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Rachel Dratch

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Rachel Dratch
Dratch smiling
Dratch in 2022
Born
Rachel Susan Dratch

(1966-02-22) February 22, 1966 (age 58)
Lexington, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationDartmouth College (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active1994–present
Children1

Rachel Susan Dratch (born February 22, 1966) is an American actress and comedian. After she graduated from Dartmouth College, she moved to Chicago to study improvisational theatre at The Second City and ImprovOlympic. Dratch's breakthrough role was her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. During her time on SNL, she portrayed a variety of roles including Debbie Downer. She has since occasionally returned to SNL as a guest portraying Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Other television credits include Portlandia, The King of Queens, Monk, and 30 Rock. She has also played the recurring role of Wanda Jo Oliver on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, acting in films including Click (2006), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), Sisters (2015), and Wine Country (2019).

In 2022, Dratch made her Broadway stage debut in POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive for which she earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination. In 2012 she published her autobiographical book Girl Walks into a Bar...: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle.

Early life

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Dratch was born on February 22, 1966, in Lexington, Massachusetts,[1][2] the daughter of Elaine Ruth (née Soloway), a transportation director, and Paul Dratch, a radiologist.[3][4] Both of Dratch's parents were Reform Jews.[5] Dratch attended Hebrew school and had a bat mitzvah. She is religiously nonobservant as an adult, and characterizes the faith she was born into as part of her cultural heritage.[2]

Her younger brother, Daniel, is a television producer and writer; his credits include the TV series Anger Management and Monk. Dratch says she grew up as the "class clown type"[2] attending William Diamond Middle School and Lexington High School in Lexington. She said while performing in high school plays she gravitated towards acting in comedies more often than in dramas.[6]

Dratch attended the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in the fall of 1985[7] and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1988. She majored in drama and psychology and was a member of the improvisational comedy group "Said and Done".[2] While at Dartmouth, Dratch was a classmate of Kirsten Gillibrand.[8]

Career

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Dratch was a member of the mainstage cast of The Second City comedy troupe for four years. She received the Joseph Jefferson award for Best Actress in a Revue for the two revues in which she performed: Paradigm Lost and Promisekeepers, Losers Weepers. At The Second City, she performed alongside future SNL head writers Adam McKay and Tina Fey, as well as future 30 Rock performer Scott Adsit. The first incarnation of her SNL "Wicked" sketch was performed in The Second City's Paradigm Lost.

In addition to acting, Dratch also played the cello onstage. The theater also hosted the first incarnation of Dratch & Fey (her critically praised two-woman show with Tina Fey[9]), which was later performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, where it was dubbed "the funniest thing to be found on any New York comedy stage" by Time Out New York.[10]

Dratch has appeared in several films, including Martin & Orloff, The Hebrew Hammer, Down with Love, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Click, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Spring Breakdown, and My Life in Ruins. She also has joined fellow SNL cast members on A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T.: Improv, which aired September 7, 2005, on the Bravo channel.

Dratch also made television appearances on NBC's Third Watch and in a recurring role on The King of Queens (playing Denise, the on-off girlfriend of Spence, who worked in a bowling alley). Other television appearances include Portlandia, Monk, Frasier, Wizards of Waverly Place, 30 Rock, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Inside Amy Schumer, Ugly Betty, and more recently, in season five of The Middle.

She also appeared online with comedian Billy Eichner in a spoof of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's "Empire State of Mind", titled "Forest Hills State of Mind."[11]

Dratch smiling
Dratch in 2008

Dratch was originally cast in the role of Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock as "Jenna DeCarlo", and the original pilot episode features her in the role. After feedback from test audiences, the role was ultimately recast with Jane Krakowski. She went on to play a variety of small guest roles in several episodes of the first season, including Barbara Walters, Elizabeth Taylor, a cat trainer, a custodian, a blue monster, and a doctor.[12]

On March 19, 2012, Dratch's memoir, Girl Walks into a Bar...: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle was published. In it, Dratch recounts her experiences after being recast in the 30 Rock pilot, including the birth of her child.[13]

In 2016 Dratch hosted the program Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack on truTV. The sketch comedy program featured Dratch playing a waitress who doesn't talk in wraparound segments. Dratch also appeared in sketches and the show ran for two seasons.

Saturday Night Live

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Her tenure at SNL spanned 1999 to 2006. Dratch's recurring characters included Denise, a Boston teen; Sheldon, the junior-high-school boy from Wake up, Wakefield; one of the Luvahs (with Will Ferrell, as two pretentious professors); Abe Scheinwald, a Hollywood producer with a terrible acquisition record; and, perhaps most memorably, Debbie Downer, a depressed woman who brought others' moods down while saying grim non sequiturs.[14]

In December 2011, she made a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live's Christmas show, hosted by former cast member Jimmy Fallon. On April 15, 2017, she made another guest appearance with host Jimmy Fallon. On February 3, 2018, she made a guest appearance as a "Patriot of New England" in a Revolutionary War-themed sketch parodying the fans of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles in advance of Super Bowl LII.[15]

On September 29, 2018, she appeared as Senator Amy Klobuchar in the opening sketch, about the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.[16] She continued to reprise the role of Klobuchar during sketches on the 2020 Democratic Party Presidential primary debates, specifically the fifth and sixth debates in November and December 2019.[17]

Personal life

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In her book Girl Walks Into a Bar..., Dratch discusses meeting John Wahl, a consultant in the natural foods industry, in a bar in 2009. Six months later, Dratch learned she was pregnant, and on August 24, 2010, Dratch gave birth to Eli Benjamin, her son with Wahl.[18] In an October 2010 interview, Dratch told People that her pregnancy at age 44 shocked her because she "had bought into all this stuff about, 'Once you're over 40 [pregnancy becomes difficult]'" and had "gone through the whole process of letting go of [the idea of having kids]."[19] As of 2019, Dratch and Wahl are not a couple, but are on good terms and live near each other to parent their son.[20]

Books

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  • Dratch, Rachel (March 29, 2012). Girl Walks into a Bar...: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle. New York: Gotham Books. ISBN 9781592407118. OCLC 830319371. Dratch also narrates the audiobook.

Filmography

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Film

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Film work
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Serious Business Jude Rusell
2002 Martin & Orloff Southern Woman
2003 The Hebrew Hammer Tikva
Down With Love Gladys
National Lampoon's Barely Legal Mrs. Greitzer
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Reiner's Secretary
2004 Freshman Orientation Very Drunk Chick
Looking for Kitty Julie
2005 Her Minor Thing Caroline
Winter Passing Female MC
2006 Click Alan/Alice
The Pleasure Drivers Counter Monkey
2007 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Benefits Supervisor Sara Powers
2008 Bill Doctor Robardo Short film
Harold Ms. Vicky Norris
2009 Spring Breakdown Judi Joskow Also writer and producer
Love N' Dancing Kalle
I Hate Valentine's Day Kathy Jeemy
My Life in Ruins Kim Sawchuck
2011 Just Go with It Kirsten Brant
2012 Teacher of The Year Assistant Principal Short film
That's My Boy Phil's Wife
2013 Syrup Clerk
2014 A Little Game Aunt Diane
2015 The Grief of Others Madeleine Berkowitz
Sisters Kelly
2016 Hurricane Bianca Deborah Ward
Tracktown Gail
2018 The Week Of Debbie
Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate Deborah Ward
2019 Little Agent Bea
Wine Country Rebecca
2021 Plan B Ms. Flaucher
A Clüsterfünke Christmas Marga
2022 I Love My Dad Erica
2023 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse C. Weber (Ms. Weber) / Counsellor Weber Voice[21]

Television

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Television work
Year Title Role Notes
1999–2006 Saturday Night Live Herself/Various (including Debbie Downer) 1999–2001: featured player, 2001–2006:
repertory player, cameos in 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
2000 Third Watch Darla Episode: "History"
2002 Kim Possible Adrena Lynn Voice, episode: "All the News"
2002–2004 The King of Queens Denise Ruth Battaglia 6 episodes
2004 Soundtracks Live Dorothy Baker TV film
Monk Julie Parlo Episodes: "Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny"
Game Over Alice Smashburn Voice, regular cast
Frasier Horny Date Episode: "Match Game"
2005–2006 O'Grady Brooke Voice, 2 episodes
2006–2012 30 Rock Various Roles 15 episodes
2008 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Robot Wife Voice, episode: "Robots Are Everywhere"
Squidbillies Hippie Woman Voice, episode: "Earth Worst"
Assy McGee Various Roles 6 episodes
Avatar: The Last Airbender Actress Playing Aang Voice, episode: "The Ember Island Players"[21]
Superjail! Various roles Voice, episode: "Ladies Night"
2008–2009 Wizards of Waverly Place Future Harper Episode: "Future Harper"
2009 Ugly Betty Penny Meadows/Mindy Meadows Episode: "The Fall Issue"
Sherri Teacher Episode: "Indecision '09"
2010 Delocated Cellist Episode: "Mixer"
2010–2013 Fish Hooks Koi, Esmargot, Koi's Mom, Fake Esmargot, Girl in Crowd #3, Osajennifer, Woman in Restaurant Voice, 28 episodes[21]
2011 Funny or Die Presents Dirkson 4 episodes
2012 Up All Night Linda Episode: "Swingers"
Suburgatory Paula Weingelb Episode: "The Witch of East Chatswin"
The Cleveland Show Maggie Episode: "'Tis the Cleveland to Be Sorry"
2013–2014 The Middle Principal Barker 2 episodes
2013–2015 The Awesomes Joyce Mandrake/Tom Boy Voice, recurring role[21]
2014–2016 Broad City Linda Lodi 3 episodes
2014 The Neighbors Pearl Episode: "A Night in (Lou Ferrigno's Hibachi) Heaven"
Inside Amy Schumer Lisa Episode: "Boner Doctor"
Bob's Burgers Jodi, Abby, Christy, Jestain Voice, 4 episodes[21]
2015 Parks and Recreation Roz Episode: "Donna & Joe"
Salem Rogers: Model of the Year 1998 Agatha Todd Lead role
2015–2023 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Wanda Jo Oliver 7 episodes
2015 Unforgettable Rosie Webb Episode: "Gut Check"
2015–2016 Difficult People Chemo Woman, Casting Director 2 episodes
2016 The $100,000 Pyramid Herself (celebrity guest) Episode: "Rachel Dratch vs. Ana Gasteyer"
2016 The Simpsons Bostonian Doctor Voice, episode: "The Town"
2016–2017 Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack Herself Host
2017 Imaginary Mary Mary Voice, lead role
Angie Tribeca Masha Chekhov Episode: "Hey, I'm Solvin' Here!"
Great News Mary-Kelly Episode: "Snowmageddon of the Century"
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Dianne/Leonora Episode: "Kimmy Googles the Internet!"
At Home with Amy Sedaris Florence Chervil Episode: "Entertaining for Peanuts"
Portlandia Fred's Wife Episode: "Amore"
Bunsen Is a Beast Wilda Voice, episode: "Wilda Beast"[21]
2019 Teen Titans Go! Negative Girl Voice, 5 episodes[21]
Shameless Paula Bitterman 4 episodes
2020 Blue's Clues & You! Herself Episode: "Happy Birthday, Blue!"
Harley Quinn Nora Fries, Hippolyta Voice, recurring role[21]
The Good Fight Linda Shuck Episode: "The Gang Offends Everyone"
2021 Mr. Mayor Ms. Adams 3 Episodes
Bubble Guppies Alison Heart Voice, episode: "Alison in Wonderland!"
2022 American Dad Nerfer Voice, episode: "Beyond the Alcove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Klaus"
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness Construction Worker Episode: "Are Skyscrapers Huge Divas?"
Beat Bobby Flay Herself; guest host Episode: "Foodie Downer"
2023 Hamster & Gretel Helen/Rat Burglar Voice, episode: "My Invisible Friend"
Animal Control Principal Smith-Wood Episode: "Pigs and Minks"
American Dad Nerfer Voice, episode: "Cow I Met Your Moo-ther"
And Just Like That... Kerry Moore Episode: "Bomb Cyclone"
Star Trek: Lower Decks Dolorex Voice, episode: "Empathalogical Fallacies"
Grimsburg Stan Flute Voice, main role
Celebrity Jeopardy! Self (Contestant)

Theater

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Theater work
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Sylvia Sylvia George Street Playhouse, New Jersey
2013 Love's Labour's Lost Holofernes The Public Theater
2014–15 Tail! Spin! Various Roles Off-Broadway at the Lynn Redgrave Theater at the Culture Project
2016 Privacy Various Roles Off-Broadway at The Public Theater
2022 POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Stephanie Broadway at Shubert Theatre
Nominated – Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play
Guys and Dolls Big Jule The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

Web

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Web work
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Submissions Only Fiona Evans Webseries; episode: "Somethin' Else"
2015 The Dratchelor[22] Herself Funny Or Die web series

References

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  1. ^ "Rachel Dratch". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Gerri Miller (October 18, 2005). "Rachel Dratch". Archived from the original on October 18, 2005. Retrieved October 28, 2010. Raised in a Reform Jewish family, Dratch did have a Bat Mitzvah but does not consider herself to be observant. "It's more a heritage thing, I guess," she says of her relationship to her roots.
  3. ^ Aucoin, Don (February 18, 2000). "Live! From Lexington, It's Rachel Dratch". Boston Globe.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Marriage Announcement 1 – No Title". Boston Globe. January 26, 1964. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
  5. ^ Burstein, Nathan (April 28, 2012). "From 'SNL' to performing for the 'Tribe'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  6. ^ "RACHEL DRATCH on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH". SoundCloud.
  7. ^ Kristina, Dorsey (December 2010). "Live! From New Haven! It's Rachel Dratch in "Celebrity Autobiography"!". The Day. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Dratch, Rachel. (2012). Girl walks into a bar-- : comedy calamities, dating disasters, and a midlife miracle. New York: Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-59240-711-8. OCLC 757469571.
  9. ^ Townsend, Tim (July 7, 2000). "Comic Duo Splits Sides". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  10. ^ Emmanuel, Greg (July 2000). "SNL's Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch have found a hilarious way to spend their summer vacations". Time Out New York: 77.
  11. ^ Billy Eichner (January 17, 2010). "Billy Eichner – Empire State Of Mind – Forest Hills State of Mind with Rachel Dratch". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Rosenblum, Emma (October 15, 2006). "Rachel Rolls With It". New York Mag.
  13. ^ Gostin, Nicki (April 3, 2012). "'Girl Walks Into A Bar': Rachel Dratch Talks Baby, Life After 'SNL'". HuffPost. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  14. ^ SNL Archives | Cast Archived February 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  15. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (February 3, 2018). "Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Andy Samberg Return to 'Saturday Night Live'". Variety. New York, NY: Variety Media, LLC.
  16. ^ Night Live (September 29, 2018). "Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Night Live (November 24, 2019). "2020 Democratic Debate". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Everett, Cristina (September 8, 2010). "Former 'Saturday Night Live' star Rachel Dratch welcomes first son Eli". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  19. ^ "Rachel Dratch Reveals Her Son's Father". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  20. ^ Silman, Anna (May 13, 2019). "Rachel Dratch Is Right Where She Wants to Be". The Cut. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rachel Dratch (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 4, 2023. 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.
  22. ^ "The Dratchelor". Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
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