Mary Gross (born March 25, 1953)[1] is an American voice actress, comedian, and actress known for her four-year stint on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985 and her recurring role as Sabrina's favorite teacher, Mrs. Quick in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch from 1997 to 2000. Her credits also include minor roles on Animaniacs, Boston Legal, That's So Raven, and Six Feet Under.
Mary Gross | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 25, 1953 |
| Education | Loyola University Chicago |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian, voice actress |
| Years active | 1980–2012 |
| Relatives | Michael Gross (brother) Ron Masak (cousin) |
Early life
editA Chicago native, Gross is the youngest of three children born to William Oscar Gross, a tool designer, and Virginia Ruth (née Cahill), a telephone operator (the eldest being actor Michael Gross).[2][3] She attended Madonna High School—an all-girls Catholic school, since demolished[2]—and Loyola University.[4] While in high school, Gross made her performing debut—singing, in character, as France's Louis XIV, to the tune of Bernstein and Sondheim's "I Feel Pretty"—alongside fellow Madonna alumna Marilu Henner.[2][4][5]
Career
editEarly career
editShe is an alumna of the Second City comedy troupe. Before becoming part of the group she was a secretary with the American Dental Association.[6]
Saturday Night Live (1981–1985)
editGross joined SNL in 1981, during the show's 7th season following the show's disastrous sixth season, when the show was nearly canceled.[7] She became co-anchor of SNL's Weekend Update segment (renamed SNL Newsbreak) during her first season. She and the rest of the cast left in 1985 following executive producer Dick Ebersol's departure from the show.
Recurring characters
edit- Alfalfa, from SNL's recurring parody of The Little Rascals and skits regarding the murder of Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat character.[8]
- Siobhan Cahill, an Irish woman who reports on Irish events on Saturday Night News (Weekend Update's name when Brad Hall was cast as anchor). Coincidentally, Saturday Night Live would have Siobhan Fallon and Beth Cahill as cast members in the 1990s.
- Chi Chi, a Hispanic woman who hosts two fake public-access television cable TV shows (The Ghostbusters Show and Let's Watch TV) with her best friend, Consuela (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus)[9]
- Celeste, a repressed woman married to an equally repressed man (played by Tim Kazurinsky)[10]
Celebrity impersonations
editPersonal life
editGross has never married, but as of June 1982, Chicago-based photographer Jay King was referred to as "her longtime boyfriend" in a profile/interview of Gross penned by Chicago Sun-Times writer Michael Davis.[4] Duration aside, their relationship was also reported that year by the Chicago Tribune's Jon Anderson and several years later by researcher-author Mary Unterbrinker.[5][11]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Club Paradise | Jackie | |
| 1987 | Baby Boom | Charlotte Elkman | |
| 1988 | The Couch Trip | Vera Maitlin | |
| 1988 | Casual Sex? | Ilene | |
| 1988 | Big Business | Judy | |
| 1988 | Hot to Trot | Ms. French | |
| 1988 | Feds | Janis Zuckerman | |
| 1989 | Troop Beverly Hills | Annie Herman | |
| 1992 | There Goes the Neighborhood | Mrs. Bratesman | |
| 1993 | Public Enemy #2 | Marcey | |
| 1994 | The Santa Clause | Ms. Daniels | |
| 1998 | Practical Magic | Debbie | |
| 2001 | Tremors 3: Back to Perfection | Tourist mom | |
| 2002 | 40 Days and 40 Nights | Bev Sullivan | |
| 2003 | A Mighty Wind | Ma Klapper |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1985 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / Various | Cast member |
| 1985 | Tales of the Unexpected | Woman on beach | Episode: "Scrimshaw" |
| 1986 | Amen | Nurse Kenningston | Episode: "After the Fall" |
| 1988 | Channel 99 | Fifi Kurtz | TV film |
| 1989 | The People Next Door | Abigail MacIntyre Kellogg | Main role |
| 1992 | Billy | Phoebe Trillman | Recurring role |
| 1992 | Murphy Brown | Chris Manheim | Episode: "He-Ho, He-Ho, It's Off to Lamaze We Go" |
| 1993 | Jack's Place | Rosemary | Episode: "Faithful Henry" |
| 1993–1997 | Animaniacs | Katie's Mom | Voice, recurring role[12] |
| 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | Mary Gross | Episode: "Next Stop Bottom" |
| 1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Nell Newtrich | Episode: "Ultra Woman" |
| 1995 | The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | Voices | Recurring role |
| 1997 | Something So Right | Polly | Episode: "Something About Cold Storage" |
| 1997 | The Jeff Foxworthy Show | Aunt Jane | Episode: "Twister of Fate" |
| 1997 | The Angry Beavers | Deer / Bird | Voice, episode: "Deranged Ranger" |
| 1997–2000 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Mrs. Quick | Recurring role |
| 1997–2002 | Hey Arnold! | School Nurse Shelley | Voice, 3 episodes[12] |
| 1999 | Detention | Patsy Wickett | Voice, 2 episodes[12] |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Elise | Voice, episode: "The Frog Princess" |
| 2000 | Jailbait | Patti Fisher | TV film |
| 2000 | Lost Cat | Nancy Mouse | Voice, TV film |
| 2000 | What a Cartoon! | Nancy Mouse | Voice, episode: "Lost Cat"[12] |
| 2001 | Providence | Martha Blankenship | Episode: "Love Story" |
| 2001 | Six Feet Under | Floral Instructor | Episode: "The Trip" |
| 2001 | Off Centre | Roberta Flack / Mrs. Platt | Episode: "Swing Time" |
| 2002 | Dharma & Greg | Mary | Episode: "This Diamond Ring" |
| 2002 | As Told by Ginger | Bobbie Lightfoot | Voice, episode: "Family Therapy" |
| 2003 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Harriet | Episode: "Stan Hooper Goes to Washington" |
| 2003 | Judging Amy | Marta | Episode: "Tricks of the Trade" |
| 2003 | According to Jim | Cynthia | Episode: "Paintball" |
| 2004 | All About the Andersons | Mrs. Dyer | Episode: "Get Out of Dodge... Ball" |
| 2004 | I'm with Her | Donna Kincade | Episode: "Winners & Losers & Whiners & Boozers: Part 2" |
| 2004 | Rock Me, Baby | Ginger | Episode: "Not-So-Grand Parents" |
| 2005 | Malcolm in the Middle | Evelyn | Episode: "Chad's Sleepover" |
| 2005 | Twins | Judy | Episode: "Sister's Keeper" |
| 2005 | That's So Raven | Miss Patterson | Episode: "Cake Fear" |
| 2006 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Mrs. Orr | Episode: "Oh God, Yes" |
| 2007–08 | Boston Legal | Leigh Swift | Recurring role |
| 2008 | According to Jim | Lisa | Episode: "Cheryl Goes to Florida" |
| 2008 | General Hospital | Aunt Raylene | Recurring role |
| 2009 | Life | Maude Paxton | Episode: "Canyon Flowers" |
| 2009 | Californication | Principal Green | Episode: "Mr. Bad Example" |
| 2010 | In Gayle We Trust | Beth | Episode: "Gayle and the Salon" |
| 2011 | The Defenders | Judy Baker | Episode: "Nevada v. Doug the Mule" |
| 2011 | Hart of Dixie | Old Lady #3 | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Pound Puppies | Mrs. Beasley | Voice, episode: "Lucky Gets Adopted"[12] |
| 2012 | Adopting Terror | Laura | TV film |
| 2012 | Raising Hope | Denise Jenkins | Episode: "What Up, Bro?" |
References
edit- ^ "Celebrity Birthdays". Asheville Citizen-Times. March 25, 2023. p. 5C. ProQuest 2792347897.
Actor Paul Michael Glaser is 80. Musician Elton John is 76. Actor Bonnie Bedelia is 75. Actor-comedian Mary Gross is 70. Actor James McDaniel ('NYPD Blue') is 65.
See also: - ^ a b c Caro, Mark (March 17, 2011). "Hollywood's Fickle; Family Ties Endure". Chicago Tribune. Sec. 3, pp. 1, 3. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "Obituaries". Chicago Tribune. March 22, 2005. p. 6. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Davis, Michael (Chicago Sun-Times). "'Saturday Night Live' Mary Gross on a Roll". The Jersey Journal. June 10, 1982. p. 32. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Anderson, Jon (March 11, 1982). "Second City pays off for 'ditsy' Mary Gross". Chicago Tribune. Sec. 4, p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ The Curious Case of Tim Kazurinsky, September 3, 2021, archived from the original on December 13, 2021, retrieved September 20, 2021
- ^ Doumanian's failed hires
- ^ SNL Archives | Character Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ SNL Archives | Character Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ SNL Archives | Character Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Unterbrink, Mary (1987). Funny Women: American Comediennes, 1860-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 173. ISBN 0899502261.
- ^ a b c d e "Mary Gross (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 19, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
External links
edit- Mary Gross at IMDb