Carol Leifer

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Carol Leifer
Carol Leifer headshot.jpg
Carol Leifer headshot
Born (1956-07-27) July 27, 1956 (age 65)
East Williston, New York, U.S.
MediumStand-up comedy, television, film, writing
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBinghamton University
Queens College
GenresObservational comedy
Subject(s)LGBT, Jewish, women's issues, everyday life, parenting
SpouseRitch Shydner (1981–1987)
Lori Wolf (2015–present)
Children1 son (adopted)
Websitecarolleifer.com

Carol Leifer (/ˈliːfər/ LEE-fər;[1] born July 27, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actress whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts including The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld.[2] She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, the 82nd Academy Awards and the 84th Academy Awards. Leifer's inner-monologue driven, observational style is often autobiographical, encompassing subjects about her Jewish ancestry and upbringing, coming out, same-sex marriage, relationships (having been married previously to a man and now partnered with a woman) and parenting.[2][3][4]

Early life[]

Leifer was born in East Williston, New York, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family, the daughter of Anna Leifer, a psychologist, and Seymour Leifer, an optometrist.[5] As a child, Leifer would frequently put on performances for her family and friends in her family's basement.[6] Leifer recalls her family being a significant part of her fondest memories, including her father's well-known jokes amongst family and friends, as well as her brother taking her to see The Beatles in concert at Shea Stadium.She frequently credits her father for the reason she became a comic.[7]

Career[]

Rise to fame and early career[]

While studying for a theater degree at Harpur College (now Binghamton University), Leifer accompanied her then boyfriend Paul Reiser to a comedy club to see him perform at the open mic night at Catch A Rising Star.[8][4] In 1977, she began performing stand-up comedy and transferred to Queens College to be closer to the club scene. Later she tried performing at New York's Comic Strip and was introduced by emcee Jerry Seinfeld.[4]

Stand-up comedy[]

Leifer's stand-up comedy career has been well-perceived. Early in her career, a critic from Variety Magazine wrote a review on one of Leifer's sets, saying "She still has much to absorb in operating in the comedic area, but, with further experience, has a good chance at the brass ring."[9] The critic was correct: with experience and skill, she became a successful comic.[10] She has gotten tremendously positive feedback over the years, known for her infectious laugh, witty observational comedy, and clean-cut humor.[10][11] Leifer credits mentor and lifelong friend, David Letterman, with her rise to fame, having performed stand-up comedy on Late Night with David Letterman 25 times. Leifer also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Dr. Katz, Politically Incorrect, Hollywood Squares, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Her stand-up experience also includes opening for Jerry Seinfeld and Frank Sinatra.

Leifer has also performed and released several hilarious stand-up specials. her stand-up specials, listed chronologically, are:

Writing[]

Leifer's writing career spans several well-known shows, including Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, It's Like, You Know..., and The Larry Sanders Show. She has written for the Academy Awards for most of the 21st century, as well as the 69th Annual Tony Awards.[14]

Leifer started her comedy writing career at Saturday Night Live. Leifer was hired by Al Franken and Jim Downey to work as a writer for the popular sketch comedy show. Executive producer, Lorne Michaels did not hire Leifer directly, and that became clear.[15] Leifer recalls her time at SNL being a great opportunity to grow and learn as a writer, but the division caused by Michaels' indifference impacted her time working there, as she recalls "it felt like being asked to play on a Beatles album by Ringo."[8] Leifer was not asked to return to the staff for a second season.

Leifer starred in, created, and executive-produced the 1997 WB sitcom Alright Already, which only ran one season. Alright, Already focused on single optometrist Carol Lerner (played by Leifer). Lerner runs her own practice in Miami, Florida while dealing with family, friends, and romance.[16] The show received mixed reviews, saying it lacked an endearing plot and Leifer "squeezed uncomfortably into an uncomfortable sitcom."[17][18]

With Mitchell Hurwitz, Leifer created and was a writer for The Ellen Show (2001). The series was negatively received and only ran one season.[19] Leifer has also written for several television shows, such as Devious Maids, Modern Family, and Rules of Engagement. Leifer's writing credits are listed below:

Writing Credits
Year Program Network No. of

Episodes

Notes ref
1985-1986 Saturday Night Live NBC 18 episodes [14]
1988 Nothin' Goes Right HBO N/A
  • TV Special
  • Uncredited
 [14][5]
1992 Showtime N/A
  • TV movie
  • Also starred as Rusty Berman
 [5]
1995 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Comedy Central 1 episode: "Office Management"
  • Additional material
 [14]
1993-1996 Seinfeld NBC 6 episodes
  • Other credits include coproducer, story editor, and executive story editor.
  • Some episodes were co-written with Peter Mehlman and Marjorie Gross
 [5][14]
1996 The 48th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards CBS N/A
  • Other writers for the show included , Jon Macks, Kevin Rooney, and Bruce Vilanch.
 [14]
1997 The Larry Sanders Show HBO 1 episode: "The Prank" [14]
The Naked Truth NBC 1 episode: "The Birds" [14]
Almost Perfect CBS 2 episodes: "Gimme Shelter" and "Datings for Ratings" [14]
1997-1998 Alright, Already The WB 2 episodes: "Again with the Black Box" and "Again with the Billionaire"
  • Other credits include creator.
  • Also starred as Carol Lerner
 [14][16]
1999 It's Like, You Know... ABC 1 episode: "Twins" [14]
2000 72nd Academy Awards ABC N/A [14]
2002 74th Academy Awards ABC N/A

Jon Macks, Chuck Martin, Rita Rudner, Wanda Sykes, and Jonathan Tolins.

[14]
2001-2002 The Ellen Show CBS 5 episodes
  • Other Credits include co-creator.
 [5][14]
2003 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards CBS N/A [14]
I'm With Her 1 episode: "The Second Date" [14]
2004 The 76th Academy Awards ABC N/A
  • Other writers for the show included Scott Wittman, Norman Steinberg, David Steinberg, Marc Shaiman, Billy Martin, Ed Driscoll, Dave Boone, Beth Armogida, and Jon Macks.
 [14]
N/A N/A
  • Movie
  • co-written with Jacque Edmonds
 [14]
2005 The 77th Academy Awards ABC N/A
  • Listed as "Special Material Writer"
 [14]
2007 The 79th Academy Awards ABC N/A
  • Other writers for the show included Bruce Vilanch, Dave Boone, William Coronel, and Jon Macks
 [14]
Rules of Engagement CBS 1 episode: "A Visit From Fay" [14]
2010 The 82nd Academy Awards ABC N/A [14]
2011 Modern Family ABC 1 episode: "Two Monkeys and a Panda" [14]
The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards CBS N/A
  • Listed as writing "host material"
 [14]
2012 The 84th Academy Awards ABC N/A
  • Other writers for the show included Dave Boone and Jon Macks
 [14]
2014 Devious Maids Lifetime 2 episodes: "You Can't Take it With You" and "Crimes of the Heart" [14]
2015 69th Annual Tony Awards CBS N/A
  • Listed as "Special Material Writer"
 [14]
2016 MADtv The CW 8 episodes [14]
Writer's Block N/A N/A
  • Short Film
 [14]
2017 The Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special N/A N/A [14]
2016-2018 Better Late Than Never NBC 12 episodes [14]
2018 The 90th Academy Awards ABC N/A
  • Other writers for the show include Jon Macks
 [14]
A Little Help with Carol Burnett Netflix 12 episodes [14]
21st Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor celebrating: Julia Louis-Dreyfus PBS N/A [14]
2019 The 91st Academy Awards ABC N/A
  • Listed as "Special Material Writer"
 [14]
2020 Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO 1 episode: "Artificial Fruit" [14]
2020-2021 B Positive CBS 6 episodes
  • "Story editor" for 2 episodes: "High Risk Factor" and "Miss Diagnosis"
 [14]

Seinfeld[]

Carol Leifer joined the Seinfeld writing staff during its fifth season (1993–94), and wrote six episodes for the show between then and its seventh season (1995–96).[20] Alongside being a writer on the show, Leifer was a story editor for 16 episodes from 1993 to 1994 and an executive story editor for 23 episodes from 1994 to 1995.[14] She has been dubbed "the real Elaine", as the series' character, Elaine Benes, was partially based on her.[21] The episodes Leifer wrote, listed chronologically, are:[22]

Seinfeld Episodes
Season Episode Notes
Season 5 "The Lip Reader"
"The Hamptons"
Season 6 "The Secretary"
"The Beard"
The Understudy
Season 7 "The Rye"

Her work on Seinfeld garnered her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.[23] Leifer recalls when looking for writers for the show, Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld, specifically wanted writers who had never written for sitcoms before.[24] Working as a writer for Seinfeld is one of Leifer's favorite credits because of the incredible experiences it gave her as well as the opportunity to work alongside incredible comedians. Leifer speaks highly of her coworkers while working on the show, remembering Jerry Seinfeld as "the hardest working of all the comedians I came up with."[25] One of the most important things she learned as a writer from working on Seinfeld was to "mine your own life for comedy ideas."[24] Leifer's comedy frequently stems from herself and her family, proving what she learned from working on Seinfeld has had a lasting impact on her work.

Acting and appearances[]

Leifer appeared as a contestant on the third season of Celebrity Apprentice.[26] Leifer chose North Shore Animal League as her charity because of her and her wife's work for animal advocacy.[27] She was the first to be eliminated, on the premiere episode, which aired on March 14, 2010.[28]

She has also hosted for all four seasons of A&E's Caroline's Comedy Hour, as well as guest appearances on Talk Soup and Later.[29] She was also a guest on Inside Comedy where she was interviewed by David Steinberg.[24]

Leifer wrote and starred in the 1992 Showtime TV film , a mockumentary about fictional aged comedian Rusty Berman (played by Leifer), told through interviews and flashbacks. The film had a similar concept to the film Mr. Saturday Night, which had come out several months earlier.[30] She was also part of as Beth Lewis, Lois Lane's best friend.[13]

Leifer has also had minor acting and voice-over roles in movies such as Bee Movie, Rules of Engagement, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Medusa: Dare to be Truthful, and Desperately Seeking Susan.[5][13]

Books[]

Carol Leifer has written two books. Her first book of humorous essays, entitled When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win, was released on March 10, 2009.[31][32] Leifer discusses her early life and family, the daunting idea of getting older, outlooks on life, and the moment she discovered she might be gay and how her life changed for the better.[33] Her second book, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying was published in 2014. Considered a “part memoir, part guide to life”,[8] Leifer tells the public her journey as a comic and entertainer. She gives tips and guides for working in the entertainment industry. Leifer also talks about her personal work experiences, such as her time writing for Saturday Night Live, working with Jerry Seinfeld, and her career as a stand-up comic.[8]

Accolades[]

  • Frank Sinatra praised Leifer as "one funny broad!" and "I wish my mother had been that funny – I wouldn't have had to work so hard."[2]
  • In 1998, Leifer was named by the New York Times as "the only comic among six ‘fast-rising artists…to watch’ this season"[10]
  • Leifer was nominated for the second annual American Comedy Awards as “Funniest Female Comedy Club Stand-Up Comic.”[34]
(Left to right) Linda Hamilton, Jane Lynch and Carol Leifer with their 2016 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival awards. Leifer and Lynch won for their short film Writer's Block and Hamilton won for Shoot me Nicely.[35]
Awards and Nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
1996 Primetime Emmy Awards[23] Outstanding Comedy Series Seinfeld Nominated
1997 Outstanding Comedy Series The Larry Sanders Show Nominated
2010 Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special 82nd Academy Awards Nominated
2012 Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special 84th Academy Awards Nominated
1994 CableACE Awards[14] Best Comedy Special Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue Nominated
Best Performance in a Comedy Special Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue Nominated
2018 Legionnaires of Laughter Legacy Awards[14] Best Children's Comedy Writer A Little Help With Carol Burnett Nominated
2012 Online Film & Television Association[14] Best Writing in a Comedy Series Modern Family Nominated
2016 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, US[14] Best Screenplay Writer's Block Won
Best Narrative Short Film Won
2015 Women's Image Network Awards[14] Outstanding Show Produced by a Woman Devious Maids Nominated
2021 Writer's Guild of America Awards[14] Best Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm Nominated
2019 Best Comedy/Variety Specials 90th Academy Awards Nominated
2016 Best Comedy/Variety (Music, Awards, Tributes) Specials 69th Tony Awards Nominated
2012 Best Comedy Series Modern Family Won
1995 Best Episodic Comedy Seinfeld Nominated

Personal life[]

Previous relationships[]

In 1981, Leifer married comic Ritch Shydner, whose gentile status troubled Leifer's father.[27] They divorced in 1987 and have remained friends.[2] Leifer also briefly dated Jerry Seinfeld before working with him on Seinfeld. The two only dated for less than a year and have remained close friends, with Leifer having only positive things to say about him.[25]

Coming out[]

Though she had relationships with men and had been married to a man in the past, Carol Leifer identifies as a lesbian. After her divorce from Ritch Shydner, Leifer wanted to explore her sexuality. At age 40, Leifer met her current wife, Lori Wolf, and realized she was gay, not "just looking for a fling" as she originally intended.[25] When coming out, Leifer's family and friends were very supportive, especially her parents. She recalls her father being happy that Lori Wolf was Jewish.[7] When Leifer came out, her comedy and material changed to fit her life, often making jokes about coming out so late in her life and humor based on her and Wolf's relationship. Leifer has faced some negative reception and homophobic hate due to her sexuality. After receiving a homophobic letter, Leifer recalls feeling "I thought I was prepared for something like that, but even 13 years in, it's still a kick in the face."[36]

Marriage to Lori Wolf[]

In 1996, Leifer met Lori Wolf, a Jewish real estate executive, when they shared a table at a Project Angel Food charity dinner in Los Angeles.[7] Leifer was immediately interested and later contacted Wolf through the host of their table, though Wolf initially rebuffed Leifer's overtures because Wolf was in a relationship at the time. Wolf contacted Leifer weeks later, after she had ended her relationship, and began one with Leifer. They moved in together in 2005, and in acclimating herself to Wolf's pets, Leifer became an animal rights activist.[27] That year, Leifer proposed to Wolf over dinner at the Palm Restaurant in Beverly Hills. On December 5, 2015, they were married by Rabbi Ron Stern at the Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles. In attendance were Jane Lynch, Larry David, Bill Maher, Garry Shandling, Henry Winkler, Larry Miller, Jay Leno and Paul Reiser.[27] They are still together and adopted a son.

Children[]

In 2007 they purchased a $3.2-million, 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) home in the Santa Monica Hills,[37] as part of their preparations to adopt their nine-month-old son, Bruno Leifer-Wolf, who was born in Guatemala in 2006.[27][38] Leifer was 50 years old at the time, which she felt was the best age for her to have a child, saying “I feel I have a better outlook on life.”[36]

Veganism[]

Leifer has become vegan, saying "I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn’t part of a small enough minority. So now I’m a Jewish lesbian vegan."[39][40] Leifer has been advocate for animal rights and made testimonials for PETA about her decision to become vegan, encouraging others to do the same.[41]

References[]

  1. ^ "Say How? A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Cantor, Danielle (Spring 2009). "Successful Woman:Carol Leifer". Jewish Woman magazine.
  3. ^ "Women Leaving Men for Other Women" on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" airdate 25 March 2009.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America by Lawrence J. Epstein; PublicAffairs, 2002; ISBN 1-58648-162-2, ISBN 978-1-58648-162-9.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Carol Leifer Biography (1956–)". Film Reference. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  6. ^ Rapp, Linda (2015). "Leifer, Carol (1956-)" (PDF). . Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Carol., Leifer (2010), When you lie about your age, the terrorists win, Phoenix Audio, ISBN 978-1-4416-7026-7, OCLC 664247692, retrieved 2021-05-08
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Carol., Leifer (2014). How to succeed in business without really crying. Quirk Books. ISBN 978-1-59474-682-6. OCLC 869310552.
  9. ^ Jose (April 10, 1985). ""New Acts: Carol Leifer"". Variety Magazine.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Tense and Nervous? If Carol Leifer's Stand-Up Comedy Doesn't Loosen Your Laugh Track, Her Giggle Will". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Jim (June 4, 1987). "Good, Clean Comedy from Carol Leifer". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "Carol Leifer". . 2004. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Carol Leifer - Film credits | Acting". Filmsomniac.com. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar "Carol Leifer". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  15. ^ Leifer, Carol (April 6, 2014). "My Rocky Time as a Woman Writer on SNL". The Daily Beast.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "Alright, Already". IMDb. 7 September 1997. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Scott, Tony (September 8, 1997). "TV REVIEWS: Alright, Already". Variety.
  18. ^ Kelleher, Terry (October 6, 1997). "Alright, Already". People Magazine.
  19. ^ The Ellen Show, retrieved 2021-05-10
  20. ^ Lyman, Rick (1997-09-07). "Touching moments with Leifer? Get real!". The New York Times. Retrieved Apr 29, 2009.
  21. ^ Cooper, Evan (2013). "I'm a Little Scared of Elaine: Representations of Jewish and Gentile Women on "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"". : 93–115 – via JSTOR.
  22. ^ "CAROL LEIFER: EPISODE BY EPISODE". Howard Stern. 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b . [1]. Emmy Awards website.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c Inside Comedy. Episode no. 33, first broadcast May 19, 2015 by Showtime.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sachs, Andrea (2009-04-30). "Q&A: Carol Leifer, Late Bloomer". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  26. ^ Starr, Michael (17 October 2009). "'Celebrity Apprentice 3' cast revealed". New York Post. New York, USA. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Diamond, Jamie (December 11, 2015). "Carol Leifer Proves You Don’t Have to Be Unhappy to Be Funny". The New York Times.
  28. ^ Gardiola, Christal (March 15, 2010). "Carol Leifer Fired by Trump". Shalom Life. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  29. ^ admin. "Writer / Comedian / Producer Carol Leifer | Film School Radio hosted by Mike Kaspar". Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  30. ^ Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue (1992), retrieved 2021-05-09
  31. ^ Shapiro, Gregg (2009-01-28). "Leifer = laughter: an interview with out comedian Carol Leifer". Chicago Free Press. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009.
  32. ^ Donahue, Dick; Martinez, Juan (2009-01-26). "Spring 2009 Hardcovers: Biography & Memoir". Publisher's Weekly. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009.
  33. ^ "Carol Leifer On Life, Comedy And Finding Love At 40". NPR. June 19, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  34. ^ Ervolino, Bill (May 20, 1988). "Laughing Matters". Back Stage.
  35. ^ Willfilm. "Willfilm Announces Winners of 7th Annual Williamsburg Independent Film Festival Awards". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b "Carol Leifer on the LAM". www.advocate.com. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  37. ^ Ryon, Ruth (2006-07-30). "Stand-up adds a new home, baby to routine". The Los Angeles Times.
  38. ^ "Bruno Leifer-Wolf". Variety. 2007-03-11.
  39. ^ "Carol Leifer Gets Weirder: Now Jewish, Lesbian, AND Vegan". Vegetarian Star. July 9, 2009.
  40. ^ "Carol leifer: a vegan and a lesbian". The Howard Stern Show. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  41. ^ "Carol Leifer: Vegetarian Testimonial (Jewish, Lesbian, and Vegan)". PETA. 2010-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-09.

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