Laura Kightlinger
Born (1969-06-13) June 13, 1969 (age 54)
Erie, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
EducationEmerson College, Southwestern Central High School
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, writer, producer
Years active1991–present
PartnerJack Black (1996–2005)
AwardsBest Documentary

2003 Empire State Film Festival, 2003 Boston International Film Festival,

2005 Beverly Hills Film Festival (Jury Award)
Websitelaurakightlinger.com

Laura Kightlinger (born June 13, 1969) is an American actress, stand-up comedian, writer, and producer. She was a writer and consulting producer on Will & Grace, while also occasionally appearing on the show as the character Nurse Sheila. She was also a writer on the CBS series 2 Broke Girls. Kightlinger also played the title role in the TV show The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, which she created, wrote, and executive produced. Since 2019, she's appeared in critically acclaimed television series, including PEN15, and Curb Your Enthusiasm appearing alongside Larry David, Albert Brooks, and Lucy Liu.

Career

Television

Kightlinger was a featured player for Saturday Night Live (1994–95).[1]

In 1997, she appeared in the Tenacious D episode "Angel in Disguise" as a groupie.[2]

In 2006, she appeared in The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, a comedy series. Asked how much of the series was based on her personal experience, she said:

I think like 85% and then the other 15 is the experience of a woman. We usually cull a lot of stories from what happened to us and our friends, so I’d say a lot of it is. I always feel like rejection is my petrol. That’s what keeps me going.[3]

Kightlinger has had three stand-up comedy specials on HBO and six on Comedy Central.[4]

Film

In 1997, Kightlinger appeared in Who's the Caboose?, an independent movie comedy starring Sarah Silverman and directed by Sam Seder.[5]

In 2001, Kightlinger made a short film, Dependable People, which won both the Black Maria Film Festival Director's Citation (Honorable Mention[6]) and the International Festival of Cinema and Technology Best New Director Award in 2002.[7] It was released on the DVD Celebrity Mix with other short films in 2006.[8][9]

In 2003, she directed her first documentary, Sixty Spins Around the Sun, which chronicles the New York City street movement to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws.[10] It focuses on political satirist turned activist Randy Credico and his fight to repeal the laws. The film follows Credico to Tulia, Texas, during a racially motivated drug bust, which is the subject of an upcoming film starring Halle Berry. Included in this documentary are stand-up comics Larry David, Colin Quinn, Don Gavin, Vanessa Hollingshead, and Nick DiPaolo. It won Best Documentary at the 2003 Empire State Film Festival,[11] 2003 Boston International Film Festival,[12] and 2005 Beverly Hills Film Festival (Jury Award).[13]

In 2005, Kightlinger starred in the short film Dysenchanted, directed by Terri Edda Miller, which received critical acclaim.[8]

In 2017, she had a cameo in The Lego Batman Movie, voicing the roles of Orca and Reporter Pippa.[14]

She has written and directed several short films, including Cat Demon: Re-Exhumed, which are available to view on her website.[15]

Additional film credits include Daddy Day Care, Kicking and Screaming, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, The Truth About Lies and The Outdoorsman.

Book

Kightlinger's book Quick Shots of False Hope was published in 1999. The New York Times Book Review described it as "funny and disturbing", "memorable", and an "idiosyncratic and darkly comic debut."[16] As of 2006, she was adapting the book for film.[17]

Internet

Kightlinger has written several shorts for Funny or Die[18] and Atom.com, including "American Heroine", in which she starred,[19] and "Roy Fabcock: Legendary Lover" (2010).[20]

Politics

Kightlinger endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[21]

Personal life

Kightlinger dated fellow actor and comedian Jack Black from 1996 through early 2005.[22][23][24][25]

References

  1. ^ Wezerek, Gus (December 14, 2019). "The 'S.N.L.' Stars Who Lasted, and the Ones Who Flamed Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019. Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
  2. ^ Zoromski, Brian (November 20, 2006). "Tenacious D: The Series". IGN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Topel, Fred (August 7, 2007). "Laura Kightlinger's Major Accomplishment". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  4. ^ "About Laura Kightlinger". Comedy Central. Retrieved May 15, 2013.[dead link]
  5. ^ "Who's the Caboose?". www.tcm.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  6. ^ "Black Maria Film and Video Festival Award Winners 2004 (flash pulldown menu)". 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved September 12, 2012. (for name of award only)
  7. ^ "Film Festival - IFCT, 2002 Awards". International Festival of Cinema and Technology. Archived from the original on February 14, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Tyner, Adam (February 4, 2006). "Celebrity Mix". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  9. ^ Longsdorf, Amy (February 10, 2006). "Elizabethtown' misses the mark, even on DVD". Courier-Post. Cherry Hill, N.J. p. B 23 – via Proquest.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ Moss, Corey (October 6, 2003). "Jack Black Working To Make Dog Turds And Drug Laws Disappear". MTV News. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "Empire Film Festival 2003". Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.
  12. ^ "First Annual BIFF Award Winners Announced". Boston International Film Festival. July 7, 2003. Archived from the original on December 13, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2012.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ "2005 Beverly Hills Film Festival Winners". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  14. ^ Chris McKay [@buddboetticher] (February 13, 2017). "Riki Lindhomme is Wicked Witch. Laura Kightlinger = Orca. Croc = Matt Villa. David Burrows = Freeze. Lauren White = medusa" (Tweet). Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Short Films". Laura Kightlinger. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  16. ^ Shapiro, Susan (November 7, 1999). "Quick Shots of False Hope". New York Times Book Review.
  17. ^ Keepnews, Peter (September 21, 2006). "Wryly, if Warily, Accepting More Than Modest Success". The New York Times.
  18. ^ "Laura Kightlinger". Funny or Die. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  19. ^ "Laura Kightlinger, Jay Johnston star in Atom.com's disturbing (funny?) 'American Heroine'". LaughSpin. January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  20. ^ "Roy Fabcock: Legendary Lover". CC Studios. November 12, 2010. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  21. ^ "Our Barn-Stormin'-for-Bernie Fundraiser in the IE". Facebook. July 18, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  22. ^ Pringle, Gill (April 1, 2009). "Jack Black: Hey dude, party's over". The Independent.
  23. ^ "Laura Kightlinger goes 'Minor' in a major way". Today. August 1, 2006.
  24. ^ Welkos, Robert (June 6, 2007). "Screenwriters Laura Kightlinger, Mike White fight like cats and dogs over script". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  25. ^ Serpe, Gina (March 14, 2006). "Jack Black Elopes". E!.

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