Louise Lasser
Encyclopedia
Louise Lasser is an American
actress. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera
parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
. She was married to Woody Allen
and appeared in several of his films.
at Brandeis University
. She was married to Woody Allen from 1966 to 1969.
, Bananas
, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)
, as well as being one of the voices for his spoof dubbing of a Japanese spy movie What's Up Tiger Lily? She also had a brief cameo in his 1980 film Stardust Memories
.
She became a household name for starring as the neurotic, unhappy housewife Mary Hartman on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
. The show aired five nights a week in 1976–1977. In 2000, Lasser appeared on a panel with her former cast members at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills (taped for the museum archives).
She hosted Saturday Night Live
at the end of the first season. Lasser also wrote the telemovie Just Me and You
(1978
), starring in it alongside Charles Grodin
. She had a recurring role as Alex's ex-wife on the hit series Taxi
, and starred in the 1981–82 season of the TV series It's a Living. Lasser also had a recurring role as Victor Erlich's Aunt Charise, a neurotic comic character on St. Elsewhere
in the mid-eighties. In 1989, Lasser played the mother of the main character in the movie Sing
.
In 1998, she appeared as the mother of the three main female characters, in Todd Solondz
's film Happiness. She appeared in the 1999
film Mystery Men
, as the mother of Hank Azaria
's character. Lasser had a role in Darren Aronofsky
's film Requiem for a Dream (2000), and she co-starred with Renee Taylor
in National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
(2003).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is an American soap opera parody that aired in daily syndication from January 1976 to May 1977. The series was produced by Norman Lear, directed by Joan Darling and starred Louise Lasser...
. She was married to Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
and appeared in several of his films.
Personal life
Lasser was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Paula and S. Jay Lasser, a tax expert. She was raised Jewish. Lasser studied political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. She was married to Woody Allen from 1966 to 1969.
Career
Lasser appeared in the Woody Allen films Take the Money and RunTake the Money and Run
Take the Money and Run is a 1969 comedy film written by Woody Allen and Mickey Rose, and directed by and starring Woody Allen. It is an early mockumentary, chronicling the life of Virgil Starkwell, a bungling petty thief...
, Bananas
Bananas (film)
Bananas is a 1971 comedy film written by Mickey Rose and Woody Allen, directed by Allen, and starring himself and Louise Lasser. Parts of the plot were based on the book Don Quixote, U.S.A. by Richard P. Powell. It was filmed on location in New York City, Lima , and various locations in Puerto...
, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (film)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* is Woody Allen's fourth film, consisting of a series of short sequences loosely inspired by Dr. David Reuben's book of the same name....
, as well as being one of the voices for his spoof dubbing of a Japanese spy movie What's Up Tiger Lily? She also had a brief cameo in his 1980 film Stardust Memories
Stardust Memories
Stardust Memories is a 1980 film written and directed by Woody Allen, who considers this to be one of his best films in addition to The Purple Rose of Cairo and Match Point. The film is shot in black-and-white, particularly reminiscent of Federico Fellini's 8½ , which it parodies...
.
She became a household name for starring as the neurotic, unhappy housewife Mary Hartman on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is an American soap opera parody that aired in daily syndication from January 1976 to May 1977. The series was produced by Norman Lear, directed by Joan Darling and starred Louise Lasser...
. The show aired five nights a week in 1976–1977. In 2000, Lasser appeared on a panel with her former cast members at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills (taped for the museum archives).
She hosted Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
at the end of the first season. Lasser also wrote the telemovie Just Me and You
Just Me and You
Just Me and You is a 1978 telemovie. It was written by Louise Lasser and directed by John Erman...
(1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
), starring in it alongside Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin is an American actor, comedian, author and former cable talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. He had a small part as an obstetrician in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby in 1968...
. She had a recurring role as Alex's ex-wife on the hit series Taxi
Taxi (TV series)
Taxi was an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...
, and starred in the 1981–82 season of the TV series It's a Living. Lasser also had a recurring role as Victor Erlich's Aunt Charise, a neurotic comic character on St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
in the mid-eighties. In 1989, Lasser played the mother of the main character in the movie Sing
Sing (1989 film)
Sing is a 1989 film, starring Lorraine Bracco, Peter Dobson and Jessica Steen. The movie is about a fictional New York City SING! production...
.
In 1998, she appeared as the mother of the three main female characters, in Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background...
's film Happiness. She appeared in the 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
film Mystery Men
Mystery Men
Mystery Men is a 1999 comedy film based on a Dark Horse comic book series feature in Flaming Carrot Comics by Bob Burden, directed by TV commercial director Kinka Usher. It stars William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, and Hank Azaria as a trio of lesser superheroes with fairly unimpressive superpowers who...
, as the mother of Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
's character. Lasser had a role in Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
's film Requiem for a Dream (2000), and she co-starred with Renee Taylor
Renee Taylor
Renée Taylor is an American actress, Academy Award nominated writer and one-time director, best-known for having played Fran Drescher's outspoken mother, Sylvia Fine, on the TV series The Nanny.- Career :...
in National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers is a 2004 film directed by Gary Preisler. It features two friends, played by Will Friedle and Chris Owen, who marry two old ladies, played by Louise Lasser and Renée Taylor, so they can inherit their fortunes when they die.- Reception :The film was considered a...
(2003).