Susie Essman

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Susie Essman
Susie Essman at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
Essman at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Whatever Works
Birth nameSusan Essman
Born (1955-05-31) May 31, 1955 (age 69)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
MediumFilm, television, stand-up
NationalityAmerican
Education State University of New York, Purchase (BFA)
Years active1988–present
Spouse
Jim Harder
(m. 2008)
Notable works and roles Curb Your Enthusiasm
Bolt

Susan Essman (born May 31, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, producer and writer. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm , Bobbi Wexler on Broad City , and the voice of Mittens in Bolt .

Contents

Early life

Essman was born on May 31, 1955 [1] in The Bronx, New York City, and was raised in the suburb of Mount Vernon. Her father, Leonard Essman, was an internist and clinical oncologist. Her mother, Zora (née Pressman), taught Russian at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the great-granddaughter of silent film actor and Russian opera impresario Leo Feodoroff. [2] Essman is Jewish; her grandparents emigrated from Russia and Poland. [3] [4]

Career

Performing

Essman has been traveling and appearing at clubs throughout the country for more than three decades. In 1988, she appeared on HBO with Joy Behar and other rising female comedians on On Location: Women of the Night II. On January 5, 1989, she was a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson . Her first half-hour special premiered on September 20, 1992 on HBO’s One Night Stand.[ citation needed ] As much of her comedy draws from her ethnic background, she has been featured in such documentaries as, Heroes of Jewish Comedy and A History of Jewish Comedy.

Essman made her UK standup comedy debut at the Corn Exchange at the Newbury Comedy Festival in July 2007. While in England, she appeared on the British television show 8 Out of 10 Cats .

Essman began her acting career with small parts in two 1988 films – Crocodile Dundee II and Punchline – but is best known for her role as Susie Greene, the wife of Jeff Greene (portrayed by Jeff Garlin), on the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm . Essman told The New York Times that, by the show's third season, she could not "walk down the street anymore without people stopping her and begging her to say [her character's catchphrase] 'You fat fuck'". [2] In 2007, Slate named Essman's character one of the best on television, and a reason the publication looked forward to the return of the show. [5]

She also provided the voice of Helen Higgins on the Comedy Central series Crank Yankers ; she was an occasional correspondent on the first season of the network's The Daily Show . She appeared on Comedy Central's Roast of Bob Saget on August 17, 2008 and provided the voice of "Mittens" (the cat) in the 2008 Disney animated film, Bolt , and later reprised the role in the 2009 short Super Rhino , released on the film's home media. She also made an appearance on the Regis Philbin version of Million Dollar Password . [ citation needed ]

Writing

Essman's book, What Would Susie Say: Bullshit Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy, was published in October 2009 by Simon & Schuster. [6]

Personal life

Essman was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002 [2] and used to be [7] a pescatarian — "not a moral thing," she explains, but "aesthetic"; chicken "grosses me out" — and "lives on sushi". [2] She married Jim Harder, a commercial real estate broker, in September 2008. [8] She owns a Shih Tzu named Popeye. [9] Her sister, musician and composer Nora Essman Morrow, died in 2023. [10]

Essman is a good friend of Joy Behar and has appeared on The View multiple times. In 2009, Behar hosted an event at the 92nd Street Y with Essman as a guest. [11]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988 Crocodile Dundee II Subway Tour Guide
1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Soho Woman
1997 Volcano Anita
1997What's Your Sign?Carla
2000 Keeping the Faith Ellen Friedman
2005 The Man Lt. Rita Carbone
2008 Bolt Mittens (voice) [12]
2010 Cop Out Laura
2012 Putzel Gilda
2017 Band Aid Shirley
2017 Gilbert HerselfDocumentary

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988–1989 Baby Boom Charlotte Elkman13 episodes
1991–1992 True Colors Mrs. Wampler2 episodes
1993Women AloudPanelistEpisode: "Waist Management"
1994Hardcore TVSports Lady2 episodes
1995 Ned and Stacey Aunt CeilEpisode: "Thanksgiving Day Massacre"
1997–2002 Law & Order Performer2 episodes
1998 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Herself (voice)Episode: "Waltz" [12]
2000–2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Susie GreeneMain role; 86 episodes
2002 The King of Queens MarciaEpisode: "No Orleans"
2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Ron Sherwood's SecretaryEpisode: "Badge"
2002–2003 Crank Yankers Helen Higgins (voice)4 episodes
2003 Kim Possible Sadie (voice)"Car Trouble"
2006 Dora the Explorer Queen Bee (voice)Episode: "Dora's First Trip"
2009 Loving Leah MalkaTelevision film
2009–present American Dad! Mrs. Lonstein (voice)Recurring role
2012 Adventure Time Barb (voice)Episode: "Web Weirdos" [12]
2013 Blue Bloods Judge Clarice KarlEpisode: "Front Page News"
2015 Weird Loners Evelyn Goldfarb2 episodes
2015–2019 Broad City Bobbi Wexler8 episodes
2015–2018 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Arlene Heller4 episodes
2016–2019 Those Who Can't Leslie Brohn10 episodes
2017 The Goldbergs Edie RobbEpisode: "So Swayze It's Crazy"
2018 Beat Bobby Flay Self (guest)Episode: "Skirting By"
2019 Bless This Mess Donna7 episodes
2020 Harley Quinn Sharon Quinzel, Grandma Quinzel (voice)Episode: "Bensonhurst" [12]
2022 Hacks Elaine Carter2 episodes
2022 Bob's Burgers Lorraine (voice)Episode: "Sauce Side Story"
2024 Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition Gloria (voice) Disney+ special [12]
2024 The Simpsons Aunt Sadie Krustofsky (voice)Episode: "Homer and Her Sisters" [13]
2025 Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself (Contestant) [14]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryProjectResultRef.
2006 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm Nominated[ citation needed ]
2010Nominated
2015 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series Broad City Nominated
2018 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm Nominated

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References

  1. "May 31: On This Day in History". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 31, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023. Notable people born on this day include ... "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Susie Essman, who was born in 1955
  2. 1 2 3 4 Witchel, Alex (March 5, 2003). "AT LUNCH WITH Susie Essman; Eating Hollywood Style, With Thin Air on the Side". The New York Times . Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  3. Westbrook, Caroline (October 7, 2007). "Susie Essman bio interview". www.somethingjewish.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2010. Both my parents are Jewish...
  4. CINDY SHER on October 04, 2012 (October 4, 2012). "JUF News | Veteran comics Susie Essman and Richard Lewis to bring the laughs to JUF's Vanguard Nov. 5". Juf.org. Retrieved January 11, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. Slate, Lapidos, Juliet. November 23, 2003: "Oh, How We've Missed You! The Best Characters on Television"
  6. Wadler, Joyce (October 7, 2009). "At Home With Susie Essman". The New York Times . Retrieved October 31, 2009.
  7. "Ep 58: Susie Essman". May 6, 2020.
  8. SEPT. 13, 2008 (September 13, 2008). "Essman, Harder Marry". The New York Times . Retrieved January 11, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. Famous Shih Tzu Dogs – Celebrities Who Own a Shih Tzu allshihtzu.com
  10. "Nora Morrow Obituary". Tribute Archive. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  11. "Susie Essman with Joy Behar: What Would Susie Say?". 92y.org. October 25, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Susie Essman (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 18, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  13. Schwarz, John (December 16, 2024). "Review: The Simpsons "Homer and Her Sisters"". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  14. Stenzel, Wesley (December 18, 2024). "Ana Navarro, Rachel Brosnahan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and more heading to Celebrity Jeopardy season 3". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 18, 2024.