SNL Member

Background:

Daughter of beloved soul singer Minnie Riperton, who sang the 1974 hit “Lovin' You,” Mya Rudolph has been a regular cast member of the legendary NBC sketch comedy staple “Saturday Night Live” since 2000, where she is remembered for her impersonations of Donatella Versace, Christina Aguilera, Condoleezza Rice and many more. She was voted #20 on Entertainment Weekly's list of “Funniest People in America” in April 2004 as well as received nominations at the Golden Satellite Awards for Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical (2005), and at the Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2007).

Besides her “SNL” work, Rudolph also played a nurse on the shows “Chicago Hope” and “City of Angels.” She was also seen in the films “As Good as It Gets” (1997), “Gattaca” (1997), “Duets” (2000), “Chuck & Buck” (2000), “Duplex” (2003), “50 First Dates” (2004), “A Prairie Home Companion” (2006), “Idiocracy” (2006) and “Shrek the Third” (2007; voice of Rapunzel).

Before arriving on “SNL,” Rudolph once played the keyboard in the funk band “Super Sauce” and “The Rentals” and released the album “Seven More Minutes.”

On a more personal note, the 5' 7" SNL performer has been involved with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson since 2001. They have one daughter together whom was born in 2005.

Maya Khabira

Childhood and Family:

“I come from a very creative family that isn't afraid to express their real self and they're able to wear who they are on their sleeve.” Mya Rudolph

In Gainesville, Florida, Maya Khabira Rudolph was born on July 27, 1972, to Jewish American composer, songwriter and producer Dick Rudolph, and late African American soul singer Minnie Riperton (born on November 8, 1947). She has an older brother named Marc, who is now a music engineer. At age one, Maya moved with her family to Los Angeles, California, to further her mother's music career. In the new destination, her mother recorded her most famous single, the 1974 octave-scaling ballad “Lovin' You.” In the sentimental song, one can hear Maya's mother sings “Maya, Maya, Maya” at the end of the track. Riperton claimed that this song was used as a lullaby for Maya.

On July 12, 1979, when Maya was seven, her mother died after a long battle with breast cancer. She said, “My mom was black and my dad is Jewish, and I lost my mom when I was seven. That made me feel really different from other kids.”

Maya went to St. Augustine by the Sea School, where she met childhood friend Gwyneth Paltrow. She attended high school in Santa Monica, California, and continued her education at the University of California, in Santa Cruz, where she graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in photography. During her university years, Maya formed the band “Supersauce” with fellow students.

Since 2001, Maya has been in a relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson. They have one daughter together, Pearl Bailey Anderson, who was born on October 15, 2005.

Maya is a vegetarian. She currently resides in Los Angeles and New York.

Saturday Night Live

Career:

“When I was a little girl, I would stand on the side of the stage and watch my mom singing out there in beautiful gowns. She was such a diva in the most exquisite sense. I always had the idea of wanting to be on a stage, in these beautiful gowns, with a microphone in my hand, and that comes from my mom.” Mya Rudolph

Daughter to a composer father and a soul singer mother, Mya Rudolph played music with an energetic nine-piece funk band called “Super Sauce,” which she formed with some of her fellow university students. After graduation, she joined the group “The Rentals.” With the band, in which she played the keyboard, Rudolph released the album “Seven More Minutes” (she sang backup vocals for the songs "Barcelona" and "My Head Is In The Sun") and toured around the world opening for such bands and artists as “Red Hot Chili Peppers,” “Garbage,” and Alanis Morissette.

When the band finally went on hiatus, Rudolph tried her hand at acting and landed a recurring role as Nurse Leah Martine (1996-1997) on CBS’ medical drama series “Chicago Hope.” Afterward, she got her first film role, as a delivery nurse, in writer/director Andrew Niccol's Oscar-nominated science fiction drama film “Gattaca” (1997), starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law.

Rudolph followed it up with a role as a policewoman in James L. Brooks' Oscar-winning romantic comedy, “As Good as It Gets” (1997), starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear, and an appearance in Brin Hill's 40-minute boxing drama film “A Glance Away” (1999). Meanwhile, she could be seen in the made-for-television movies “The Devil's Child” (1997), a thriller starring Kim Delaney, and “True Love” (1999), a romantic comedy starring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg. Additionally, she was spotted as a guest in an episode of Fox’s short-lived dark comedy series “Action,” starring Jay Mohr and Illeana Douglas.

“My dream since I was a little girl was to be on 'Saturday Night Live.' I was truly obsessed with Gilda Radner. I thought she was the funniest woman and I believed that being a comedian was the most exciting thing you could be.” Mya Rudolph

After a stint as a member of the Los Angeles improv troupe The Groundlings, Rudolph joined NBC’s late night live sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). Rudolph eventually became a regular in September 2001.

She recalled, “When they told me I got the show, I had two weeks to move to the East Coast. It was all so last-minute, but it was the best way to go because I didn't have time to think about it. And I'm glad it happened that way, because I can't imagine a better fit. It's a really natural evolution of this thing I was creating in my head as a kid, growing up feeling like such a freak and that I didn't belong anywhere. It came at the right time and it just feels right.”

Since then, Rudolph has won over fans with her impersonations of Donatella Versace, Condoleezza Rice, Christina Aguilera, Oprah Winfrey, Paris Hilton, Tyra Banks, Liza Minelli, LaToya Jackson, Whitney Houston, and others. She also frequently applies her musical talent during the show. In April 2004, Rudolph was voted #20 on Entertainment Weekly's list of “Funniest People in America.”

Rudolph temporarily left “SNL” during the 2005-2006 seasons to give birth to her first child. She returned for the February 4, 2006, episode and subsequently received nominations at the Golden Satellite Awards for Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical (2005), and at the Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2007).

During her “Saturday Night Live” years, Rudolph had supporting roles in Miguel Arteta's independent drama comedy “Chuck & Buck” (2000; starring Mike White and Chris Weitz), Bruce Paltrow's karaoke-themed feature “Duets” (2000; starring the ensemble cast of Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Maria Bello; Rudolph and her father also served as music supervisors), and R.A. White's based-on-book short comedy film “Frank's Book” (2001; starring John C. Reilly). She also had a recurring role as Nurse Grace Patterson (2000) in the CBS short-lived medical drama “City of Angels.”

Next, Rudolph appeared in the Danny DeVito directed dark comedy film “Duplex” (2003; also starring Ben Stiller) and Peter Segal's romantic comedy “50 First Dates” (2004; also starring Adam Sandler). In 2006, she could be seen acting opposite Lily Tomlin, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan and John C. Reilly in Robert Altman's final film, the ensemble comedy film “A Prairie Home Companion.” She also co-starred with Luke Wilson in writer/director Mike Judge's dark comedy, “Idiocracy,” playing a prostitute who takes part in a top secret program called the “Human Hibernation Project.” Meanwhile, on the small screen, she was spotted as a guest in an episode of Oxygen’s sitcom “Campus Ladies.”

Rudolph recently provided her voice for Rapunzel in the computer animated comedy film “Shrek the Third” (2007). She also resumed her music career and recently recorded some tracks with “The Rentals” front man Matt Sharp. Rudolph also performed "Together In Pooping" and "Little Roundworm" with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on his CD, “Come Poop With Me” (2003).

“There's the power that comedy gives you, and the enjoyment. It's like, 'Yes, you're deferring pain, but isn't it more fun to laugh while you're doing it?'” Mya Rudolph

Awards:
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