 |
Melanie Hutsell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melanie Kay Hutsell 1972 or 1973 (age 51–52) |
| Education | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (bachelor's) Indiana University Bloomington (master's) East Tennessee State University (MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 1990–1999, 2008–present |
| Spouse |
Fred Rapoport (m. 1997) |
| Children | 2 |
Melanie Kay Hutsell (born 1972 or 1973[1]) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her work as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1991 to 1994.
Early years
[edit]Hutsell is the daughter of Will and Linda Hutsell, who worked for Tennessee Eastman. She has a brother. She grew up in Bloomingdale, Tennessee, and graduated from Sullivan North High School in 1991. In 1997 she completed a bachelor's degree with highest honors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned two master's degrees, one in English from Indiana University Bloomington in 1997, and the other in business administration from East Tennessee State University in 2003.[2]
A novel, Children of the Forgotten World, written by Hutsell when she was 14, won her age category at the Virginia Highlands Creatve Writing Contest in 1987.[1]
Career
[edit]Melanie Hutsell began her career performing improv comedy at the Annoyance Theater in Chicago and starred in its production of The Real Live Brady Bunch in 1990. The comedic stage show consisted of eight actual episodes of the TV show The Brady Bunch, with Hutsell cast as Jan Brady.[3] The company toured to New York City, where Hutsell was hired as a cast member for the 17th season of Saturday Night Live.
Hutsell was a performer on Saturday Night Live, from 1991 to 1993 as featured player, then from 1993 to 1994 as main cast member. While on the show, she reprised her stage portrayal of Jan Brady for a series of Weekend Update and other sketch appearances, making it one of Hutsell's biggest characters while on the show. Other recurring characters included sorority pledge Di in a series of sketches about the sorority girls of Delta Delta Delta, which she starred in alongside fellow castmates Siobhan Fallon and Beth Cahill.[3] Her notable celebrity impressions on Saturday Night Live included Tori Spelling, Charo, Monica Seles, Tammy Wynette, and Tonya Harding. Hutsell left Saturday Night Live after three seasons in 1994.
After co-starring in the film Can't Stop Dancing in 1999, Hutsell temporarily left show business to raise her children.
She returned from retirement in 2008, appearing in He's Such a Girl, a 2008 comedy also starring Ed Begley Jr. In May 2009, she appeared as a guest on Best Dishes with Paula Deen on the Food Network, where she appeared in character as Paula Deen's impersonator. She stated that she was making a comeback, focusing on writing. She played the role of Carol in the 2011 comedy hit Bridesmaids.
From 2015 to 2017, she appeared with recurring roles as Kristen Rhydholm-Rhydholm in the Netflix series Lady Dynamite, and as Jocelyn in the Amazon series Transparent.
She most recently wrote and starred in the comedic drama Mother's Little Helpers, which premiered at SXSW film festival in 2019.[citation needed]
Writing
[edit]Hutsell's short stories have appeared in literary journals. Her first novel, The Dead Shall Rise: A Tale of the Mountains was published by Celtic Cat Publishing in 2016.[2]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Thin Pink Line | Yvette Evy | |
| 1999 | Can't Stop Dancing | Winnie | |
| 2011 | Bridesmaids | Annie's Tennis Partner | |
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Kmart mother | |
| 2018 | Father of the Year | Trey's Mom |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1994 | Saturday Night Live | Various | |
| 1995 | Brotherly Love | Wilma | Episode: "Witchcraft" |
| 2009 | In The Motherhood | Instructor | Episode: "Where There's a Will There's a Wake" |
| 2010 | United States of Tara | Waitress | Episode: "To Have and to Hold" |
| 2011 | Working Class | Donna | Episode: "B-Day Invasion" |
| 2015–2016 | Transparent | Jocelyn | |
| 2016–2017 | Lady Dynamite | Kristen Rhydholm-Rhydholm |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Oxendine, Jiill (September 2, 1987). "North student wins creative writing contest". Kingsport Times-News. p. 44. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wagner, Rick (December 29, 2016). "North alum's first book published by firm co-owned by D-B grad". Kingsport Times-News. pp. A 6, A 10. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Bellino, Damian (February 13, 2015). "Catching Up With SNL Alum Melanie Hutsell". Out. Here Media. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
External links
[edit]
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