Ellen Cleghorne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellen Cleghorne
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Cleghorne at the La Bella Vista Club in 2008
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| Born | November 29, 1965 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Hunter College, New York University |
| Occupation | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Children | 1 |
Ellen Leslye Cleghorne (born November 29, 1965) is an American actress and comedian. She is famous for being a cast member on the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL). She was on the show from 1991 to 1995. Ellen Cleghorne was the second African-American woman to be a main cast member on SNL. She was also the first African-American woman to stay on the show for more than one season. She returned for the show's 40th anniversary special in 2015.
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Early Life and Education
Ellen Cleghorne grew up in the Red Hook Projects in Brooklyn, New York. She went to Brooklyn Technical High School. Later, she studied at Hunter College and NYU.
Her comedy career began in New York City comedy clubs. In 1989, she competed in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search. In 1991, she appeared on Def Comedy Jam. She also had small roles in In Living Color. Producers from Saturday Night Live noticed her there.
Comedy Career Highlights
Ellen Cleghorne joined Saturday Night Live in 1991. She was a cast member for four seasons, leaving in 1995. On the show, she was known for her funny impressions of famous people.
Famous Impressions
- Alfre Woodard
- Anita Baker
- Dr. Dre
- Florence Griffith Joyner
- Mary J. Blige
- Natalie Cole
- Patti LaBelle
- Tina Turner
- Whoopi Goldberg
Recurring Characters
Ellen Cleghorne also created two popular characters on SNL:
- Queen Shenequa: This character was an Afrocentric social critic. She wore African clothes and talked about race.
- Zoraida: Zoraida was an energetic but easily annoyed NBC page. She would bother celebrity hosts backstage. If they tried to leave, she would get angry and threaten them.
Ellen Cleghorne was the third black woman to be credited on Saturday Night Live. She was the first woman of color to be a full cast member for more than one season.
After Saturday Night Live
In 1995, Ellen Cleghorne left SNL to star in her own TV show. It was called Cleghorne! and aired on The WB network. The show was about a single mother named Ellen Carlson. It also featured her former SNL co-star Garrett Morris. The show ran for one season.
Cleghorne also appeared in children's TV shows. In 1993 and 1994, she was on The Adventures of Pete and Pete on Nickelodeon. She played a bus driver who was a love interest for Pete's regular bus driver.
She also acted in several movies. These include Mr. Wrong (1996), Armageddon (1998), Coyote Ugly (2000), Little Nicky (2000), and Old School (2003). In 2013, she played Mary Fluzoo in Grown Ups 2. In 2018, she played Shaniqua in Second Act.
In 2015, Cleghorne was a contestant on Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition. She finished in 3rd place. The same year, she appeared in the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special.
More recently, in 2022, Ellen Cleghorne started voicing Mayor Sitwell. This is for the PBS animated series City Island.
Education and Achievements
In 2014, Ellen Cleghorne earned her PhD in Performance Studies. She received this degree from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
