Early life

Bernhard was born in Flint, Michigan, the daughter of Jeanette (née LaZebnik) and Jerome Bernhard. Her parents raised her as a Conservative Jew. She has three older brothers. Her family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, when she was 10.

She has often addressed her childhood in interviews and within the context of her stand-up comedy. Of her family, Bernhard stated in her show Without You I'm Nothing: "My father was a proctologist and my mother was an abstract artist, so that's how I view the world." In the documentary program Girls Who Do: Comedy, she discusses being a funny teenager. After graduating from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, she went to live and volunteer on a kibbutz in Israel. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19. During that time she paid her bills by working as a manicurist in a high-end salon.

Career

Bernhard became a staple at the Comedy Store. As her popularity as a comedian grew she was cast as a supporting player on The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. Guest appearances on evening talk shows followed. Her big break came in 1983 when she was cast by Martin Scorsese to star as stalker and kidnapper Masha in the film The King of Comedy for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She began performing her first one-woman show called I'm Your Woman in 1985, and an album version was released. Bernhard appeared in a variety of tiny film and television roles throughout the 1980s while crafting her stand-up routine into a more performance art oriented show. She launched an Off-Broadway one woman show called Without You I'm Nothing, with You I'm Not Much Better in 1988 which played at the Orpheum Theatre. In 1990 it was turned into a film and a double album of the same name. The film was mostly shot on location in 1989 in the coconut grove at the Ambassador Hotel. A frequent guest on David Letterman's NBC program, it was during the run of 'Without You I'm Nothing, With You I'm Not Much Better' that she appeared with her then-good friend (and rumored lover) Madonna on the show. The two alluded to their romantic relationship and staged a sexy confrontation. They would continue to be friends for several years, with Bernhard even making an appearance in Madonna's movie Truth or Dare.

Post-1990

In 1991, Bernhard began playing the role of Nancy Bartlett on the hit sitcom Roseanne. She appeared in 33 episodes between 1991 and 1997, and was one of the first actresses to portray an openly lesbian recurring character on American television. The role is one of her best known, something she has lamented in her stand-up as being both a blessing and a curse.

In September 1992, Bernhard did a nude pictorial for Playboy. She hosted the USA Network's Reel Wild Cinema for two seasons beginning in 1995. Bernhard continued acting in mostly independent films and TV guest roles and forays into mainstream films such as Hudson Hawk and Dallas Doll. In 1991 she released her first studio album, entitled Excuses For Bad Behavior (Part One).

In 1995, she briefly appeared as a guest in the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, in an episode titled "Jerk". In 1996, she guest-starred on an episode of Highlander: The Series called "Dramatic License" in which she played a romance novelist writing about the life of the main character. She also appeared (as herself) on Will and Grace in an episode dealing with Will and Grace's spuriously bidding on Bernhard's Manhattan apartment in order to become friendly with her and culminates in a diatribe from Bernhard when their ruse is exposed, with obfuscating sounds of a blender (she was having a smoothie made) blotting out supposed obscenities. She returned as herself briefly, two years later.

Bernhard returned to Broadway in 1998 with the show I'm Still Here... Damn It!, recorded for a live comedy album. At that time of the show Bernhard was pregnant. She gave birth to daughter Cicely Yasin Bernhard on July 4, 1998. For the next several years she would self-record all of her live shows and release cheaply made CD-R versions which were sold in the lobby of her shows. She continued touring and making smaller films and TV guest appearances.

She returned to New York in 2006 with the Off-Broadway show Everything Bad & Beautiful. The CD Everything Bad & Beautiful was critically lauded as one of her best, released by indie label Breaking Records. The year 2007 saw the creation of Bernhard's show Plan B from Outer Space as well as Indie label upstart Breaking Records release of the compilation "Breaking For the Holidays" where Bernhard co-penned Miracle of Lights with Mitchell Kaplan. She toured "Plan B" through 2008, and performed Miracle of Lights on some morning shows in New York.

Bernhard was a featured guest singer with children's artist Dan Zanes on the Family Dance album's "Thrift Shop".

In an interview with Howard Stern, the comedian revealed that she was originally offered the role of Miranda Hobbes of TV show Sex and the City, but opted out due to the "terrible" original script and low paycheck.

In 2013, the media announced that Sandra Bernhard would be joining the cast of ABC Family's Switched at Birth along with Glee's Max Adler. Sandra would assume the role of an art professor on the Season 3 Opener in January 2014.

Personal life

Bernhard is openly bisexual and a strong supporter of gay rights.

On July 4, 1998, she gave birth to a daughter, Cicely Yasin Bernhard, whom she raises with her longtime partner, Sara Switzer.

Music

Bernhard performs classic pop music, jazz, and blues tunes. She has released several albums (combinations of music and comedy).

Albums I'm Your Woman Without You I'm Nothing Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part One) I'm Still Here... Damn It! The Love Machine Hero Worship Excuses for Bad Behavior (Part Two) The Love Machine Remastered (entirely different than The Love Machine) Giving Til It Hurts Live and Beautiful (Promotional album sold at website sandrabernhard.com) Gems of Mystery Everything Bad & Beautiful Whatever It Takes I Love Being Me, Don't you? - featuring White Widow

Singles "Everybody's Young" "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (#13 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play) "Manic Superstar" "Phone Sex (Do You Want Me Tonight?)" "On the Runway" (#39 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play) "Perfection" "Miracle of Lights" "All Around" Compilations AT&T Presents Stormy Weather; song "Is That All There Is?" Divas of Dance - Volume 3 (Remixes); song "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Breaking For the Holidays; song "Miracle of Lights"

Books

• Confessions of a Pretty Lady, an autobiography (HarperCollins October 1989 ISBN 978-0-06-091620-6)
• Love, Love and Love, essay collection (HarperCollins June 1993 ISBN 978-0-06-016615-1)
• May I Kiss You On The Lips, Miss Sandra?, semi-autobiography (HarperCollins October 1999 ISBN 978-0-68-817163-6)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Shogun Assassin	voice-over in English dub
1981	Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams	Girl Nut
1983	The King of Comedy	Masha	National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
1984	The House of God	Angel Dutton
1985	Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird	Grouch Diner Waitress	cameo appearance
1986	The Whoopee Boys	extra (uncredited)
1988	Casual Sex?	extra (uncredited)
	Track 29	Nurse Stein
1989	Heavy Petting	Herself	documentary
1990	Without You I'm Nothing	Herself (also writer)
1991	Madonna: Truth or Dare	Herself	documentary
	Hudson Hawk	Minerva Mayflower
1992	Inside Monkey Zetterland	Imogene
1994	Sandra Bernhard: Confessions of a Pretty Lady	Herself
	Dallas Doll	Dallas Adair
1995	Unzipped	Herself	documentary
	One Hundred and One Nights	La première quêteuse
	The Reggae Movie	Herself	documentary
	Catwalk	Herself	documentary
1997	Lover Girl	Marci Guerra/'Angel'
	The Apocalypse	J.T. Wayne
	Plump Fiction	Bunny Roberts
1998	An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn	Ann Glover
	Exposé	Janet
	Wrongfully Accused	Dr. Fridley
	Somewhere in the City	Betty
	I Woke Up Early The Day I Died	Sandy Sands/Professional Mourner and Stripper
1999	Hercules: Zero to Hero	Cassandra (voice only)
2000	One Hell of a Guy	God (voice only)
	Playing Mona Lisa	Bibi Carlson	Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Stony Brook Film Festival
	Dinner Rush	Jennifer Freely
2001	Zoolander	Herself	cameo appearance
2004	The N-Word	Herself	documentary
	The Easter Egg Adventure	Claralyne Cluck (voice only)
2005	Searching for Bobby D	Sherri Dansen
2009	Dare	Dr. Serena Mohr
2010	See You in September	Charlotte
2011	Looking for Lenny	Herself	documentary

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	The Richard Pryor Show	Featured Performer	canceled after 4 episodes
1991-1997	Roseanne	Nancy Bartlett	recurring role (33 episodes)
1992	Sandra After Dark, with Your Hostess, Sandra Bernhard	Herself (also co-executive producer)	TV film
1992-93	The A-List	Herself/Host	1 episode
1994-96	Reel Wild Cinema	Herself/Host	22 episodes
1995	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Herself	1 episode
	Freaky Friday	Frieda Debny	TV film
	The Larry Sanders Show	Herself	2 episodes
1996	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	Herself	1 episode
	The Late Shift	Herself	TV film
1997	Superman: The Animated Series	Gsptlsnz	1 episode
	Ally McBeal	Caroline Poop	2 episodes
1998-99	Hercules	Cassandra (voice only)	45 episodes
1999	Sandra Bernhard - I'm Still Here..Damn It!	Herself (also writer)	TV film
2000	The Sopranos	Herself as Gina	1 episode:"D-Girl"
2001-02	Will and Grace	Herself	2 episodes
2001	Sandra Bernhard: Giving Them Lip	Herself	TV movie
2001-03	The Sandra Bernhard Experience	Herself/Host	unknown episodes
2003	Law and Order: Special Victims Unit	Priscilla Chaney	1 episode
	Girlfriends	Marcia	1 episode
2004	Silver Lake	Sheila Fontana	unsold pilot
2005	Crossing Jordan	Roz Framus	2 episodes
	The L Word	Charlotte Birch	5 episodes
2005-06	The Queer Edge	Herself/Co-Host	26 episodes
2007	Las Vegas	Margo Poon	1 episode
	The New Adventures of Old Christine	Audrey	1 episode
2009	Head Case	Herself	1 episode
2011	Roseanne's Nuts	Herself	1 episode
	Hot in Cleveland	Nan	1 episode
2012	GCB	Debby Horowitz	1 episode
	DTLA	Carla	3 episodes
2013	The Neighbors	Ms. Porsche	1 episode
2014	Switched at Birth	Prof. Teresa Ledarsky	4 episodes
	You're the Worst	Herself	1 episode
2014-15	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Darlene Linetti	3 episodes
2015	2 Broke Girls	Joedth	5 episodes

Short Subjects

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Museum of Love	Kitty
2003	The Third Date	Ola
2006	Twenty Dollar Drinks	Star

Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Category	Result
1983	The King of Comedy	NSFC Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Won
1991	Hudson Hawk	Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Supporting Actress	Nominated
1997	Highlander: The Series	OFTA Awards	Best Guest Actress in a Syndicated Series	Nominated
2002	Herself	GLAAD Media Awards	Davidson/Valentini Award	Won
2006		Philadelphia QFest Awards	Artistic Achievement Award	Won

Charities

Sandra Bernhard supports the following charitable causes: Gay Youth, Gay Rights, Environment, Animals.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]