Rachael Harris
Encyclopedia
Rachael Elaine Harris (born January 12, 1968) is an American actress and comedian.
. She graduated from Worthington High School
. She went on to graduate from Otterbein College, in 1989, majoring in theatre.
, improvisational comedy troupe the Groundlings, and taught for a time with the Groundlings school. She debuted on television
in a 1993 episode of SeaQuest DSV
.
After an appearance on Star Trek: Voyager
in 1997, Harris went on to a recurring role in The WB's Sister, Sister
. Other television credits include a stint as a correspondent for The Daily Show's
2002–2003 season, as well as roles on The Sarah Silverman Program
, Reno 911!
, The West Wing, The Good Guys
, Friends
, Curb Your Enthusiasm
, Monk
, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and, in November 2008, Desperate Housewives
.
Harris played the supporting role of Kevyn Shecket, Kirstie Alley
's personal makeup artist, on the Showtime series Fat Actress
in 2005. She played Cooper in the ABC sitcom Notes from the Underbelly
.
Her film credits include roles in Best in Show
, A Mighty Wind
, For Your Consideration
, Starsky & Hutch, Kicking & Screaming, and Daddy Day Care
. In the 2009 comedy The Hangover
she plays Melissa, girlfriend to Ed Helms
's character Stu. She previously co-starred with Helms on the Daily Show
. In 2010, she played Greg's mother in the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid
.
Harris hosted Smoking Gun TV in 2004, and has made multiple appearances on such VH1
documentaries as I Love the '80s, I Love the '90s, and Best Week Ever
.
Off-Broadway
Harris has performed in Love, Loss, and What I Wore
.
Harris' TV commercial work includes ads for Dinty Moore
, Avis
, Expedia
, Quaker Oats, T-Mobile
, Geico
, and a Super Bowl
commercial for the 2010 Census. She is the voice of turtle Karolyn Slowsky in the Comcast
Slowskys television commercials.
Harris has signed on to ABC's Cougar Town
, TVGuide.com has confirmed. She will play Shanna, a woman that the network describes as being the "nemesis" of Jules. Also on ABC, she made a guest appearance in the Modern Family
episode "Caught in the Act
" as a restaurateur.
Harris stars in the indie comedy/drama film Natural Selection
which was well received at its 2011 South by Southwest debut, winning both jury and audience awards for best narrative feature, in addition to best screenplay, best editing, and best score/music.
Harris received the breakthrough performance award for her role as Linda.
Early life
Harris was born in Worthington, OhioWorthington, Ohio
-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
. She graduated from Worthington High School
Thomas Worthington High School
Thomas Worthington High School is located in Worthington, Ohio, TWHS has historically been among the top performing high schools in Ohio in terms of academics. The school was formerly named Worthington High School until the 1991 opening of Worthington Kilbourne High SchoolThomas Worthington is the...
. She went on to graduate from Otterbein College, in 1989, majoring in theatre.
Career
Harris performed with the Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, improvisational comedy troupe the Groundlings, and taught for a time with the Groundlings school. She debuted on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in a 1993 episode of SeaQuest DSV
SeaQuest DSV
seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...
.
After an appearance on Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
in 1997, Harris went on to a recurring role in The WB's Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister (TV series)
Sister, Sister is an American television sitcom about identical twin girls Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell , who were separated and adopted at birth, when one day they come face-to-face after 14 years apart....
. Other television credits include a stint as a correspondent for The Daily Show's
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
2002–2003 season, as well as roles on The Sarah Silverman Program
The Sarah Silverman Program
The Sarah Silverman Program is an American television series that starred comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab...
, Reno 911!
Reno 911!
Reno 911! is an American comedy television series on Comedy Central that ran from 2003 to 2009. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically COPS, with comic actors playing the police officers. Most of the material is improvised, using a broad outline, and...
, The West Wing, The Good Guys
The Good Guys (2010 TV series)
The Good Guys is an American action-comedy series about an old-school cop and a modern-day detective that premiered with a preview episode on Fox on May 19, 2010, and began airing regularly on June 7...
, Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, 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...
, Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and, in November 2008, Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
Harris played the supporting role of Kevyn Shecket, Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
's personal makeup artist, on the Showtime series Fat Actress
Fat Actress
Fat Actress is an American sitcom television series starring Kirstie Alley. It aired on Showtime in the United States in the spring of 2005, on Movie Central in Western Canada, The Movie Network in Eastern Canada, FX in the UK, Network Ten in Australia and VOX and Das Vierte in Germany...
in 2005. She played Cooper in the ABC sitcom Notes from the Underbelly
Notes from the Underbelly
Notes from the Underbelly was an American sitcom that debuted on ABC as a midseason replacement. The series is based upon the novel of the same name by Risa Green, and is produced by Eric and Kim Tannenbaum for Warner Bros. Television...
.
Her film credits include roles in Best in Show
Best in Show (film)
Best in Show is a 2000 independent film that follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show. The film focuses on the slightly surreal interactions among the various owners and handlers as they travel to the show and compete. Much of the dialogue was improvised.Christopher Guest directed; he also...
, A Mighty Wind
A Mighty Wind
A Mighty Wind is a 2003 mockumentary about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands must reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. It was directed by Christopher Guest...
, For Your Consideration
For Your Consideration (film)
For Your Consideration is a 2006 comedy film directed by Christopher Guest. It was co-written by Guest and Eugene Levy, both also starring in the film....
, Starsky & Hutch, Kicking & Screaming, and Daddy Day Care
Daddy Day Care
Daddy Day Care is a 2003 American comedy film, starring Eddie Murphy. It was written by Geoff Rodkey and was directed by Steve Carr. It was released in theaters on May 9, 2003. It was produced by Revolution Studios and released by Columbia Pictures...
. In the 2009 comedy The Hangover
The Hangover (film)
The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor...
she plays Melissa, girlfriend to Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
's character Stu. She previously co-starred with Helms on the Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
. In 2010, she played Greg's mother in the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The books focuses...
.
Harris hosted Smoking Gun TV in 2004, and has made multiple appearances on such VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
documentaries as I Love the '80s, I Love the '90s, and Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
.
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Harris has performed in Love, Loss, and What I Wore
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman. It is organized as a series of monologues and uses a rotating cast of five principal women...
.
Harris' TV commercial work includes ads for Dinty Moore
Hormel
Hormel Foods Corporation is a food company based in southeastern Minnesota , perhaps best known as the producer of Spam luncheon meat. The company was founded as George A. Hormel & Company in Austin, Minnesota, U.S., by George A. Hormel in 1891. The company changed its name to Hormel Foods...
, Avis
Avis Rent A Car System
Avis Rent a Car System, LLC is a car rental company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, United States. Avis, Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental are all units of Avis Budget Group....
, Expedia
Expedia
Expedia is an Internet-based travel website based in the US with localised sites for 21 countries...
, Quaker Oats, T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, Geico
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
, and a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
commercial for the 2010 Census. She is the voice of turtle Karolyn Slowsky in the Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
Slowskys television commercials.
Harris has signed on to ABC's Cougar Town
Cougar Town
Cougar Town is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The series focuses on a recently divorced woman in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter, along with her son, ex-husband, and friends who together make...
, TVGuide.com has confirmed. She will play Shanna, a woman that the network describes as being the "nemesis" of Jules. Also on ABC, she made a guest appearance in the Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
episode "Caught in the Act
Caught in the Act (Modern Family)
"Caught in the Act" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American television comedy series, Modern Family and the 36th overall episode of the series. Co-creator Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman wrote the episode, and Michael Spiller directed it. The episode originally aired on...
" as a restaurateur.
Harris stars in the indie comedy/drama film Natural Selection
Natural Selection (film)
Natural Selection is a 2011 comedy-drama film written and directed by Robbie Pickering. It stars Rachael Harris, Matt O'Leary, John Diehl, and Jon Gries. The film was accepted by South by Southwest for the 2011 Narrative Feature Competition. - Synopsis :...
which was well received at its 2011 South by Southwest debut, winning both jury and audience awards for best narrative feature, in addition to best screenplay, best editing, and best score/music.
Harris received the breakthrough performance award for her role as Linda.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Treehouse Trolls Forest of Fun and Wonder | Mama | |
| 1995 | Cellblock Sisters: Banished Behind Bars | Young May | |
| 1996 | The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson is a mockumentary on the disappearance of a fictitious wealthy British film producer, Kevin Johnson, who is dealing in sex, lies and blackmail in Hollywood. This marked Dudley Moore's last live-action role before his death.... |
Fornaio Waitress #2 | |
| 1998 | The Week That Girl Died | Honey | |
| 2001 | The Gristle | Mrs. Alden | |
| 2002 | Showtime Showtime (film) Showtime is a 2002 action-comedy film directed by Tom Dey and starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy.-Plot:The film centers on two cops, Mitch Preston and Trey Sellars , who are paired together for a reality police show and run into real trouble with a crime lord... |
Teacher | |
| Stuart Little 2 Stuart Little 2 Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes... |
Additional Voices | ||
| The New Brad | Kelly | ||
| 2003 | A Mighty Wind A Mighty Wind A Mighty Wind is a 2003 mockumentary about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands must reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. It was directed by Christopher Guest... |
Steinbloom's Assistant | |
| 2005 | Kicking & Screaming | Ann Hogan | |
| 2009 | The Hangover The Hangover (film) The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor... |
Melissa | |
| 2010 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film) Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's book of the same name. The film was released on March 19, 2010. It was released on DVD, iTunes, and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010.-Plot:... |
Susan Heffley | |
| 2011 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (film) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2011 comedy film based on Jeff Kinney's book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Peyton List also have prominent roles... |
||
| Natural Selection Natural Selection (film) Natural Selection is a 2011 comedy-drama film written and directed by Robbie Pickering. It stars Rachael Harris, Matt O'Leary, John Diehl, and Jon Gries. The film was accepted by South by Southwest for the 2011 Narrative Feature Competition. - Synopsis :... |
Linda | Pending - Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Female Lead is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
|
| 2012 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (film) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is an upcoming comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. It is the third film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and is based on the third and fourth book in the series,... |
Susan Heffley | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | SeaQuest DSV SeaQuest DSV seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction... |
Rose | 1 episode Treasures of the Tonga Trench |
| 1997 | Star Trek: Voyager | Martis | 1 episode Before and After Before and After (Star Trek: Voyager) "Before and After" is an episode of the science-fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, and the 21st episode of the third season. It has an average fan rating of 4.1/5 on the official Star Trek website as of September 2009 and foreshadows events seen in a later episode, "Year of... |
| 2002 | Friends Friends Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Julie | 1 episode The One Where Rachel Has a Baby |
| 2002-2003 | The Daily Show The Daily Show The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998... |
Herself | |
| 2007 | The New Adventures Of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010... |
Claire | 1 episode My Big Fat Sober Wedding |
| 2008 | Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W... |
Sandra Birch | 1 episode City on Fire City on Fire (Desperate Housewives) "City on Fire" is the 95th episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. It is the eighth episode of the show's fifth season and aired on November 16, 2008.-Plot:... |
| 2010 | My Boys My Boys My Boys is an American television sitcom that debuted on November 28, 2006, on TBS. The show deals with a female sports columnist in Chicago, Illinois and the men in her life including her brother and her best friend... |
Marcia | |
| Childrens Hospital | Mrs. Throman | 1 episode You Know No One Can Hear You, Right? | |
| The Good Guys The Good Guys (2010 TV series) The Good Guys is an American action-comedy series about an old-school cop and a modern-day detective that premiered with a preview episode on Fox on May 19, 2010, and began airing regularly on June 7... |
Mrs. Savage | 1 episode Dan on the Run | |
| 2011 | Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label... |
Amelia | 1 episode Caught in the Act Caught in the Act (Modern Family) "Caught in the Act" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American television comedy series, Modern Family and the 36th overall episode of the series. Co-creator Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman wrote the episode, and Michael Spiller directed it. The episode originally aired on... |
| Archer Archer (TV series) Archer is an American animated television series created by Adam Reed for the FX network. A preview of the series aired on September 17, 2009. The first season premiered on January 14, 2010. The show carries a TV-MA-LSV rating.... |
Rona Thorne | 1 episode Movie Star | |
| $#*! My Dad Says | Soledad Cho | 1 episode Corn Star | |