- Rita Rudner
Rita Rudner (
17 September ,1953 ) is an American comedienne,writer andactress .Biography
Born in
Miami, Florida , Rudner's mother died when she was 13. After graduating from high school at age 15, she left Miami and headed toNew York City to embark on a career as adancer . [http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/990312/rita.shtml "Comic learns that comedy, tragedy can go hand-in-hand"] by Tami Bickley, "Jewish News of Greater Phoenix," Vol. 51, No. 24,March 12 ,1999 ] She appeared in several Broadway shows, including the now-legendary original productions of "Follies " and "Mack & Mabel ".Rudner did not turn to comedy until she was 25, after observing how few female comedians there were compared to the number of female dancers. She spent many hours researching her favorite comedians, including
Woody Allen andJack Benny . She enjoys Jewish humor, but reserves her Jewish jokes for Jewish audiences.Career
Rudner has appeared in several
television shows both in the U.S. and theUK , and she appeared often on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ". She has recorded several award-winning comedy specials, most notably "Rita Rudner: Born to Be Mild" and "Rita Rudner: Married Without Children" for HBO and "Rita Rudner: Live From Las Vegas" for PBS in 2008.Rudner and her producer husband,
Martin Bergman , wrote the screenplay of the film "Peter's Friends ", in which she also acted. She is the author of the best-selling "I Still Have It; I Just Can't Remember Where I Put It", "Naked Beneath My Clothes", and the novels "Tickled Pink" and "Turning The Tables". She has written several screenplays with her husband and a play called "Room 776" which premiered in Las Vegas in 2008.Since 2001, Rudner has performed almost exclusively in Las Vegas, selling close to one million tickets. She moved to a larger theatre at Harrah's in 2006 and is currently contracted to appear there through January 2010. She also recently created and hosted the syndicated
improvisational comedy show "Ask Rita", which mimicked the format of a talk/advice show. For this she received aGracie Allen Award from theAmerican Women in Television and Radio .Rudner, her husband, and their daughter Molly have homes in Las Vegas and
Southern California .References
External links
* [http://www.ritafunny.com Official website]
*
* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=81786 Internet Broadway Database]
* [http://lasvegasweekly.com/news/2008/jun/05/simple-life-rita-rudner/ Fame, fortune, two thousand shows, five books, a play, a husband, a daughter … The simple life of Rita Rudner]
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