Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Sullivan (born April 21, 1970) is an American actress and comedian best known for her six seasons (1995–2001) on the sketch comedy series MADtv. She also played Holly Shumpert in five seasons (2001–2005, 2007) of the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.
Nicole Sullivan | |
|---|---|
 Nicole Sullivan in 2003 | |
| Born | April 21, 1970 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse |
Jason Packham (m. 2006) |
| Children | 2 |
Sullivan played the recurring character of Jill Tracy on Scrubs. She voiced heroic Mira Nova in Disney/Pixar's Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and the villainous Shego in Disney Channel's Kim Possible. She had recurring voice roles on Family Guy and voiced Franny Robinson in Disney's Meet the Robinsons. From 2008 to 2009, she starred in and was the lead of her own Lifetime television series Rita Rocks. From 2008 to 2013, she voiced Marlene the Otter in The Penguins of Madagascar. She played Jules' (Courteney Cox) therapist, Lynn Mettler, on the comedy Cougar Town. She portrayed Lyla in the Disney Channel movie Let It Shine in 2012. In 2013, she starred in the short-lived Nickelodeon sitcom Wendell & Vinnie as Wilma Basset. From 2014 to 2022, she portrayed Janine, the Johnsons' next-door neighbor, on the ABC sitcom Black-ish. She also voices Kara Danvers aka Supergirl in DC Super Hero Girls.
Early life
Sullivan was born in Manhattan[1] on April 21, 1970.[2] She took dance classes at age 7 and performed in Off Broadway and Broadway productions with the First All-Children's Theatre. Sullivan's mother Madonna (Rauscher) Sullivan, a businesswoman, and her father Edward C. Sullivan, who represented Manhattan's 69th district in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 2002, moved the family upstate to Middleburgh, New York, in 1982.[3] During high school, Nicole was class treasurer throughout her junior year. She played soccer in high school, recorded statistics for the boys' basketball team and was a member of student council.
After graduating from Middleburgh in 1987,[4] she attended Northwestern University as a theatre major. She worked two jobs to pay her way through college and writing plays and sketches for the student theatre. Sullivan spent her junior year in London, studying at the British American Drama Academy and became a member of the Greenwich Shakespeare Company. Sullivan graduated from Northwestern and then moved to Los Angeles to start a television career. After appearing in commercials and sporadic guest roles on shows including Herman's Head, she was recruited to join the cast of MADtv.
Career
MADtv
Sullivan was among the original cast members on Fox's MADtv when it premiered in 1995. She created numerous characters; her most popular was the mean-spirited Vancome Lady. Sullivan's other characters included X-News reporter Amy, dimwitted Antonia, Eracists leader Debbie, News at 6's Diane Lawyer-Trabajo (pronounced "trebalyo"), racist country singer Darlene McBride, and Latina bimbo Lida. Sullivan appeared with Michael McDonald in a MADtv sketch about making an audition tape to appear on Law & Order that mocked their acting prowess; she later guest-starred in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season one episode "Contact". Sullivan was featured in the November/December 2009 issue of Making Music Magazine.[5]
King of Queens
Sullivan played the role of Holly Shumpert from 2001 to 2005. She returned in 2007 to reprise the role for the final season. In most of the show, Holly's profession is a dog walker. The Heffernans hire her to 'walk' Arthur, Carrie's father, to get him some exercise and keep him out of mischief, at least a bit.
Voice acting projects
Sullivan was originally cast as Turanga Leela, one of the main characters in the animated series Futurama, but the role was recast with Katey Sagal before the show went to air.[6][7]
Sullivan has voiced Marlene the Otter on The Penguins of Madagascar – the first television series of the Madagascar franchise – which aired on Nickelodeon, Shego on Kim Possible; Joan of Arc on Clone High; Mira Nova on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command; and Joan on the Family Guy episode, "I Take Thee Quagmire", along with several other one time voices on the show. Sullivan has also starred in a pilot called Me and My Needs that was rejected by ABC. She played Franny Robinson in Meet the Robinsons. Also, Sullivan was a voice actor in the Monsters, Inc. video game. She played Luna in the 2007 video game Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. In 2012, she also provided the voice of Supergirl in Super Best Friends Forever, a series of animated shorts which aired on Cartoon Network's DC Nation block.[8] with the role carrying on to television series DC Super Hero Girls,[9] which led to appearances on Teen Titans Go! and a direct-to-video crossover film Teen Titans Go! & DC Superhero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse, which was released on May 24, 2022.[10]
Personal life
Sullivan is married to actor Jason Packham. They have two sons, born May 2007[11] and August 2009.[12]
Sullivan won the first edition of Celebrity Poker Showdown. Her charity was Alley Cat Allies, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to transforming communities to protect and improve the lives of cats, which received $100,000 as a result of her victory.
Sullivan also made an appearance in an episode of It's Me or the Dog along with her husband, their then twenty-month-old son Dashel (Dash), their three cats, and their four mixed-breed dogs: Paco (a Chihuahua mix), Jackson (a Lab mix), Donut (a Great Pyrenees mix), and Funzies (a Catahoula Leopard mix).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bar Hopping | Mara | |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins | Mira Nova (voice) | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2002 | The Third Wheel | Sally (uncredited) | |
| 2005 | Guess Who | Liz Klein | |
| 2005 | Sesame Street's All-Star Alphabet | Letter A | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2006 | The Ant Bully | Ant #9 (voice) | |
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Franny (voice) | |
| 2008 | Superhero Movie | Julia Riker | |
| 2009 | Black Dynamite | Patricia Nixon | |
| 2009 | 17 Again | Naomi | |
| 2014 | Eat with Me | Maureen | |
| 2016 | Pee Wee's Big Holiday | Shelly | |
| 2018 | I'll Be Next Door for Christmas | Ms. James | |
| 2022 | Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse | Supergirl (voice) | Direct-to-DVD |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Herman's Head | Young Woman | Episode: "The Last Boy Scout" |
| 1994 | Party of Five | Terry | Episode: "Private Lives" |
| 1994 | Diagnosis Murder | Nurse #1 | Episode: "Murder Most Vial" |
| 1994 | Models Inc. | Elaine | Episode: "Of Models and Men" |
| 1995–2001, 2003–2005, 2016 |
MADtv | Various | 142 episodes |
| 1997 | The Drew Carey Show | Diane Pulaski | Episode: "Drew Gets Married" |
| 1997–1998 | Fired Up | Debbie | Episodes: "The Baby-Sitter's Club" and "The Pajama Game" |
| 1999 | Pepper Ann | Tundra Woman (voice) | Episode: "Dances with Ignorance/Girl Power" |
| 1999 | Suddenly Susan | Claire Teevens, Nate's ex-wife | Episode: "The Cheerleaders" |
| 2000 | Daddio | Miss Lang | Episode: "Of Mice and Math" |
| 2000 | Talk to Me | Kat Munroe | Episodes: "About Taking It Like a Man", "About Being Gay" and "About Makeovers" |
| 2000 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jen Caulder | Episode: "Contact" |
| 2000 | Titus | Carol | Episode: "Tommy's Girlfriend" |
| 2000–2001 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Mira Nova (voice) | 60 episodes |
| 2000–02 | Baby Blues | Bizzy the babysitter (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 2000–2021 | Family Guy | Muriel Goldman; various characters (voices) | 34 episodes |
| 2001–07 | The King of Queens | Holly Shumpert, Marilyn | 50 episodes |
| 2001–2009 | Scrubs | Jill Tracy | 6 episodes |
| 2001 | According to Jim | Alicia | Episode: "Andy's Girlfriend" |
| 2002 | Teamo Supremo | Fabrica (voice) | Episode: "Attack of the Stuffed Stuff" |
| 2002–2007 | Kim Possible | Shego; Computer; Tour guide; Miss Go; additional voices (voices) | 45 episodes |
| 2002–present | Clone High | Joan of Arc, Marie Curie (voices) | 23 episodes |
| 2003 | Less than Perfect | Deirdre Bishop | Episodes: "Valentine's Day" and "Oh Papa" |
| 2003 | Rugrats | Debbie / Customer (voices) | Episode: "Baby Sale/Steve" |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Rachel | Episode: "Addicted to Love" |
| 2003 | Stanley | Farmer Julie (voice) | Episode: "Doing Like Ducks/Speedy Does It" |
| 2004 | Crank Yankers | Esperanza Thomas (voice) | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Monk | Janet Novak | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Kid" |
| 2005 | Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama | Shego (voice) | TV movie |
| 2005 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Shego (voice) | Episode: "Rufus" |
| 2005 | Hot Properties | Chloe Reid | 13 episodes |
| 2006 | Boston Legal | Joan Rubin | Episode: "...There's Fire!" |
| 2006 | Brandy & Mr. Whiskers | Gerri (voice) | Episodes: "Better Off Wet" and "Dollars and Senseless Violence" |
| 2007 | Raines | Carolyn Crumley | [13] |
| 2007 | My Boys | Kimmie | Episodes: "The Promise of a New Season" and "Off Day" |
| 2007–2009 | Slacker Cats | Louise (voice) | 11 episodes |
| 2008 | Head Case | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Nancy Twicker | Episode: "Bull" |
| 2008 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Miss Klotz | Episode: "Let Us Entertain You" |
| 2008–2009 | Rita Rocks | Rita Clemens | 40 episodes |
| 2008–2010 | The Secret Saturdays | Drew Saturday (voice) | 25 episodes |
| 2009 | Leverage | Heather Moscone | Episode: "The Wedding Job" |
| 2009 | It's Me or the Dog | Herself | Episode: "Hollywood Hounds" |
| 2009 | True Jackson, VP | Kreuftlva | Episode: "True Parade" |
| 2009–2015 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Marlene (voice) | 59 episodes |
| 2010 | Numb3rs | Nancy Hackett | Episode: "Scratch" |
| 2010 | The Doctors | Herself | Guest |
| 2010–2011 | $#*! My Dad Says | Bonnie | 18 episodes |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Guest judge for "Queens Behind Bars" |
| 2012 | The Game | Sadie | Episode: "Let Them Eat (Cup)cake!" |
| 2012 | Super Best Friends Forever | Supergirl (voice) | TV short |
| 2012 | Let It Shine | Lyla the main Manager & Roxie's stylist | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2012–13 | Cougar Town | Lynn Mettler | 7 episodes |
| 2013 | The Exes | Melanie | Episode: "My Ex-Boyfriend's Wedding" |
| 2013 | Wendell and Vinnie | Wilma Baset | 20 episodes |
| 2014 | The Middle | Vicki | Episode: "The Walk" |
| 2014 | TripTank | Sarah, Caitlin | Episodes: "Game Over", "The Green" and "Ahhh, Serenity" |
| 2014 | Devious Maids | Molly | Episode: "The Visit" |
| 2014 | See Dad Run | Brooke | Episode: "See Dad Live at Five" |
| 2014, 2019 | BoJack Horseman | Tracy; Fan Girl; Party-goer (voices) | Episodes: "Later, "Prickly Muffin", "Sabrina's Christmas Wish" and "A Little Uneven, Is All" |
| 2014–22 | Black-ish | Janine | 23 episodes |
| 2015 | Grey's Anatomy | J.J. | Episode: "She's Leaving Home" |
| 2015 | Bones | Joanne DeMarco | Episode: "The Big Beef at the Royal Diner" |
| 2016 | Mutt & Stuff | Jenny Jasper | Episode: "Goat in 60 Seconds!" |
| 2016 | The Thundermans | Doggin | Episode: "Dog Day After-School" |
| 2016 | Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition | Herself | Contestant |
| 2016–2020 | Rusty Rivets | Samantha | 78 episodes |
| 2017, 2019 | Mom | Leanne | Episodes: "Bad Hand and British Royalty" and "Big Floor Pillows and a Ball of Fire" |
| 2017 | Girlboss | Teresa | Episodes: "Ladyshopper99" and "I Come Crashing" |
| 2017 | The Mindy Project | Dr. Witzel | Episode: "A Romantical Decouplement" |
| 2017–18 | Disjointed | Maria Sherman | 16 episodes |
| 2018 | Corporate | Linda Lee | Episode: "Remember Day" |
| 2018 | Liverspots and Astronots | Big Man, Debra (voice) | 21 episodes |
| 2018, 2020–2021 | Big Hero 6: The Series | Stern Woman, Hangry Panda (voices) | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Alone Together | Becky | Episode: "Dog Awards" |
| 2019 | Middle School Moguls | Mogul Stern (voice) | Episodes: "The Making of a Mogul" and "Mo'gul Money, Mo Problems" |
| 2019 | 9-1-1 | Deborah | Episode: "Monsters" |
| 2019–2020 | Team Kaylie | Principal Dana | 8 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | DC Super Hero Girls | Kara Danvers, Supergirl; Power Girl (voice) | Main role |
| 2019 | Harley Quinn | Mrs. Copplepot, Benjamin, Hostess (voices) | Episode: "A High Bar" |
| 2019-2022 | High School Musical: The Musical: The Series | Carol | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Will & Grace | Ruth | Episode: "Filthy Phil, Part 1" |
| 2020–2021 | Bob Hearts Abishola | Lorraine | Episodes: "Sock Wife!", "Angry, Happy, Same Face" and "We Don't Rat on Family" |
| 2020–2021 | Teen Titans Go! | Kara Danvers, Supergirl (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | All Rise | Bea Greer | Episode: "Bette Davis Eyes" |
| 2021 | Good Girls | Teacher | Episode: "One Night in Bangkok" |
| 2021 | The Sex Lives of College Girls | Carol Finkle | Episodes: "Welcome to Essex" and "Parents Weekend" |
| 2021 | HouseBroken | Little Cookie, others | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | The Neighborhood | Alexis | Episode: "Welcome to the Sister from Another Mister" |
| 2022 | Murderville | Rebecca Hendricks | Episode: "The Cold Case" |
| 2023 | Last Week Tonight | Pam | Episode: "Homeowner associations (HOAs)" |
| 2023 | Raven's Home | Miss Liza | Episode: “Lizard Let Lie" |
| 2023 | American Born Chinese | Robin | Episode: "Beyond Repair" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Mira Nova |
| 2002 | Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist | Shego |
| 2006 | Kim Possible: What's the Switch? | Shego |
| 2007 | Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters | Luna, Computer |
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Franny |
| 2009 | FusionFall | Drew Saturday |
| 2011 | Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns – Again | Marlene |
| 2021 | DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power | Supergirl / Kara Danvers |
References
- Moore, Frazier (December 18, 1996). "Viewers are mad about 'Mad-TV's' Nicole Sullivan". Centre Daily Times. State College, PA. Associated Press. p. 10C – via Newspapers.com.
- "Almanac: Today's Birthdays; Nicole Sullivan". Northwest Herald. Crystal Lake, IL. Associated Press. April 21, 2002. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- Hughes, Mike (February 16, 1996). "Ed Sullivan's daughter gets her big break on 'Mad-TV'". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, CA. Gannett News Service. p. B6 – via Newspapers.com.
- Archived June 19, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
- "Features – Garage Groove". Making Music Magazine. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- Ken P. (August 22, 2005). "IGN Interviews Billy West". IGN. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- Itzkoff, David (June 24, 2010). "'Futurama'-Rama: Welcome Back to the World of Tomorrow". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- "Interview: Becoming 'Super Best Friends Forever' With Lauren Faust". MTV. March 2, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- Barr, Calvin (February 15, 2019). ""DC Super Hero Girls": Sweet Justice Trailer Previews Cartoon Network Series". Screen Rant.
- Perine, Aaron (May 6, 2022). "Cartoon Network Teases Teen Titans Go & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse Premiere". ComicBook. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- "Nicole Sullivan welcomes a son". People. May 13, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- "Meet Beckett Edward Packham!". People. August 31, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- Lowry, Brian (March 9, 2007). "Raines". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
A crime procedural tweaked with the slimmest of gimmicks, 'Raines' largely boils down to one's appreciation of star Jeff Goldblum, who occupies center stage in practically every scene. Relative to riskier dramas, it seems a reasonably safe bet, though it's hardly the sort of series people will rush home to see.
External links
