American stand-up comic and actress
Susan Essman
(born May 31, 1955) is an American
stand-up comedian
, actress, writer and television producer, best known for her role as
Susie Greene
on
Curb Your Enthusiasm
,
Bobbi Wexler
on
Broad City
, and the voice of Mittens in
Bolt
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Essman was born on May 31, 1955
[1]
in
The Bronx
, New York City, and was raised in the suburb of
Mount Vernon
. Her father, Leonard Essman, was an internist and clinical oncologist. Her mother, Zora (
nee
Pressman), taught Russian at
Sarah Lawrence College
. She is the great granddaughter of silent film actor and Russian opera impresario
Leo Feodoroff
.
[2]
Essman is
Jewish
; her grandparents emigrated from Russia and Poland.
[3]
[4]
Career
[
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]
Performing
[
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]
Essman has been traveling and appearing at clubs throughout the country for more than three decades. In 1988, she appeared on
HBO
with
Joy Behar
and other rising female comedians on
On Location: Women of the Night II
. On January 5, 1989, she was a guest on
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
. Her first half-hour special premiered on September 20, 1992 on
HBO
’s
One Night Stand
.
[
citation needed
]
As much of her comedy draws from her
ethnic
background, she has been featured in such documentaries as,
Heroes of Jewish Comedy
and
A History of Jewish Comedy
.
Essman made her
UK
standup comedy
debut at the
Corn Exchange
at the
Newbury Comedy Festival
in July 2007. While in
England
, she appeared on the British television show
8 Out of 10 Cats
.
Essman began her acting career with small parts in two 1988 films ?
Crocodile Dundee II
and
Punchline
? but is best known for her role as
Susie Greene
, the wife of
Jeff Greene
(portrayed by
Jeff Garlin
), on the
HBO
comedy series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
. Essman told
The New York Times
that, by the show's third season, she could not "walk down the street anymore without people stopping her and begging her to say [her character's catchphrase] 'You fat fuck'".
[2]
In 2007,
Slate
named Essman's character one of the best on television, and a reason the publication looked forward to the return of the show.
[5]
She also provided the voice of Helen Higgins on the
Comedy Central
series
Crank Yankers
; she was an occasional correspondent on the first season of the network's
The Daily Show
. She appeared on Comedy Central's Roast of
Bob Saget
on August 17, 2008 and provided the voice of "Mittens" (the cat) in the 2008
Disney
animated film,
Bolt
, and later reprised the role in the 2009 short
Super Rhino
, released on the film's home media. She also made an appearance on the
Regis Philbin
version of
Million Dollar Password
.
[
citation needed
]
Writing
[
edit
]
Essman's book,
What Would Susie Say: Bullshit Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy
, was published in October 2009 by
Simon & Schuster
.
[6]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Essman was diagnosed with
celiac disease
in 2002
[2]
and used to be
[7]
a
pescatarian
? "not a moral thing," she explains, but "aesthetic"; chicken "grosses me out" ? and "lives on sushi".
[2]
She married Jim Harder, a commercial
real estate broker
, in September 2008.
[8]
She owns a
Shih Tzu
named Popeye.
[9]
Her sister, musician and composer Nora Essman Morrow, died in 2023.
[10]
Essman is a good friend of
Joy Behar
and has appeared on
The View
multiple times. In 2009, Behar hosted an event at the
92Y
with Essman as a guest.
[11]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
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]
Television
[
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]
Awards and nominations
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"May 31: On This Day in History"
.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
. May 31, 2022
. Retrieved
January 5,
2023
.
Notable people born on this day include ... "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Susie Essman, who was born in 1955
- ^
a
b
c
d
Witchel, Alex (March 5, 2003).
"AT LUNCH WITH Susie Essman; Eating Hollywood Style, With Thin Air on the Side"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 10,
2023
.
- ^
Westbrook, Caroline (October 7, 2007).
"Susie Essman bio interview"
.
www.somethingjewish.co.uk
. Archived from
the original
on January 5, 2011
. Retrieved
June 23,
2010
.
Both my parents are Jewish...
- ^
CINDY SHER on October 04, 2012 (October 4, 2012).
"JUF News | Veteran comics Susie Essman and Richard Lewis to bring the laughs to JUF's Vanguard Nov. 5"
. Juf.org
. Retrieved
January 11,
2017
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Slate, Lapidos, Juliet. November 23, 2003:
"Oh, How We've Missed You! The Best Characters on Television"
- ^
Wadler, Joyce (October 7, 2009).
"At Home With Susie Essman"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 31,
2009
.
- ^
"Ep 58: Susie Essman"
.
- ^
SEPT. 13, 2008 (September 13, 2008).
"Essman, Harder Marry"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
January 11,
2017
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Famous Shih Tzu Dogs ? Celebrities Who Own a Shih Tzu
allshihtzu.com
- ^
"Nora Morrow Obituary"
.
Tribute Archive
. Retrieved
May 30,
2023
.
- ^
"Susie Essman with Joy Behar: What Would Susie Say?"
.
92y.org
. October 25, 2009
. Retrieved
July 19,
2021
.
External links
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