Molly Shannon

Molly Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian. Shannon was a cast member on the NBC longest-running late-night live sketch comedy variety series of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film Other People.

She was one of only cast members who survived the show's cast purge in 1995.

On SNL, she is best known for her character Mary Katherine Gallagher, an odd, outcast student at a Catholic school who enjoyed performing in the choir and school plays. Her character starred in the 1999 SNL film Superstar. Her other characters include Sally O'Malley, a proud 50-year-old dancer ("I’m FIFTY!") with a bouffant hairdo, who wore tight red pants and proclaimed how much she loved to "kick, stretch and kick!", Jeannie Darcy, an unfunny mullet-haired stand-up comedian, who ended almost every joke with the phrase "Don't get me started, don't even get me started!", Circe Nightshade, co-host of "Goth Talk" and others.

She has appeared in supporting roles in a number of films, such as Happiness (1998), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Never Been Kissed (1999), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Wet Hot American Summer (2001), reprising her character in the miniseries Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015) and its follow-up Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (2017), Osmosis Jones (2001), My Boss's Daughter (2003), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

After her retirement from SNL, she was best known for her roles as Peggy Spade in the 2007 comedy-drama film Year of the Dog, Kathleen "Kath" Day on the NBC comedy series Kath & Kim which was based on the Australian television comedy series of the same name and voiced Tina Hellman on the TBS satirical animated sitcom Neighbors from Hell.

Her voice can also be heard in the animated films Igor (2008) and the Hotel Transylvania film series (2012–2022). In television, Shannon is known for her roles in Enlightened (2013), Divorce (2016–2019), The White Lotus (2021) and I Love That for You (2022). She also appeared in the 2023 drama film A Good Person.

She returned to Saturday Night Live to hosted for the first time on May 12, 2007, the nineteenth episode and the Mother's Day show of Season 32, with musical guests Linkin Park.

She returned to Saturday Night Live to making her 2nd hosting stint and her first appearance in 15 years, 10 months and 27 days on April 8, 2023, the seventeenth episode of Season 48, with musical guests Jonas Brothers.

She made cameos on April 14, 2001 (after her retirement) during the "Doctor's Office" sketch, on May 5, 2001 during the "A Short film by Adam McKay - Five Finger Discount" sketch as the shoplifter, on May 8, 2010, the twenty-first episode and the Mother's Day show of Season 35, hosted by the legendary actress Betty White during the "The Lawrence Welk Show" cold opening sketch as one of the Juglettes, as Terry Rialto during the "The Delicious Dish" sketch, respired her character as Sally O'Malley during the Weekend Update segment and as herself during the SNL Digital Short, and April 11, 2020, the sixteenth episode of Season 45, billed known as Saturday Night Live At Home, during the tribute to Hal Willner (a longtime music producer who died due to COVID-19 the Tuesday prior to the episode airing).