Sandra Bernhard | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bernhard in 2016 | |
| Born | (1955-06-06)June 6, 1955 (age 70) Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Nancy Bartlett Thomas inRoseanne and Judy Kubrak inPose |
| Partner | Sara Switzer (1999–present) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | sandrabernhard |
Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with herstand-up comedy, where she often critiquedcelebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is also well known as the ex-best friend ofMadonna.
She played Nancy Bartlett Thomas on the ABC sitcomRoseanne from the fourth season (1991) to the end of the show in 1997. She played Masha inMartin Scorsese’s filmThe King of Comedy, Nurse Judy Kubrak in theFX drama seriesPose, and Nurse Cecily on theApple TV+ seriesSeverance. She is number 96 onComedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time.
Bernhard was born June 6, 1955,[1] inFlint, Michigan, the daughter of Jeanette (née LaZebnik; 1921–2014)[2] andproctologist Jerome Bernhard (1922–2025).[3] She was raisedConservative Jewish.[4]
She has three older brothers: Dan, David, and Mark.[2] Her family moved toScottsdale, Arizona when she was 10.[5] She attendedSaguaro High School, graduating in 1973.[6]
In 1973, she traveled toIsrael and stayed for 7 months at KibbutzKfar Menahem with her friend Daniel Chick. She later returned to Israel during theYom Kippur War.[7]
Bernhard became a staple atThe Comedy Store in Hollywood.[8][9] As her popularity as a comedian grew, she was cast as a supporting player onThe Richard Pryor Show in 1977.[10][11] Guest appearances on evening talk shows followed. Her big break came in 1981 when she was cast byMartin Scorsese to star as stalker/kidnapper Masha in the filmThe King of Comedy, for which she won theNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress.[12][13] She was a frequent guest onDavid Letterman's NBC programLate Night with David Letterman, making 28 appearances starting in 1983.[14]
She began performing her first one-woman show,I'm Your Woman, in 1985, andan album version was released.[15] She appeared in a variety of small television roles throughout the 1980s while crafting her stand-up routine into a more performance art-oriented show.[16] She launched an off-Broadway one-woman show calledWithout You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better in 1988, which played at theOrpheum Theatre. By 1990, it had becomea film anda double album of the same title.[17][18] Bernhard was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1990.[19]
During the run ofWithout You, I'm Nothing, With You, I'm Not Much Better Bernhard appeared with her then good friend (and rumored lover)Madonna on a 1988 episode ofLate Night with David Letterman. The two alluded to their romantic relationship and staged a sexy confrontation; the appearance received much publicity. They continued to be friends for several years, with Bernhard making an appearance in Madonna's filmTruth or Dare.[20][21][22] The friendship ended in 1992.[23][24]
In 1991, Bernhard began playing Nancy Bartlett on the hit sitcomRoseanne. She appeared in 33 episodes between 1991 and 1997, and was one of the first actresses to portray an openlybisexual recurring character on American television.[25][26][27] In September 1992, Bernhard appeared in a nude pictorial forPlayboy.[28] She hosted theUSA Network'sReel Wild Cinema for two seasons beginning in 1995.[29][30] She continued acting in mostly independent films, TV guest roles, and forays into mainstream films such asHudson Hawk andDallas Doll. In 1991, she released her first studio album,Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part One). In 1995, she briefly appeared as a guest in the "Jerk" episode of the animated talk showSpace Ghost Coast to Coast. In 1996, she guest-starred on an episode ofHighlander: The Series called "Dramatic License", where she played a romance novelist writing about the life of the main character.
She appeared as herself onWill & Grace, in an episode where the title characters spuriously bid on Bernhard'sManhattan apartment in an attempt to become friendly with her. When their ruse is exposed, Bernhard rants at them, with the sounds of a blender (she was having a smoothie made) blotting out supposed obscenities. She briefly returned as herself two years later.[citation needed]
Bernhard returned to Broadway in 1998 with the showI'm Still Here... Damn It!, recorded for a live comedy album. She was pregnant at the time, and gave birth to a daughter, Cicely, on July 4, 1998.[31][32] She returned to New York in 2006 with theoff-Broadway showEverything Bad & Beautiful. The CD of the show, released by indie label Breaking Records, was lauded as one of her best.[33] That year she also hosted the first season of the reality competition showThe Search for the Funniest Mother in America onNick at Nite. 2007 saw the debut of her one-woman showPlan B from Outer Space, and the inclusion of herHanukkah-themed song "Miracle of Lights", which she co-wrote withMitchell Kaplan, in the Breaking Records compilation albumBreaking For the Holidays. She touredPlan B through 2008 and performed "Miracle of Lights" on some morning shows in New York.[34][35]
Bernhard was a featured guest singer with children's artistDan Zanes on theFamily Dance album's "Thrift Shop".[36] In an interview withHoward Stern, she revealed that she was originally offered the role ofMiranda Hobbes on the TV showSex and the City, but opted out owing to the "terrible" original script and small paycheck.[37] In 2013, it was announced that she would join the cast of ABC Family'sSwitched at Birth withGlee'sMax Adler, where she would play an art professor on the season 3 opener in January 2014.[38] In 2015, she began hosting a radio show,Sandyland, onSirius XM'sRadio Andy.[39]
In 2015, she made her first appearance as the recurring character of Joedth ("Joe") in season 4 of2 Broke Girls. From 2018 until 2021, she played Nurse Judy onFX'sPose, a show based onqueer andtransball culture in Manhattan inspired by the documentaryParis Is Burning.[40] In 2025, she appeared inSeverance as Cecily, a nurse.[41]
In 1995, while serving as a guest panelist on theComedy Central talk showPolitically Incorrect, Bernhard became engaged in an argument with fellow panelist, conservative political commentatorJohn Lofton. Bernhard then stood up and spat at Lofton and exclaimed, "If I had you, you’d be an abortion."[42]
In August 2006, Bernhard served as the spokesperson in a commercial forMake-up Art Cosmetics (MAC). In the commercial, promoting PlushGlass lipgloss, she referred to someone who might not approve of her outspokenness as a "little freaked out, intimidated, frightened, right-wing Republican thin-lipped bitch." MAC edited the line from the commercial to avoid offending some of its customers.[43]
In September 2008, she warned vice-presidential candidateSarah Palin that she would be gang-raped by her "big black brothers" if she visited Manhattan. Palin had a campaign stop planned in New York City at the time.[44][45][46]
In November 2020, during an interview withMariah Carey,Naomi Campbell called out Bernhard for her comments about Carey and Black men in her 1998 comedy showI'm Still Here... Damn It! In the show, Bernhard disparaged Carey's Black ancestry, saying "She's trying to backtrack on our asses by acting real ni****-ish there at the Royalton Hotel suite withPuff Daddy and all the greasy, chain-wearing Black men."[47]
Bernhard identifies herself as bisexual and is a strong supporter ofLGBTQ rights.[48][49] On July 4, 1998, she gave birth to a daughter, Cicely,[50] whom she raised with Sara Switzer, her partner of more than 20 years.[51][52][53] Bernhard was also in a relationship with Venezuelan actressPatricia Velasquez.[54]
Bernhard performs classicpop music,jazz, andblues tunes. She has released several albums (combinations of music and comedy).[citation needed]
Albums[edit]
| Singles[edit]
Compilations[edit]
|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Shogun Assassin | Voice over in English dub | |
| 1981 | Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams | Girl Nut | |
| 1983 | The King of Comedy | Masha | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1984 | The House of God | Angel Dutton | |
| 1985 | Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird | Grouch Diner Waitress | Cameo |
| 1986 | The Whoopee Boys | Extra (uncredited) | |
| 1988 | Casual Sex? | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Track 29 | Nurse Stein | ||
| 1989 | Heavy Petting | Herself | Documentary |
| 1990 | Without You I'm Nothing | Herself (also writer) | |
| 1991 | Madonna: Truth or Dare | Herself | Documentary |
| Hudson Hawk | Minerva Mayflower | ||
| 1992 | Inside Monkey Zetterland | Imogene | |
| 1994 | Sandra Bernhard: Confessions of a Pretty Lady | Herself | |
| Dallas Doll | Dallas Adair | ||
| 1995 | Unzipped | Herself | Documentary |
| One Hundred and One Nights | La première quêteuse | ||
| The Reggae Movie | Herself | Documentary | |
| Catwalk | Herself | ||
| 1997 | Lover Girl | Marci Guerra/'Angel' | |
| The Apocalypse | J.T. Wayne | ||
| Plump Fiction | Bunny Roberts | ||
| 1998 | An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn | Ann Glover | |
| Exposé | Janet | ||
| Wrongfully Accused | Dr. Fridley | ||
| Somewhere in the City | Betty | ||
| I Woke Up Early the Day I Died | Sandy Sands/Professional Mourner and Stripper | ||
| 2000 | One Hell of a Guy | God | Voice |
| Playing Mona Lisa | Bibi Carlson | Audience Choice Award for Best FeatureStony Brook Film Festival | |
| Dinner Rush | Jennifer Freely | ||
| 2001 | Zoolander | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| 2003 | The Grumpy Bug | Narrator | Voice |
| 2004 | The N-Word | Herself | Documentary |
| The Easter Egg Adventure | Claralyne Cluck | Voice | |
| 2005 | Searching for Bobby D | Sherri Dansen | |
| 2009 | Dare | Dr. Serena Mohr | |
| 2010 | See You in September | Charlotte | |
| 2011 | Looking for Lenny | Herself | Documentary |
| 2024 | Babes | Dr. Shirley | |
| 2025 | Marty Supreme | Judy | |
| Out of Order! | Judge Stevenson |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Richard Pryor Show | Featured Performer | 4 episodes |
| 1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Karen | Episode: "Night Caller" |
| 1990 | Pee-Wee's Playhouse | Rhonda | Episode: "Camping Out" |
| 1991–1997, & 2018 | Roseanne | Nancy Bartlett | Recurring role |
| 1992 | Sandra After Dark, with Your Hostess, Sandra Bernhard | Herself (also co-executive producer) | TV movie |
| 1992–1993 | The A-List | Herself/host | 1 episode |
| 1994–1996 | Reel Wild Cinema | Herself/host | 22 episodes |
| 1995 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Herself | 1 episode |
| Freaky Friday | Frieda Debny | TV movie | |
| The Larry Sanders Show | Herself | 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Voice, episode: "A Journey for the Betterment of People" | |
| The Late Shift | TV movie | ||
| Highlander: The Series | Carolyn Marsh | Episode: "Dramatic License" | |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Ms. Gsptlsnz | Voice, episode: "Mxyzpixilated" |
| Ally McBeal | Caroline Poop | 2 episodes | |
| Spider-Man | Sarah Baker | Voice, episode: "Partners" | |
| 1998–1999 | Hercules | Cassandra | Voice, main role |
| 1999 | Sandra Bernhard - I'm Still Here..Damn It! | Herself (also writer) | TV movie |
| 2000 | The Sopranos | Herself | Episode: "D-Girl" |
| 2001–2002 | Will & Grace | 2 episodes | |
| 2001 | Sandra Bernhard: Giving Them Lip | TV movie | |
| 2002 | The Grumpy Bug | Narrator | Nick Jr. Short Series |
| 2001–2003 | The Sandra Bernhard Experience | Herself/host | Unknown episodes |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Priscilla Chaney | Episode: "Desperate" |
| Girlfriends | Marcia | Episode: "And Baby Makes Four" | |
| 2004 | Silver Lake | Sheila Fontana | Unsold pilot |
| The Grumpy Bug | Narrator | Voice | |
| Whoopi's Littleburg | The Macaroni Lady | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | Crossing Jordan | Roz Framus | 2 episodes |
| The L Word | Charlotte Birch | 5 episodes | |
| 2005–2006 | The Queer Edge | Herself/co-host | 26 episodes |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Margo Poon | Episode: "The Burning Bedouin" |
| The New Adventures of Old Christine | Audrey | Episode: "Strange Bedfellows" | |
| 2009 | Head Case | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Roseanne's Nuts | Herself | 1 episode |
| Hot in Cleveland | Nan | Episode: "Beards" | |
| 2012 | Family Guy | Herself | Voice, episode: "Ratings Guy" |
| GCB | Debby Horowitz | 1 episode | |
| DTLA | Carla | 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | The Neighbors | Ms. Porsche | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Switched at Birth | Prof. Teresa Ledarsky | 4 episodes |
| You're the Worst | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2014–2015 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Darlene Linetti | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | 2 Broke Girls | Joedth | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Difficult People | Lilith Feigenbaum | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Broad City | Brenda | 2 episodes |
| 2018–2021 | Pose | Judy Kubrak | 13 episodes |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | High Priestess Hannah Putt | Episode: "Sojourn" |
| 2019 | Sweetbitter | Maddie Glover | 1 episode |
| 2020 | The Comedy Store | Herself | |
| 2022 | American Horror Story: NYC | Fran Levinsky | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | So Help Me Todd | Attorney Belinda Tuttle | Episode: "The Queen of Courts" |
| 2025 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself (Guest Judge) | |
| 2025 | Severance | Nurse Cecily | Recurring |
| 2025 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Anger | Episode: "I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Museum of Love | Kitty | |
| 2003 | The Third Date | Ola | |
| 2006 | Twenty Dollar Drinks | Star |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The King of Comedy | NSFC Awards | Won | |
| 1991 | Hudson Hawk | Golden Raspberry Awards | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Highlander: The Series | OFTA Awards |
| |
| 2002 | Herself | GLAAD Media Awards | Won | |
| 2006 | Philadelphia QFest Awards |
|
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata