Rhonda Shear
Encyclopedia
Rhonda Shear is an American
television personality, comedienne, and actress.
, to a Jewish American family. She attended Loyola University
, earning a B.A.
in Communications
. Before she became famous, she earned titles in several beauty contest
s, including holding the titles of Miss Louisiana USA
1975 for Miss USA
and that of Miss Louisiana for both the Miss World
and the Miss International
pageants. Among her other titles was Queen of the Floral Trail Society. While she sported the latter title, she posed fully clothed for Playboy
, but the organizers of that title were opposed to her appearing in that magazine, and took the title away from her. Shear gained notoriety after this episode.
's 1980s/'90s weekend B-movie
show, USA Up All Night
. From 1991 to 1998 she hosted in-studio and on-location segments that aired on Friday (and later moved to Saturday) nights, replacing comedian Caroline Schlitt (the Friday night host for the show's first few years). Her trademark manner of speaking the show's title - by raising her voice an octave when saying the word "Up"...became a catch phrase. Shear also briefly hosted a comedy program called "Spotlight Cafe," hosted previously by comic Judy Tenuta
.
In June 1991, Shear posed in Playboy
magazine's Funny Girls pictorial. In October 1993 she appeared in her own Playboy pictorial titled "Rhonda Up All Night".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television personality, comedienne, and actress.
Early life
Shear was born in New Orleans, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, to a Jewish American family. She attended Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
, earning a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
. Before she became famous, she earned titles in several beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
s, including holding the titles of Miss Louisiana USA
Miss Louisiana USA
The Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
1975 for Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
and that of Miss Louisiana for both the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
and the Miss International
Miss International
Miss International is an annual international beauty pageant held since 1960.The current Miss International is Fernanda Cornejo, from Ecuador...
pageants. Among her other titles was Queen of the Floral Trail Society. While she sported the latter title, she posed fully clothed for Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, but the organizers of that title were opposed to her appearing in that magazine, and took the title away from her. Shear gained notoriety after this episode.
Career
Shear is best known for her role as a host of the USA NetworkUSA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
's 1980s/'90s weekend B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
show, USA Up All Night
USA Up All Night
USA Up All Night is an American cable television series that aired weekly on Friday and Saturday nights on the USA Network. The show aired from 1989 to 1998.-Synopsis:...
. From 1991 to 1998 she hosted in-studio and on-location segments that aired on Friday (and later moved to Saturday) nights, replacing comedian Caroline Schlitt (the Friday night host for the show's first few years). Her trademark manner of speaking the show's title - by raising her voice an octave when saying the word "Up"...became a catch phrase. Shear also briefly hosted a comedy program called "Spotlight Cafe," hosted previously by comic Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta is an American entertainer, actress, comedienne, author, producer and accordionist.-Early life:...
.
In June 1991, Shear posed in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine's Funny Girls pictorial. In October 1993 she appeared in her own Playboy pictorial titled "Rhonda Up All Night".
Filmography
- J.D.'s RevengeJ.D.'s RevengeJ. D.'s Revenge is a blaxploitation horror film released in 1976. It starred Glynn Turman and Lou Gossett. The main character becomes an unwilling host for the restless spirit of J.D. Walker, a hustler killed 30 years earlier.-Plot:...
(1976) - GalaxinaGalaxinaGalaxina is a low-budget 1980 American comedy/science fiction film, best remembered for its lead actress, Playboy Playmate of the Year for 1980 Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered shortly after the movie's release....
(1980) - Party Games for Adults Only (1984)
- Doin' Time (1985)
- Basic TrainingBasic Training (1985 film)Basic Training is a 1985 sex comedy film by Andrew Sugerman. It is often considered to be one of the worst films of 1985.-Plot:...
(1985) - SpaceballsSpaceballsSpaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy parody film co-written by, directed by, Mel Brooks and starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks & Rick Moranis. It also features, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, and the voice of Joan Rivers. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on...
(1987) - The Roller Blade SevenThe Roller Blade SevenThe Roller Blade Seven is a 1991 cult martial arts film directed by Donald G. Jackson and starring Scott Shaw .-Plot:The Roller Blade Seven follows Hawk Goodman , who is sent on a mission by Reverend Donald , to rescue Sister Sparrow from the clutches of the evil overlord Pharaoh , in the...
(1991) - Return to FrogtownReturn to FrogtownReturn to Frogtown is the 1993 sequel to the cult movie Hell Comes to Frogtown, which starred professional wrestler, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. This sequel is also set in a postapocalyptic future where mutant frog-people are at war with mankind.Robert Z'Dar plays the main character, Sam Hell, in place...
(1993) - Tender Loving Care (1995)
- Assault of the Party Nerds 2: The Heavy Petting Detective (1995)
- Earth Minus Zero (1996)
- Desperation Boulevard (1998)
- Prison-A-Go-Go! (2003)
Television
- Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
(1 episode, 1979) - DallasDallas (TV series)Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
(1 episode, 1982) - CHiPsCHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
(1 episode, 1982) - Hart to HartHart to HartHart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
(1 episode, 1983) - The Fall GuyThe Fall GuyThe Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
(1 episode, 1983) - The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe 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...
(1 episode, 1983) - Three's CompanyThree's CompanyThree's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
(1 episode, 1983) - The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of HazzardThe 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...
(1 episode, 1984) - CheersCheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
(1 episode, 1985) - Full HouseFull HouseFull 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...
(1 episode, 1990) - Married… with Children (episode "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" 1990)
- USA Up All NightUSA Up All NightUSA Up All Night is an American cable television series that aired weekly on Friday and Saturday nights on the USA Network. The show aired from 1989 to 1998.-Synopsis:...
(Host, 1991–1998) - Doctor Doctor (1 episode, 1991)
- Silk StalkingsSilk StalkingsSilk Stalkings is a TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night Crimetime After Primetime programming package, and rebroadcast on the USA Network. After CBS ended the Crimetime experiment in 1993, the series ran exclusively on USA until its finale in the...
(1 episode, 1994) - Oddville, MTV (1 episode, 1997)
- Unhappily Ever AfterUnhappily Ever AfterUnhappily Ever After is an American sitcom that aired for 100 episodes on The WB network from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of four and a half seasons...
(1 episode, 1998)