Jan Hooks - Life and Career

Life and Career

Hooks was born in Decatur, Georgia, east of Atlanta. She began her career as a member of the Los Angeles-based comedy troupe The Groundlings and in an Atlanta nightclub act called The Wits End Players. In 1978–1979, Hooks appeared in Tush on Ted Turner's television station WTCG, which eventually became TBS. She gained notice in the early 1980s on the HBO comedy series Not Necessarily the News. Hooks also had guest comedienne appearances on Comedy Tonight with Mack and Jamie in the mid-'80s.

Hooks was considered for SNL in 1985 but was passed over by the show's producers in favor of Joan Cusack. After SNL's 1985-1986 season was deemed a ratings disaster and put on the chopping block for cancellation, returning producer Lorne Michaels offered Hooks a contract in 1986. Together with new recruits Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and others, Hooks helped put the show back in the national spotlight. Her characters included Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters." She also performed notable impressions of Bette Davis, Ann-Margret, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster, Tammy Faye Bakker, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kitty Dukakis, Diane Sawyer, and Hillary Clinton.

Tiring of the stress of performing on a live show, Hooks left SNL in 1991 after being asked by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason to replace Jean Smart on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. Hooks played the role of Carlene Dobber for the final two seasons of the show. Since then, she has made appearances in several movies, starred as Dixie Glick in the series Primetime Glick and the movie Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, and had a recurring role as the trashy Vicki Dubcek on 3rd Rock from the Sun, which earned Hooks an Emmy Award nomination. Hooks guest-starred on two Matt Groening-produced cartoons for the FOX Network: The Simpsons, as Apu's new wife, Manjula (though Hooks was later replaced by Tress MacNeille); and Futurama, in the episode "Bendless Love," as the voice of a female robot named Angleyne. She also had a memorable role in Pee-wee's Big Adventure as a know-it-all tour guide at the Alamo.

Hooks made a cameo appearance in the 1992 movie Batman Returns as Jen, the Penguin's image consultant during his campaign to become Mayor of Gotham City. In 2010 she was a guest star on 30 Rock, playing Jenna's mom, Verna.