Lydia Cornell
Encyclopedia
Lydia Cornell is an American actress, writer, novelist, comedienne, blogger, and talk-radio host.
on July 23, Cornell began acting in the early 1980s. Her first role was as Ted Knight
's daughter Sara on the ABC
television situation comedy
Too Close for Comfort
from 1980 to 1985. She has also appeared on numerous television programs over the years, including Curb Your Enthusiasm
, The Drew Carey Show
, Quantum Leap, Full House
, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard
, The A-Team
, T. J. Hooker
, Simon & Simon
, Hunter, Hardball, Black Scorpion
, Love Boat
(5 episodes), Hotel
(2 episodes), Fantasy Island
, Charlies Angels, Battle of the Network Stars
, TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes
, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve as co-host with Anson Williams
. She also co-starred with Oscar winners James Earl Jones
, Jose Ferrer
and Lila Kedrova
in the horror film Blood Tide filmed in the Greek Isles and produced by Niko Mastorakis and Donald Langdon.
In 1982, as part of a USO tour, Cornell went to Beirut
, Lebanon
to visit American troops in the Multinational Peacekeeping Force on Christmas Eve. Soon after their departure from Beirut, over 250 Marines of the 24th MAU were killed
there in one of the first suicide bombings.
In 1999, Cornell was a Best Actress nominee at Method Fest, which honors outstanding acting performances, for her leading role in the AFI indie "Miss Supreme Queen."
In the spring of 2010, she appeared in the Kelsey Grammer-Bill Zucker Comedy Hour, a series of improvisational vignettes, with Scott Baio
, Kelsey Grammer
and Bill Zucker, whom she met on Twitter. Cornell performed a song in Zucker's Twitter Song video. Cornell describes her brand of comedy, "Spiritual Therapy Comedy."
On December 4, 2010, Cornell hosted the live stream for Variety's Power of Comedy event at The Nokia Center, honoring Russell Brand
, and benefiting the Noreen Fraser Foundation.
In 2011, she appeared in the feature film "Cats Dancing on Jupiter", directed by Jordan Alan
, and starring Amanda Righetti
of The Mentalist
.
's "extermination speak", and about the war in Iraq.
Cornell is a humorist and comedienne, and performs stand-up comedy with Destiny (The Tonight Show, MTV, VH-1.) The duo did 14 shows at the Riviera Las Vegas in June 2006. In November, they opened for Paul Rodriguez at Pechanga, and for The Amazing Johnathan at The Sahara in Las Vegas. Cornell calls herself a "spiritual therapy comedienne."
Cornell recently starred in an original comedy show in Hollywood with Destiny and Stephanie Hodge titled "Pain is Inevitable, Sex Optional". It is an ongoing comedy about marriage, sex, men, love, death and politics as told by three women.
Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post
; Editor & Publisher; the Lone Star Iconoclast; CNN; Crooks and Liars; Sitcoms Online; Retroality; Good Housekeeping; TV Guide; Femmes Fatales; Macon Area Online and several newspapers across the nation. Her article "Death is Sexier than Sex...to Ann Coulter" was published by BradBlog in December 2005 causing an uproar when Coulter published Cornell's home phone number and private email on the front page of her website, Ann Coulter.com. Cornell received death threats, hate mail, but mainly she received hundreds of letters and calls in support of her statements. The story was subsequently picked up by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann; Editor & Publisher, Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, CannonFire, and numerous online news sources.
On Saturday, February 24, 2007, Basham Radio introduced Cornell as its new co-host. Basham and Cornell Radio
Early life and acting career
Born in El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
on July 23, Cornell began acting in the early 1980s. Her first role was as Ted Knight
Ted Knight
Ted Knight was an American actor best known for playing the comedic role of Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush on Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Smails in Caddyshack.- Early years :...
's daughter Sara on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Too Close for Comfort
Too Close for Comfort (TV series)
Too Close for Comfort is an American television sitcom which ran on the ABC network and later in first-run syndication from November 11, 1980 to September 27, 1986. It was modeled after the British series Keep It in the Family, which debuted nine months before Too Close for Comfort debuted in the U.S...
from 1980 to 1985. She has also appeared on numerous television programs over the years, including Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
, The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
, Quantum Leap, Full House
Full House
Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
, The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, T. J. Hooker
T. J. Hooker
T.J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982 on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985...
, Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...
, Hunter, Hardball, Black Scorpion
Black Scorpion (TV series)
Black Scorpion is an action-crime TV series that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2001. The series is based on two Roger Corman movies, Black Scorpion, and the sequel Black Scorpion II: Aftershock. The show focuses on a female police officer, who, by night, takes to the streets and fights crime as...
, Love Boat
Love Boat
The Overseas Compatriot Youth Formosa Study Tour to Taiwan, informally known as the Love Boat, is currently a four-week summer program for about 400–600 college-aged Overseas Chinese. In Chinese, it is also colloquially referred to as mei-jia-ying - America and Canada Camp, a reference to where...
(5 episodes), Hotel
Hotel (TV series)
Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
(2 episodes), Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, Charlies Angels, Battle of the Network Stars
Battle of the Network Stars
Battle of the Network Stars is the name of 19 US television specials featuring competitions among teams of popular television performers representing the three major broadcast networks at that time: ABC, CBS, and NBC.- History :...
, TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes
TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes
TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes is a television series and a group of television specials that aired in the United States by NBC and, later, ABC from the 1980s to the mid-2000s...
, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve as co-host with Anson Williams
Anson Williams
Anson Williams is an actor and director, best known for his role as gullible but well intentioned singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the television series Happy Days.-Biography:...
. She also co-starred with Oscar winners James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
, Jose Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
and Lila Kedrova
Lila Kedrova
Lila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress.-Biography:Kedrova claimed to have been born in 1918, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her parents were Russian opera singers. Lila Kedrova's brother was Nikolay Kedrov, Jr...
in the horror film Blood Tide filmed in the Greek Isles and produced by Niko Mastorakis and Donald Langdon.
In 1982, as part of a USO tour, Cornell went to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
to visit American troops in the Multinational Peacekeeping Force on Christmas Eve. Soon after their departure from Beirut, over 250 Marines of the 24th MAU were killed
1983 Beirut barracks bombing
The Beirut Barracks Bombing occurred during the Lebanese Civil War, when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces—members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon—killing 299 American and French servicemen...
there in one of the first suicide bombings.
In 1999, Cornell was a Best Actress nominee at Method Fest, which honors outstanding acting performances, for her leading role in the AFI indie "Miss Supreme Queen."
In the spring of 2010, she appeared in the Kelsey Grammer-Bill Zucker Comedy Hour, a series of improvisational vignettes, with Scott Baio
Scott Baio
Scott Vincent James Baio is an American actor and television director, best known for his roles as Chachi Arcola on the sitcom Happy Days and its spin-off, Joanie Loves Chachi, and as the title character on the sitcom Charles in Charge....
, Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
and Bill Zucker, whom she met on Twitter. Cornell performed a song in Zucker's Twitter Song video. Cornell describes her brand of comedy, "Spiritual Therapy Comedy."
On December 4, 2010, Cornell hosted the live stream for Variety's Power of Comedy event at The Nokia Center, honoring Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
, and benefiting the Noreen Fraser Foundation.
In 2011, she appeared in the feature film "Cats Dancing on Jupiter", directed by Jordan Alan
Jordan Alan
Jordan Alan is an American film director.In 1987 Alan founded the Terminal Bliss Productions, now owned by Terminal Bliss Pictures. He wrote and directed his first feature, Terminal Bliss, in 1988 and moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1991 he directed Cats Cradle and in 1992, Love and Happiness...
, and starring Amanda Righetti
Amanda Righetti
Amanda Righetti is an American actress and film producer. She is best known for her roles in The Mentalist, Friday the 13th and The O.C. In 2008, Righetti was the winner of the Best Actress award at the New York International Independent Film Video Festival for the Short Film category.-Early...
of The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
.
Literary and journalistic career
Cornell's self-titled blog was a 2006 and 2005 Koufax Award double nominee for best writing, and has been called "a consistently thought-provoking firecracker of pointed socio-political commentary and observant, caustic wit." (Shotgun Reviews.) John Conley, a Marine combat vet, sent her his Purple Heart for her courage in standing up to Ann CoulterAnn Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
's "extermination speak", and about the war in Iraq.
Cornell is a humorist and comedienne, and performs stand-up comedy with Destiny (The Tonight Show, MTV, VH-1.) The duo did 14 shows at the Riviera Las Vegas in June 2006. In November, they opened for Paul Rodriguez at Pechanga, and for The Amazing Johnathan at The Sahara in Las Vegas. Cornell calls herself a "spiritual therapy comedienne."
Cornell recently starred in an original comedy show in Hollywood with Destiny and Stephanie Hodge titled "Pain is Inevitable, Sex Optional". It is an ongoing comedy about marriage, sex, men, love, death and politics as told by three women.
Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
; Editor & Publisher; the Lone Star Iconoclast; CNN; Crooks and Liars; Sitcoms Online; Retroality; Good Housekeeping; TV Guide; Femmes Fatales; Macon Area Online and several newspapers across the nation. Her article "Death is Sexier than Sex...to Ann Coulter" was published by BradBlog in December 2005 causing an uproar when Coulter published Cornell's home phone number and private email on the front page of her website, Ann Coulter.com. Cornell received death threats, hate mail, but mainly she received hundreds of letters and calls in support of her statements. The story was subsequently picked up by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann; Editor & Publisher, Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, CannonFire, and numerous online news sources.
On Saturday, February 24, 2007, Basham Radio introduced Cornell as its new co-host. Basham and Cornell Radio
External links
- Official website
- Interviews
- Interview with Lydia Cornell on the podcast The Future and YouThe Future And YouThe Future and You is a podcast hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb and teamed with Jim Baen's Universe Magazine...
(anecdotes about Ted Knight, Too Close For Comfort, her books, Larry David and Curb Your Enthusiasm) - RETROCRUSH LYDIA CORNELL INTERVIEW
- Lydia's first interview on the Doug Basham Show
- Lydia's second interview on the Doug Basham Show
- SitComsOnline Lydia Cornell interview 29 Oct 2008
- Interview with Lydia Cornell on the podcast The Future and You
- El Paso Actress' Success Not Too Close for Comfort Frederick, Oklahoma Daily Leader, 15 Aug 1982
- Retroality TV Lydia Cornell Cover Story Nov 2008
- Lydia Cornell is Back in Primetime on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" 4 Oct 2005
- Script Frenzy Cameo Freedom From Fear: Writers Block
- Basham and Cornell Progressive Talk Live!
- BradBlog
- Cannonfire Hidden Ann Coulter
- BLOOD TIDE