AM New York"...
(2000) TV Series Connie (unknown episodes) - Loomis (2001) (pilot episode)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
(2002) (VG) (voice) Michaela Carapadis/Jenny Louise Crab - Contest SearchlightContest SearchlightContest Searchlight was a four-episode fictional comedy television series that aired in 2002 on the Comedy Central network. It was a documentary-style parody or mockumentary of the HBO network's non-fictional series Project Greenlight....
(2002) Alicia - Late Friday (2002) Janet Lamé (1 episode)
- The Daily ShowThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
(2002) Correspondent - EdEd (TV series)Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
(2003) Lisa Barnes (1 episode) - Little BillLittle BillLittle Bill is a television show for children on Nick Jr. The stories are based on Bill Cosby's Little Bill book series, set in Philadelphia and feature Bill Jr. learning a lesson or moral. It was developed through research and in consultation with a panel of educational consultants.The show also...
(2003) Valencia (1 episode) - Crossballs: The Debate Show (2004) Various Characters (13 episodes)
- Stroker and HoopStroker and HoopStroker and Hoop is an American Flash animated television series on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The series is a parody of buddy cop films and television series such as Starsky and Hutch, and features the voices of Jon Glaser as Stroker and Timothy "Speed" Levitch as...
(2005) Angel (8 episodes) - Harvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
(2005) (voice) Chibo (1 episode) - 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...
(2005–2008) Deputy Cherisha Kimball - Beer LeagueBeer LeagueArtie Lange's Beer League is a 2006 film written, produced, and starring Artie Lange. It was released in selected theaters on September 15, 2006 in the New Jersey, New York, Cleveland, and Philadelphia areas...
(2006) Rhonda - Tak and the Power of JujuTak and the Power of Juju (TV series)Tak and the Power of Juju is an all CGI-based animated series that premiered on Nickelodeon on August 31, 2007 and on Nicktoons on September 1, 2007. It has been showing on Nicktoons in the United Kingdom since 5 July 2008. Based on the video game of the same name, the show consists of two eleven...
(2007) Killjoy Juju - Made of HonorMade of HonorMade of Honor is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Paul Weiland and story written by Adam Sztykiel . It was produced by Neal H. Moritz and was released by Columbia Pictures in North America on May 2, 2008...
(2008) Sharon - Suburban ShootoutSuburban ShootoutSuburban Shootout is a British satirical black comedy television series produced for Five and Paramount Comedy by Feelgood Fiction in association with Oxygen. The first series aired in the UK on Five from 27 April 2006. It began airing in the United States on 22 March 2006 on Oxygen and in Germany...
(2008) unaired HBO pilot. - AdventurelandAdventureland (film)Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...
(2009) Francie - Halloween IIHalloween II (2009 film)Halloween II is a 2009 American horror film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a sequel to Zombie's 2007 remake of Halloween , and the second film in the rebooted Halloween film series and the tenth Halloween film in total...
(2009) Nancy McDonald - High SchoolHigh School (2010 film)High School is a 2010 comedy film starring Adrien Brody. It is the feature length directorial debut of John Stalberg, Jr. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010 and will be distributed in theatres internationally by Parallel Media....
(2010) Mrs. Gordon - KillersKillers (2010 film)Killers is a 2010 American romantic comedy action film starring Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 4, 2010...
(2010) Jackie Vallero - T.U.F.F. PuppyT.U.F.F. PuppyT.U.F.F. Puppy is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It premiered on October 2, 2010 on Nickelodeon after the premiere of Planet Sheen. The series' main character is a dim-witted but determined dog named Dudley Puppy , who works as a secret agent for an...
(2010) (voice) Snowflake (1 episode) - Shake It UpShake It Up (TV series)Shake It Up is an American television sitcom airing on Disney Channel in the United States. The series premiered on November 7, 2010. Created by Chris Thompson and starring Bella Thorne and Zendaya, the show follows the adventures of Cece Jones and Rocky Blue as they star as background dancers on...
(2011) Squizza Hessenheffer - The DescendantsThe Descendants (film)The Descendants is a 2011 comedy-drama film based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard and Shailene Woodley and it was released in the United States on November 18, 2011. It is directed by Alexander Payne, with a screenplay by Payne, Nat...
(2011) Kai - Rise of NightmaresRise of NightmaresRise of Nightmares is a survival horror video game developed and published by Sega for the Xbox 360. The game was revealed at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, and is designed specifically for Kinect. It is the first M-rated Kinect game released....
(2011) Jane (voice)