Vanessa Bayer

Vanessa Bayer (born November 14, 1981) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for being a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 2010 to 2017, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She co-created, co-executive produces, and has the lead role in the Showtime comedy ''I Love That for You'', which is loosely based on her experience as a survivor of childhood leukemia. Bayer has appeared in such films as '' Trainwreck'' (2015), ''Office Christmas Party'' (2016), '' Carrie Pilby'' (2016), ''Ibiza'' (2018), and '' Wander Darkly'' (2020).

Early life

Bayer was born in Orange, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and raised in nearby Moreland Hills.Moynihan, Rob. "''SNL''s Fab Four", '' TV Guide'', March 7, 2011, Pages 44-45 She is the daughter of Carolyn and Todd Bayer. Bayer's family is Jewish, and she has stated that her Jewish upbringing "influenced erlife and comedy". She has a brother, Jonah, who is a music journalist and the guitarist of the punk supergroup United Nations.

At age 15, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Bayer stated that while battling the disease, she discovered the meaning of comic relief. "I don't know if it made me funnier, but it was so amazing, how it made everything be O.K.", she said.

Bayer is a 2000 graduate of Orange High School. In 2004, she graduated from the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in communication and French.

While attending college, Bayer interned on the television shows ''Sesame Street'' and ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' and participated in the cast of ''Bloomers'', an all-female musical and sketch comedy troupe.

Career

, Bayer was collaborating with her brother Jonah on the web series ''Sound Advice'' for Above Average. Bayer stars as Janessa Slater, a media coach who helps famous musicians change their image. She was part of the all-Jewish cast of The Second City's stage show ''Jewsical: The Musical'', a musical that presented a comedic take on Jewish life and culture. She played the role of Kate Clark in the Chicago-based feature comedy ''Off the Cuff''. Bayer performed improvisational comedy at Chicago's ImprovOlympic, where she trained with ''SNL'' castmate Paul Brittain as well as the Annoyance Theatre and The Second City.

''Saturday Night Live''

Bayer joined the cast of '' Saturday Night Live'' as a featured player on September 25, 2010. Beginning with the 2012–2013 season, Bayer was promoted to repertory status. In 2014, she was nominated for an American Comedy Award for her work on the show, and in 2017, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Bayer departed ''SNL'' on May 20, 2017, after seven years on the show.

Her recurring characters included:
* Laura Parsons, a child actress always performing roles originally played by adults, including from '' Forrest Gump'', '' The Wolf of Wall Street'', ''Brokeback Mountain'' and '' Dallas Buyers Club''
* Brecky, a former porn star who creates homemade commercials to obtain free luxury items alongside Cecily Strong
* Rebecca Stern-Markowicz, a co-host of '' J-Pop America Fun Time Now'', which celebrates Japanese culture alongside Taran Killam and Jason Sudeikis
* Rosa, a housemaid, in "The Californians"
* Miss Meadows, an unrealistically perky poetry teacher trying to connect with her delinquent students
* Miley Cyrus (impersonation), on "The Miley Cyrus Show"
* An unnamed director of talk show ''Mornin' Miami''
* Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy, who appears on ''Weekend Update'' to perform a rehearsed speech with forced jokes about a given subject
* One of three workshop elves who perform their jobs poorly in the hope that their master will "punish" them, alongside Kenan Thompson
* Dawn Lazarus, an inept meteorologist who appears on ''Weekend Update'' and struggles to discuss the weather
* The housewife who feeds her "hungry guys" Totinos.

Post-SNL career

Bayer appeared on ABC's '' Single Parents'' in 2019 in a recurring role as Mia Cooper, the ex-wife of Taran Killam's character.

Starting in 2018, she had a recurring role on NBC's '' Will & Grace'' playing Amy, a former baker who loses her job because of Karen and subsequently works for Karen's baseball team.

Bayer is the co-creator, co-executive producer, and star of the Showtime comedy ''I Love That for You'', which premiered on May 1, 2022, and is loosely based on Bayer's life as a survivor of childhood leukemia.

Philanthropy

After Bayer was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted her wish to send her family on vacation to Hawaii. In gratitude and recognition, Bayer is involved with the foundation. In 2015, she hosted the foundation's Evening of Wishes Dinner to help raise funds for wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses.

In June 2019, she published the children's book ''How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear?'', which teaches children how to support friends with long-term illnesses.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayer, Vanessa
1981 births
Living people
People from Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Actresses from Cleveland
Comedians from Ohio
American film actresses
American television actresses
American women comedians
American sketch comedians
American impressionists (entertainers)
American voice actresses
Jewish American female comedians
Jewish American actresses
Jewish American comedy writers
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania alumni
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American comedians