Anna F. "Ann" Risley (born September 30, 1949,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

) is a retired American actress and comedian. She was a cast member of the TV series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' for the 12 episodes of the 1980–1981 season. These 12 broadcasts were the first episodes after producer

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...

left the show.

Life and career

She was spotted by

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

in a theatre production of his material and encouraged her to pursue an acting career in New York. Risley was cast in small parts in Allen's films ''

Annie Hall ''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by him and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer, w ...

'', ''

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

'' and ''

Stardust Memories ''Stardust Memories'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper and Marie-Christine Barrault. Sharon Stone has a brief role, in her film debut. The film is ab ...

''. Before joining the cast of ''

'', she had a cameo on the show in 1976 as a psychiatrist's patient. She was cast for ''Saturday Night Live'' by

Jean Doumanian Jean Doumanian ( Karabas; born July 28, 1936) is an American stage, television and film producer. She briefly produced ''Saturday Night Live'', between November 1980 and March 1981. Early life Doumanian was born Jean (or Jeannine) Karabas, th ...

, who had previously been the show's guest-booker, then associate producer. After 12 episodes, Doumanian was let go and replaced by Dick Ebersol, who fired

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous r ...

Charles Rocket Charles Adams Claverie (August 28, 1949 – October 7, 2005), known by stage names Charlie Hamburger, Charlie Kennedy and Charles Rocket, was an American actor, comedian, musician, and television news reporter. He was a cast member on ''Saturda ...

, and Risley from the cast before his first episode. In a 1999 article in ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'', Risley was quoted as saying her ''SNL'' experience was "horrible". Prior to (and after) ''Saturday Night Live'', Risley had roles in nine feature films, including ''

Honky Tonk Freeway ''Honky Tonk Freeway'' is a 1981 American-British comedy film directed by John Schlesinger. The film, conceived and co-produced by Don Boyd, was one of the most expensive box office bombs in history, losing its British backers Thorn EMI betwee ...

'' and '' Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean''. She appeared in starring roles in two television pilots (''Off Campus'' and ''Night After Night''), was a five-week guest star on the daytime soap '' The Doctors'', and appeared in five made-for-TV movies, including ''

The Young Riders ''The Young Riders'' is an American western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders (some of whom are young versions of legendary figures in Old West history) based at ...

'' and ''Telling Secrets''. No longer a screen actor, Ann (who now goes by the name of Anna) continues to run her own acting/improv studio in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Celebrity impersonations on ''SNL''

* Doria Palmieri *

Toni Tennille Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist, best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former husband Daryl Dragon; their signature song is " Love Will Keep Us ...

Rosalynn Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; née Smith; born August 18, 1927) is an American writer and activist who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. For decades, she has been a leading advocate ...

Feature film (speaking roles)

* 1977 ''

'' as Susan (Directed by

) * 1978 ''

Oliver's Story ''Oliver's Story'' is a 1978 American romance film, romantic drama film and a sequel to ''Love Story (1970 film), Love Story'' (1970) based on a novel by Erich Segal published a year earlier. It was directed by John Korty and again starred Ryan O ...

'' as Jane (Directed by John Korty) * 1979 ''

'' as Mrs. Finch (Directed by Woody Allen) * 1980 ''

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

'' as Pam (Directed by

Marshall Brickman Marshall Brickman (born August 25, 1939) is an American screenwriter and director, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen. He is the co-recipient of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ''Annie Hall''. He is also kn ...

) * 1980 ''

'' as Nurse (Directed by Woody Allen) * 1981 ''

'' as Patricia (Directed by

John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...

) * 1981 '' Rich and Famous'' as Merideth (Directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...

) * 1982 '' Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'' as Martha (Directed by Robert Altman) * 1986 '' Desert Bloom'' as Mrs. Muratore (Directed by Eugene Corr)

Television

*''Saturday Night Live'' (one year) – Cast member – 1980-81 Season, NBC (N.Y.C.) *''Off Campus'' (sitcom pilot) – Bonnie (starring role) – CBS (N.Y.C.) *''Night After Night'' (sitcom pilot) – Anne (starring role) – MTM/CBS (L.A.) *''The Doctors'' (soap, 5 wk guest star) – Hermione (with Alec Baldwin) – NBC (N.Y.C.) *''The Young Riders'' (3 episodes) – Clerk/Wife (with

Josh Brolin Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985), '' Mimic'' (1997), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), '' Grindhouse'' (2007), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gan ...

) – ABC series (Tucson, AZ)

Movies for television

* 1990 '' El Diablo'' as Judith - HBO film (Tucson, AZ) * 1992 ''Sunstroke'' as Woman In Office (with

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

) - TNT film (Phoenix, AZ) * 1992 '' Four Eyes and Six Guns'' as Saloon Hostess (with

Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades in ...

) – TNT film (Tucson, AZ) * 1993 '' Telling Secrets'' as Sally DeVries (with

Cybill Shepherd Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born February 18, 1950) is an American actress and former model. Her film debut and breakthrough role came as Jacy Farrow in Peter Bogdanovich's coming-of-age drama ''The Last Picture Show'' (1971) alongside Jeff Bridges. ...

) - ABC miniseries (Scottsdale, AZ)

Selected stage roles

*''Come Back to the Five and Dime'' – Martha (and substitute for lead actresses

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

and

Sandy Dennis Sandra Dale Dennis (April 27, 1937 – March 2, 1992) was an American actress. She made her film debut in the drama ''Splendor in the Grass'' (1961). For her performance in the comedy-drama film ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), she rec ...

– Broadway (NYC) *''A Little Family Business'' – role of Connie (

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

's daughter) – Ahmanson Theatre (L.A.) and Broadway (NYC) *''A History of the American Film'' – (substitute for all 4 female leads) – Arena Stage (Wash. DC) *''Uncommon Women'' – Rita-Huntington Theatre (Boston, Mass.) *''Spoon River Anthology'' – 16 roles – San Francisco Tour (CA) *''The Importance of Being Earnest'' – Cecily *''Private Lives'' – Amanda *''The Owl and the Pussycat'' – Doris *''Lovers (winners)'' – Maggie *''Same Time Next Year'' – Doris

Training

*BAI – University of Wisconsin – Theatre Communications *Various individual workshops in N.Y.C. and San Francisco

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Risley, Ann Living people American film actresses American television actresses Actors from Madison, Wisconsin American women comedians American sketch comedians Comedians from Wisconsin 21st-century American women 1949 births