Sunda Croonquist
Encyclopedia
Sunda Croonquist is an American
comedian
.
, New Jersey
to an African-American mother and Swedish father. Inspired by her father’s career as a musician and having a stage/pageant mom, Croonquist wanted to be an entertainer at a very young age.
She was runner up in the Miss America Pageant’s preliminary representing the state of New Jersey
. Years later she again represented New Jersey but this time as “New Jersey’s Funniest Female.”
With a BA in Criminal Justice, Croonquist also worked as a probation and parole review officer in Newark, New Jersey
. She then worked as a detective while taking acting classes and eventually landed roles in local plays and films.
, who told her to seriously consider doing stand-up comedy
and with her husband’s encouragement, took a comedy class and had her first paid gig within weeks. Her first performance was at a club called Don't Tell Mama
.
Croonquist has produced her own comedy shows including: “Femmes Fatales” one of the longest running female comedy showcases for NY’s Toyota Comedy Festival for eight years. She is also the Chairperson for the Annual “Laugh Off”, an event that brings awareness to Gilda’s Club in Northern New Jersey. This is a cancer support group that was formed by comedian Gilda Radner
.
for allegedly spreading false, defamatory and racist lies about Zafrin's family in her stand-up act. Croonquist said she didn't even know she was being taken to court until she was asked, at an audition, to explain the lawsuit. The suit was later tossed out.
Per Sunda's live interview on ABC's Today, 5/9/2010, Sunda was initially sued by her sister-in-law who then asked her mother, Sunda's mother-in-law, to join the lawsuit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
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...
.
Early life
Sunda Croonquist was born in PatersonPaterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to an African-American mother and Swedish father. Inspired by her father’s career as a musician and having a stage/pageant mom, Croonquist wanted to be an entertainer at a very young age.
She was runner up in the Miss America Pageant’s preliminary representing the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Years later she again represented New Jersey but this time as “New Jersey’s Funniest Female.”
With a BA in Criminal Justice, Croonquist also worked as a probation and parole review officer in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. She then worked as a detective while taking acting classes and eventually landed roles in local plays and films.
Comedy career
At a chance encounter in New York City, Croonquist was joking around at a party when she met Jackie MasonJackie Mason
Jackie Mason is an American stand-up comedian and movie actor.-Early life:Born Yacov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, he grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City....
, who told her to seriously consider doing stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and with her husband’s encouragement, took a comedy class and had her first paid gig within weeks. Her first performance was at a club called Don't Tell Mama
Don't tell mama
Don't Tell Mama is a piano bar and cabaret located at 343 West 46th Street in New York City, USA, known in part for being featured on the TV show Friends....
.
Croonquist has produced her own comedy shows including: “Femmes Fatales” one of the longest running female comedy showcases for NY’s Toyota Comedy Festival for eight years. She is also the Chairperson for the Annual “Laugh Off”, an event that brings awareness to Gilda’s Club in Northern New Jersey. This is a cancer support group that was formed by comedian Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
.
Lawsuit
Croonquist gained attention in the media in August, 2009 when her mother-in-law, Ruth Zafrin, filed a lawsuit against her in U.S. District CourtUnited States District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey....
for allegedly spreading false, defamatory and racist lies about Zafrin's family in her stand-up act. Croonquist said she didn't even know she was being taken to court until she was asked, at an audition, to explain the lawsuit. The suit was later tossed out.
Per Sunda's live interview on ABC's Today, 5/9/2010, Sunda was initially sued by her sister-in-law who then asked her mother, Sunda's mother-in-law, to join the lawsuit.