Rita Rudner

Soft spoken and clever, Rita Rudner could hardly be called offensive. Her humor is in fact, very, very palatable. Most of her comedy revolves the "square" persona she has developed for the stage. She's offbeat and intelligent and focuses the minutia of every day life and love. She manages to be clean -- without being boring. Because of this, Ms. Rudner has a very mainstream appeal; she is a staple of American comedy. Rita Rudner made Friars Club history by being the first woman comic ever invited to be a "roaster" (roastee: Chevy Chase). She was a regular on The Johnny Carson Show and performed at The George Burns 95th Birthday Special and The Bob Hope Christmas Special. Ms. Rudner also made an appearance in the first Women of the Night comedy special where she was one of four honored comediennes. She has been on Comic Relief and had her own HBO One Night Stand entitled Born to Be Mild. In 1990, she won the American Comedy Award for Best Female Stand-up. She has had an international career and in England, premiered her own comedy series for the BBC. Ms. Rudner has a history of sold-out shows all over the USA, England, Australia, and even in such far away exotic places as Las Vegas. In 1993, Ms. Rudner got a nomination for Best Comedy Album with her book-on-tape, Naked Beneath My Clothes. She has authored another book entitled Rita Rudner's Guide to Men. She has also had the distinct honor of having been a cartoon client of Dr. Katz.
Ms. Rudner began her performing career after leaving Miami at the tender age of 15 to dance on Broadway. After hanging up her dancing shoes and taking up comedy as a career in the '80s, she moved from New York to Los Angeles and consequently had to learn to drive. This mutli-talented woman is now married to English comedy producer Martin Bergmann, with whom she writes screenplays. Together they wrote Peter's Friends and A Weekend in the Country, both of which were directed by Kenneth Branagh. ~ Sandy Lawson, All Music Guide