Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin: Profile

After moving to California, from her native Chicago, and joining the famed Los Angeles Groundlings comedy improvisational troupe, Kathy began building her resume with guest starring roles on such series as ER and Seinfeld - where she created recurring character Sally Weaver. In 1996, Kathy's dream of playing a sidekick on a sitcom came true when she landed the role of Vickie Groener, Brook Shields' sharp tongued colleague, on the NBC show Suddenly Susan.

After her various TV guest spots, Kathy began gaining notice as a stand-up comedienne and landed her own HBO Half Hour Comedy Special. In 1998, HBO gave Kathy her own one-hour special, A Hot Cup of Talk. She participated in, and won Celebrity Mole on ABC, and then hosted the NBC reality series Average Joe as well as the MTV series, Kathy's So-Called Reality. In 2010, Kathy took a dramatic turn on Law and Order: SVU where she riveted audiences with her portrayal of a lesbian activist with a secret.

In August 2005, Kathy's reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, debuted on Bravo to rave reviews and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program and the second season of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List won Kathy her first Emmy in that same category. The third season premiered in 2007 and again won Kathy an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program. The fourth and fifth season were nominated again for Outstanding Reality Program. The sixth and final season of D-List aired on Bravo during the summer of 2010.

Kathy has performed many successful stand-up specials for Bravo. The first in 2005 called Kathy Griffin...Is Not Nicole Kidman, the second in May of 2006 called Strong Black Woman. Kathy Griffin-Straight to Hell (November 2008) and Kathy Griffin; She'll Cut a Bitch (April 2009) were both nominated for an Emmy in the category Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Kathy's second 2009 special Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steal, aired last year on Bravo receiving great reviews and her most recent special, Kathy Does The Bible Belt, aired on Bravo June 8, 2010. Kathy's DVD stand up special Allegedly is available in stores now.

In June 2008, Griffin released her first comedy album "For Your Consideration" which featured tracks such as "Straight Guys Wake Up!" and "Hi Barbara Walters." The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album and garnered Kathy the acclaim of being the first female comedian ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top Comedy Albums chart. In 2009, Kathy released her first Christmas album called "Suckin' It for the Holidays." Kathy was again nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for Best Comedy Album for "Kathy Griffin Does the Bible Belt."

Kathy has co-hosted The Billboard Music Awards three years in a row and hosted Bravo's A-List Awards two years in a row. She has appeared on numerous talk shows including Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Howard Stern and The View in addition to filling in for Larry King on Larry King Live. On the small screen she has guest starred on multiple hit television shows and appeared in several films. On September 8, 2009, Kathy added best-selling author to her list of many achievements. Her tell-all autobiography entitled, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, topped the New York Times Best Sellers List as well as The Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly lists.

Kathy is very involved with the gay and lesbian community and was presented with the prestigious Vanguard Award at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards. The Trevor Project awarded Kathy with Lifetime Honoree at the 2011 gala for her tremendous work with the GLBTQ community. Kathy won the 2009 Gracie Award for Outstanding female lead in a Comedy Series. She was the 2007 GAVYN Awards Honorary Gay, the recipient of the 2006 Ladies Home Journal Funny Ladies We Love Award and in 2005 she received the Lambda Legal Liberty Award. Other honors include 2003 Toys for Tots Commander's Award, Women's Night Special Comedic Award, Lucie Award, 2005 Aid for AIDS Friend of the Year and in 2007 was voted one of the Top 100 Irish American's in Irish American Magazine. Kathy has also been nominated four years in a row for the Television Producer of the Year in Non-Fiction Television PGA Award.