Ellen Leslye Cleghorne (born November 29, 1965) is an American actress and comedian. Cleghorne is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

series ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' from 1991 to 1995. She was the

show's second African-American female repertory cast member, succeeding

Danitra Vance Danitra Vance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994) was an American comedian and actress who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) during its eleventh season in 1985. Raised in Chicago's South Side, ...

in its eleventh season, and the first African-American female cast member to stay for more than one season. She returned for its 40th anniversary special on February 15, 2015. Cleghorne was ranked the 69th greatest ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine.

Early life

A native of the Red Hook Projects in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, Cleghorne is a graduate of

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

, and

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

. She first established her talents in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

comedy clubs and career started when she competed in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search in 1989 where she was directed in a video by ''

'' short film producer Neal Marshad at the comedy club Caroline's in the South Street Seaport. In 1991, she appeared on ''

Def Comedy Jam ''Def Comedy Jam'' is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons, Stan Lathan, and Bob Sumner. The series was hosted by Martin Lawrence and Joe Torry in its first six seasons, Mike Epps in its seventh season, and D. L. Hughley in its ...

'' and landed minor roles in season two of ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions ...

'', where she was discovered by producers of ''Saturday Night Live''.

Career

Cleghorne joined ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1991, and remained on the show for four seasons until 1995. During her tenure she performed impressions such as

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...

Florence Griffith Joyner Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 198 ...

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer, and television producer whose career spans seven decades. She is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, on th ...

Robin Quivers Robin Quivers (born August 8, 1952) is an American radio personality best known for being the long-running co-host of ''The Howard Stern Show''. Early life Quivers was born on August 8, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents were educated ...

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

Joycelyn Elders Minnie Joycelyn Elders (born Minnie Lee Jones; August 13, 1933) is an American pediatrics, pediatrician and public health administrator who served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994. A Vice Admiral (United States), vice admi ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, and

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...

. She also had two recurring characters: Zoraida, an NBC page, and Queen Shenequa, who appeared frequently on the recurring ''

Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast and been featu ...

'' sketch. Cleghorne was the third black woman to be credited on ''Saturday Night Live'', after

Yvonne Hudson Yvonne Hudson (born July 9, 1955) is an American television actress and comedian who is best known for being the first African-American female cast member on ''Saturday Night Live''. ''Saturday Night Live'' bios, NBC.com. Archived at the Interne ...

and

, and the first woman of color to appear on the series as a full-fledged cast member for longer than a single season. She later said, "I was the first oman of colorcast member ... with a contract. And if you read, or do research, they didn't used to give black people contracts on ''SNL''. That was cold-blooded. They didn't even give them credit. The credits roll, your name's not even on there. That was a joke because that's how you got residuals." Her former ''Saturday Night Live'' costar

Jay Mohr Jon Ferguson "Jay" Mohr (born August 23, 1970) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and radio host. He is known for playing film producer Peter Dragon in the television comedy series '' Action'' in 1999, Professor Rick Payne in the television ...

's book '' Gasping for Airtime'' notes that Cleghorne did not get along well with some of the other cast members during her time on the show. He also mentions a tiff with host

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has performed in movies, Broadway theater, television, and made records of popular music. Known for her extensive work on screen and stage, she has received many accola ...

during a pitch meeting. In 1995, Cleghorne left ''SNL'' to star as single mother Ellen Carlson on '' Cleghorne!'', a sitcom that aired for one season on

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

network, and which also starred fellow ''SNL'' alumnus

Garrett Morris Garrett Isaac Morris (born February 1, 1937) is an American actor, comedian and singer. He was part of the original cast and was the first black cast member of the sketch comedy program ''Saturday Night Live'', appearing from 1975 to 1980. He ...

, and

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Evonne Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, podcaster, television presenter and talk show host. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was ...

in her first acting role. Cleghorne later said, "I don't think I was ready. In terms of being strong and saying, 'I can write, this is what I do,' and feel confident in that. And to be able to say, 'No, this does not work, this works better.'" In 1993 and 1994, Cleghorne made appearances on the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

children's TV show ''

The Adventures of Pete and Pete ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American television sitcom created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It focuses on two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia among thei ...

'' playing a bus driver who served as the love interest of Pete's regular bus driver. She later appeared in independent films and comedies including '' Mr. Wrong'' (1996), ''

Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...

'' (1998), '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000), ''

Little Nicky ''Little Nicky'' is a 2000 American dark fantasy comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, and Brill, and starring Sandler in the title role, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., Rhys Ifa ...

'' (2000), and ''

Old School Old school, Old School, or Old Skool may refer to: Computers and gaming *Old school gaming or retrogaming, playing and collecting obsolete computer, video, and arcade games * Old School Renaissance, a trend in tabletop gaming *''Old School RuneS ...

'' (2003). She has also had a series of skits played on

Sirius XM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merger ...

's Raw Dog Comedy channel. Cleghorne was mentioned on a segment of the ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' DVD '' Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story'', when Stewie asks if "they ever found a suitable

vehicle A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered land vehicle, human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velo ...

for Ellen Cleghorne."

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...

claimed that she called the show's staff about the joke, which Cleghorne has denied. In 2013, Cleghorne played Mary Fluzoo in ''

Grown Ups 2 ''Grown Ups 2'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf (writer), Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It serves as a sequel to the 2010 film Grown Ups (fil ...

''. In 2015, Cleghorne was one of the contestants for '' Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition'', finishing in 3rd place. The same year she appeared in the 40th anniversary special of ''Saturday Night Live'', calling the experience "a cleansing". In 2022, Cleghorne started voicing Mayor Sitwell for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

animated series '' City Island''.

''Saturday Night Live''

Celebrity impressions

Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awa ...

* Amy Fisher *

Anita Hill Anita Faye Hill (born July 30, 1956) is an American lawyer, educator and author. She is a professor of social policy, law, and women's studies at Brandeis University and a faculty member of the university's Heller School for Social Policy and ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

Isabel Sanford Isabel Sanford (born Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford; August 29, 1917 – July 9, 2004) was an American stage, film, and television actress and comedian best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Mills Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms ''All in the Fam ...

Jackée Harry Jacqueline Yvonne "Jackée" Harry (born August 14, 1956) is an American actress, comedian, and television personality. She starred as Sandra Clark, the nemesis of Mary Jenkins (played by Marla Gibbs), on the NBC sitcom '' 227'' (1985–1990), and ...

Kim Wayans Kimberly Nichole Wayans (born October 16, 1961) is an American actress. She is the sister of Keenen Ivory, Damon Sr., Marlon, Shawn, and Nadia Wayans and aunt of Damien Dante among others. She is best known for her numerous roles on the ...

* Marguerite Whitley Simpson *

* Norma Quarles *

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (born Ruby Ann Wallace; October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress. She was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. She received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, ...

Sister Souljah Lisa Williamson (born 1964), known as Sister Souljah, is an American author, activist, rapper, and film producer. She gained significant attention in 1992, when Bill Clinton, running as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for President o ...

Recurring characters

* Queen Shenequa, an Afrocentric social critic who dressed in African garb, observed

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called ''Karamu'', usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga based on African harvest fe ...

, and made commentaries on race. *Zoraida, an exuberant but short-tempered

page who pesters the celebrity hosts of the show as they prepare backstage. Usually, when the celebrity grew tired of her bothering them and would try to leave, she would suddenly become angry and threaten them. In 2018, she played the role of Shaniqua in '' Second Act''.

Education

In 2014 Cleghorne received her

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Performance Studies at

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

References

External links

*
Brief Biography at Hollywood.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleghorne, Ellen 1965 births African-American female comedians African-American comedians American impressionists (entertainers) American women comedians Living people American television actresses American film actresses American sketch comedians Actresses from Brooklyn People from Red Hook, Brooklyn Comedians from Brooklyn Hunter College alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni 21st-century American comedians 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses