This page uses content from the Sandra Bernhard biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Sandra Bernhard (born June 6 1955 in Flint, Michigan) is an American actress, comedian, author and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy where she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time.

Her one woman show Without You I'm Nothing was a success on Broadway, and was turned into a recording as well as a film. She has developed a cult following with her stand-up comedy shows that are better described as performance art. She is bisexual, with public intimations of a relationship with Madonna, which both made in the late 1980s. She returned to New York in 2006 with the Off-Broadway show Everything Bad & Beautiful.

Film & Television

She has also made appearances in various films (including The King of Comedy, Hudson Hawk, Follow That Bird, Dinner Rush and Inside Monkey Zetterland) as well as her television spots, most notably as Nancy, a lesbian friend of the title protagonist on Roseanne. She also guest-starred as herself on two episodes of Will & Grace and appeared in several episodes of The L Word as a literary professor. In 2005 she hosted The Funniest Mom in America special on Nick @ Nite, but did not return as the host in 2006.

The View controversy

In June 2006, Bernhard appeared on the television program The View, and in a seven-minute segment, her commentary on race and politics incited two of the hosts to rage. Bernhard is not a stranger to the show, having appeared numerous times before, but her comments on Mariah Carey infuriated Star Jones, who barely made eye contact with Bernhard after the first two minutes. She was then asked by Barbara Walters to discuss her opinion of Laura Bush, which sent Republican co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck into an angry rant ("Don't you 'honey' me, HONEY!"). Host Joy Behar, a friend of Bernhard's, then left the stage (for comedic effect), and the segment was cut short.

MAC controversy

In August 2006, Sandra Bernhard served as the spokesperson in a commercial for Make-up Art Cosmetics (MAC). In the commercial, promoting PlushGlass lipgloss, Bernhard referred to someone who might not approve of her outspokenness as a "...little freaked out, intimidated, frightened, right-wing Republican thin-lipped bitch". MAC pulled the commercial after "enormous reaction" from customers and the blogosphere[1], although the video is viewable on YouTube.

Music

Bernhard performs classic pop music, jazz, and blues tunes. She has released several albums (combinations of music and comedy) including:

• I'm Your Woman - (Special Release in 2004)
• Without You I'm Nothing - (Special Release in 2004)
• Excuses For Bad Behavior (Part One)
• I'm Still Here... Damn It!
• The Love Machine
• Hero Worship

• Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part Two)
• The Love Machine Remastered (entirely different than The Love Machine)
• Giving Til it Hurts
• Sandra Bernhard: Live
• Gems of Mystery
• Everything Bad & Beautiful - (Two Versions)*

All of the CD's from "The Love Machine" through "Gems..." have been cheaply produced CD-Rs, which is commonly what comedians sell at their shows. The Smoking Popes recorded a song entitled "Sandra", a tribute to Ms. Bernhard, wherein the singer Josh Caterer professes his obsession with Sandra. In 2004 Bernhard re-released special edition albums of I'm Your Woman and Without You I'm Nothing. The re-releases of both included special tracks, as well as several guests to help attract a new aduience. Bernhand has stated that Excuses For Bad Behavior (Part One) will be re-released in late 2007.

• - One version was released in June 2006, while a second version with an additional track was released in September 2006. It should be noted that the original version is no longer available, and therefore it has become a collector's item.

Literature

Bernhand is an accomplished writer with three books:

• Confessions of a Pretty Lady - (Re-released in 1989)
• May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra
• Love, Love and Love

Filmography

• Shogun Assasin (1980) (dubbing voice for US version)
• Nice Dreams (1981)
• The King of Comedy (1983)
• The House of God (1984)
• Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985)
• The Whoopee Boys (1986)
• Casual Sex? (1988)
• Track 29 (1988)
• Heavy Petting (1989) (documentary)
• Without You I'm Nothing (1990)
• Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) (documentary)
• Hudson Hawk (1991)
• Inside Monkey Zetterland (1992)
• Sandra Bernhard: Confessions of a Pretty Lady (1994) (documentary)
• Dallas Doll (1994)
• Unzipped (1995) (documentary)
• A Hundred and One Nights of Simon Cinema (1995)
• The Reggae Movie (1995) (documentary)
• Catwalk (1996) (documentary)
• Museum of Love (1996) (short subject)
• The Apocalypse (1997)
• Plump Fiction (1997)
• One Hell of a Guy (1998) (voice only)
• Exposé (1998)
• An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998)
• Somewhere in the City (1998)
• Wrongfully Accused (1998)
• I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998)
• Hecules: Zero to Hero (1999) (voice) (direct-to-video)
• Playing Mona Lisa (2000)
• Dinner Rush (2000)
• The Third Date (2003) (short subject)
• The N-Word (2004) (documentary)
• The Easter Egg Adventure (2004) (voice)
• Searching for Bobby D (2005)
• Twenty Dollar Drinks (2006) (short subject)

External links

• Official website

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.