Lorne Michaels | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Michaels at the 2021Kennedy Center Honors | |
| Born | Lorne David Lipowitz (1944-11-17)November 17, 1944 (age 81) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Citizenship | Canada United States (from 1987) |
| Education | University of Toronto (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Notable work | |
| Style | Deadpan comedy |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Lorne Michaels (bornLorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian and American television and film producer, comedian, screenwriter and director. He created and producedSaturday Night Live (1975–1980, since 1985) and produced theLate Night series (since 1993),The Kids in the Hall (from 1989 to 1995), andThe Tonight Show (since 2014).[1][2][3][4]
He has received 24Primetime Emmy Awards from 112 nominations, holding the record as the most nominated individual in the award show's history.[5][6]
Lorne David Lipowitz was born to a Jewish family inToronto, Ontario, on November 17, 1944, to Florence (née Becker) (1915–2001) and Abraham Lipowitz (1908–1959), who worked as afurrier.[7][8][9]
Several sources incorrectly state that he was born on akibbutz in the then-British mandate of Palestine,[10][11][12][13] and that hisJewish family immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, when he was an infant.[14]
Michaels and his two younger siblings were raised in Toronto; he graduated fromForest Hill Collegiate Institute before attendingUniversity College at theUniversity of Toronto, earning aBachelor of Arts in English in 1966.[15][16][17]
Michaels began his career as a writer and broadcaster forCBC Radio, working with partnerHart Pomerantz.[18] He and Pomerantz moved to Los Angeles from Toronto in 1968 to work as writers forRowan & Martin's Laugh-In andThe Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show. They returned to Canada to star inThe Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour, a series of comedy specials that ran onCBC in the early 1970s.[19][20]
Michaels returned to the United States in 1973 to write forThe Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour. This brought him to the attention ofLily Tomlin who hired him to produce a series of specials, thefirst of which won anEmmy.[21] Michaels credits his work with Tomlin for giving him the credibility needed for NBC to hire him to createSaturday Night Live.[22]
In 1975, Michaels created (with fellow NBC employeeDick Ebersol and president of the networkHerb Schlosser) the television showNBC's Saturday Night, which in 1977 changed its name toSaturday Night Live (initially there was a name conflict with an ABC show titledSaturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, which debuted September 20, 1975, and was cancelled on January 17, 1976). The show, which is performed live in front of a studio audience, immediately established a reputation for being cutting-edge and unpredictable. It became a vehicle for launching the careers of some of the most successful comedians in the United States.
Originally theproducer of the show, Michaels was also a writer and later becameexecutive producer. He occasionally appears on-screen as well, where he is known for hisdeadpan humor. Throughout the show's history,SNL has been nominated for more than 156Emmy Awards and has won 36. It has consistently been one of the highest-rated late-night television programs. Michaels has been withSNL for all seasons except for his hiatus in the early 1980s (seasons 6–10).
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Michaels appeared in the show during the first season, where he offeredThe Beatles US $3000 to reunite on the show.[23] He later increased his offer to US $3200, but the money was never claimed. According to an interview withJohn Lennon inPlayboy magazine,[24] Lennon andPaul McCartney were in New York City that night and happened to see the program. They contemplated going onto the show as a joke but decided against it though, as it was too late to get there in time, and they were both tired. This near-reunion was the basis for the television movieTwo of Us. On the episode airing November 20, 1976, musical guestGeorge Harrison appeared and attempted to collect the money, but Michaels told him the offer was conditional on all four members of the group showing up rather than just any Beatle.[25]
During the1978–1979 season ofSNL, Michaels was offered a deal to produce nine features fromParamount, but he turned it down to take a three-picture deal fromWarner Bros. The Warner Bros. deal didn't net any produced movies.[26] In the early 80s, he subsequently had a deal to produce movies forMGM and was developing aFather Guido Sarducci movie written byDon Novello, a spoof of1984 called1985 that was set in the future and written byAl Franken,Tom Davis, andJim Downey, and an adaptation ofPride and Prejudice Michaels himself was co-writing with friend John Head.[27][28] The only movie to be produced from Michaels's MGM deal wasNothing Lasts Forever, a black-and-white surreal sci-fi comedy written and directed by longtime residentSNL filmmakerTom Schiller. The movie featured appearances fromBill Murray andDan Aykroyd, but the studio opted to never release it.[29]
In 1979, Michaels founded the production companyBroadway Video, which has producedSNL since 1981 as well as other shows such as Canadian sketch-comedyThe Kids in the Hall which began airing in 1988 onCBC in Canada, debuting in the U.S. market in 1989 oncable television networkHBO until moving toCBS in 1993.
Whilst on hisSNL hiatus, Michaels created another sketch show titledThe New Show, which debuted on Friday nights in prime time on NBC in January 1984. The show failed to garner the same enthusiasm asSNL and was cancelled after 9 episodes.
In the 1980s, Michaels appeared in anHBOmockumentary titledThe Canadian Conspiracy about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities, withLorne Greene as the leader of the conspiracy. Michaels was identified as the anointed successor to Greene.
Michaels is also the executive producer of theNBC showLate Night, and was the executive producer of30 Rock andUp All Night during their runs.
On April 3, 2013, it was announced that Michaels would be taking over as the executive producer forThe Tonight Show. Consequently,The Tonight Show moved to New York in early 2014 asThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Michaels has three children, Henry, Eddie, and Sophie[30] and has been married three times.[31] During the early 1960s, he began a relationship withRosie Shuster, daughter of his comedy mentorFrank Shuster of theWayne and Shuster comedy team, who later worked with him onSaturday Night Live as a writer.[19] Michaels and Shuster were married in 1967[32][33] and divorced in 1980.[34] He married model Susan Forristal in 1981, a marriage that ended in divorce in 1987. Michaels is married to Alice Barry, his former assistant. The pair wed in 1991.[31]
Michaels became an American citizen in 1987[31] and was inducted into theOrder of Canada in 2002.[35]
In January 2025, Michaels donated archival materials from throughout his career to theHarry Ransom Center at theUniversity of Texas at Austin.[36] The Lorne Michaels Collection is scheduled to become available for research in January 2026.[37]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Mr. Mike's Mondo Video | Executive producer | |
| 1980 | Gilda Live | Producer, writer | |
| 1984 | Nothing Lasts Forever | Producer | |
| 1986 | ¡Three Amigos! | Producer, writer | |
| 1992 | Wayne's World | Producer | |
| 1993 | Coneheads | ||
| Wayne's World 2 | |||
| 1994 | Lassie | ||
| 1995 | Tommy Boy | ||
| Stuart Saves His Family | |||
| 1996 | Black Sheep | ||
| Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy | |||
| 1998 | A Night at the Roxbury | ||
| 1999 | Superstar | ||
| Man on the Moon | Cameo as himself | ||
| 2000 | The Ladies Man | Producer | |
| 2001 | Enigma | ||
| 2004 | Mean Girls | ||
| 2007 | Hot Rod | ||
| 2008 | Baby Mama | ||
| 2010 | MacGruber | ||
| 2012 | The Guilt Trip | ||
| 2015 | Staten Island Summer | ||
| 2016 | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | ||
| Brother Nature | |||
| Masterminds | |||
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Cameo as himself | |
| 2024 | Mean Girls | Producer | [38] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Barris and Company | Writer | Variety show,CBC Television |
| The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show | Variety sketch series,NBC | ||
| 1969 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | ||
| The Jim Nabors Hour | Variety sketch series,CBS | ||
| 1970–1971 | The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour | Costar, writer, producer | |
| 1973 | The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour | Writer | Summer variety sketch series,ABC |
| Lily | Producer, writer | Comedy variety special,CBS | |
| The Perry Como Winter Show | Writer | Variety comedy special,NBC | |
| 1974 | Flip Wilson... Of Course | Producer, writer | Comedy variety special,NBC |
| The Hollywood Palladium | Writer | Comedy variety special,CBS | |
| 1975 | Lily | Producer, writer | |
| The Lily Tomlin Special | |||
| 1975–1980; since 1985 | Saturday Night Live | Executive producer, creator | Variety sketch series,NBC |
| 1978 | All You Need Is Cash: The Rutles | Executive producer | Television movie |
| 1982 | The Concert in Central Park | Concert special,HBO | |
| 1984 | The New Show | Producer | Variety sketch series,NBC |
| 1988–1990 | Sunday Night | Executive producer | Late night television,NBC |
| 1988 | 40th Primetime Emmy Awards | Awards ceremony, FOX | |
| 1988–1995; 2022 | The Kids in the Hall | Variety sketch series,CBC/Amazon Prime Video | |
| 1991 | Lookwell | Producer | Television Movie,NBC |
| 1993–2009 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Executive producer | Variety talk series,NBC |
| 1993–1994 | The Vacant Lot | Variety sketch series,CBC/Comedy Central | |
| 1995 | Frosty Returns | Television Special,CBS | |
| 2002 | The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch | Television film | |
| The Colin Quinn Show | Variety talk series,NBC | ||
| 2006 | Sons and Daughters | Producer | Television series,ABC |
| 2006–2013 | 30 Rock | Executive producer | Television series,NBC |
| 2009–2014 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Variety talk series,NBC | |
| 2011–2018 | Portlandia | Variety sketch series,IFC | |
| 2011–2013 | Up All Night | Television series,NBC | |
| 2013–2015 | The Awesomes | Television series,Hulu | |
| Since 2014 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Variety talk series,NBC | |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers | |||
| 2014 | Howard Stern Birthday Bash | Himself | Television special |
| 2014–2015 | Mulaney | Executive producer | Television series,Fox |
| 2014 | The Maya Rudolph Show | Variety talk series,IFC | |
| 2015–2017 | Man Seeking Woman | Variety sketch series,FX | |
| 2015–2022 | Documentary Now! | Variety sketch series,IFC | |
| 2015 | Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special | Executive producer, himself | Television special,NBC |
| Adele Live in New York City | Executive producer | ||
| 2016 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Guest – Himself | Episode: "Everybody Likes to See the Monkeys",Netflix |
| Maya & Marty | Executive producer | Variety sketch series,NBC | |
| 2017–2018 | Detroiters | Television series,Comedy Central | |
| 2017 | The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special | Television special,NBC | |
| 2018–2021 | A.P. Bio | Television series,NBC/Peacock | |
| 2018 | 70th Primetime Emmy Awards | Awards ceremony,NBC | |
| Love, Gilda | Himself | Documentary,HBO | |
| Norm Macdonald Has a Show | Guest – Himself | Episode: "Lorne Michaels",Netflix | |
| 2019–2021 | Shrill | Executive producer | Television series,Hulu |
| 2019–2023 | Miracle Workers | Television series,TBS | |
| The Other Two | Television series,Comedy Central/HBO Max | ||
| 2019–2022 | Los Espookys | Television series,HBO | |
| 2020 | Mark Twain Prize: Dave Chappelle | Himself | Awards ceremony,PBS |
| Mapleworth Murders[39] | Executive producer | Television series,Quibi | |
| 2021–2022 | Kenan | Television series,NBC | |
| Miley's New Year's Eve Party | Television special,NBC/Peacock | ||
| That Damn Michael Che | Television series,HBO Max | ||
| 2021–2023 | Schmigadoon! | Television series,Apple TV+ | |
| 2021 | Saturday Morning All Star Hits! | Television series,Netflix | |
| MacGruber | Television series,Peacock | ||
| 2023 | Bupkis | ||
| 2025 | Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music | Executive producer, himself | Television special,Peacock |
| SNL50: The Homecoming Concert | Executive producer | ||
| Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special | Executive producer, himself | Television special,NBC |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Gilda Radner: Live From New York | Producer, director, and writer | Winter Garden Theatre | |
| 1998 | Colin Quinn -- An Irish Wake | Producer | Helen Hayes Theatre | Straight Play |
| 2018 | Mean Girls | August Wilson Theatre | Broadway and North American tour | |
| 2022 | Leopoldstadt | Longacre Theatre | Tony Award for Best Play[40] |
InThe Kids in the Hall movieBrain Candy, the character of Don Roritor was based heavily on actorMark McKinney’s impersonation of Lorne Michaels.[41]
The characterDr. Evil, the antagonist ofAustin Powers in three films, has mannerisms and a speaking style based on Lorne Michaels. Dr. Evil was created and portrayed bySNL alumnusMike Myers, who was at least partially influenced by fellowSNL performerDana Carvey's impression of Michaels.[42]
In a 2008 interview withPlayboy, as well in various other interviews,Tina Fey admitted thatAlec Baldwin's characterJack Donaghy on30 Rock is inspired by Michaels. In a different interview, onNPR's radio showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, Baldwin stated that some of his inspiration for Donaghy was drawn from Michaels.[43]
Gabriel LaBelle plays Michaels in the 2024 filmSaturday Night, a dramatization of behind-the-scenes events leading up to the first episode ofSaturday Night Live.[44]
In 1999, Michaels was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Fame[45] and was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[34]
Also in 1999, Michaels received an honorary degree fromRyerson University.[46]
In 2003, he received a star onCanada's Walk of Fame.[47]
In 2004, he was awarded theMark Twain Prize for American Humor by theKennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Speaking at the awards ceremony, originalSaturday Night Live cast memberDan Aykroyd described the show as "the primary satirical voice of the country".[48]
Michaels received theGovernor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2006, Canada's highest honor in the performing arts.[18]
In 2008, Michaels was awarded theWebby for Film & Video Lifetime Achievement. With the allotted five words allowed to each recipient, his acceptance speech was "Five words is not enough".[49]
In 2012, Michaels was awarded a rare PersonalPeabody Award. He accepted at a ceremony in New York City at theWaldorf Astoria New York hotel.[50]
In December 2021, Michaels was honored at theKennedy Center Honors, along withJustino Diaz,Berry Gordy,Bette Midler, andJoni Mitchell.[51]
In 2022, Michaels received a Peabody Award for his work as an executive producer of the Spanish-language comedy seriesLos Espookys. He was nominated for a second Peabody Award for his work producingDocumentary Now!.[52]
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
 | Companion of theOrder of Canada (C.C.) |
|
 | Member of theOrder of Canada (C.M.) |
|
 | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada |
|
 | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada |
|
.svg) | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
|
Before he began his decades-long domination of Saturday's late-night airwaves with Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels (BA 1966 UC) produced and directed the student-run University College Follies.
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata