Madeline Kahn

Dates Hosted:

5/8/76
10/8/77
12/16/95

Biography:

Madeline Kahn is a beloved comedic icon and her passing in 1999 was a sad loss for millions of filmgoers around the world. But her life was not about sadness; it was about making people laugh, so let’s move on to happier things…

Maybe it was Madeline’s rocky start in life that helped define her quirky sensibility. Her mom was only 17 when Madeline was born and her parents divorced two years later. Her mom moved Madeline to New York in order to pursue her own acting ambitions.

Madeline started down her own acting path when she attended a progressive boarding school for several years in Pennsylvania. After attending high school in Queens, she enrolled at Hofstra University where she studied theater and speech pathology. After a brief stint as a public school teacher, Madeline earned her first professional role in a Broadway revival of the Cole Porter musical “Kiss Me, Kate.”

After a number of other Broadway roles, she broke into the movie business in Peter Bogdanovich’s film, “What’s Up, Doc?” starring alongside Barbra Streisand. The role got her a lot of attention and other movie roles soon followed.

But it’s her collaboration with comedy writer/director Mel Brooks that has left the biggest impression in the public’s mind. Roles in films like “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” and “High Anxiety” made her an audience favorite and a household name, and her appearances in the early years of SNL were true standouts for the fledgling late-night comedy show.

Kahn worked steadily throughout the ‘80s and was introduced to a whole new generation of fans with a recurring role in the sitcom, “Cosby.” Tragically, her time on that show was cut short when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Madeline Kahn passed away on December 3, 1999.