Molly Shannon Molly Shannon was born in 1964 in Shaker Heights, Ohio. At the age of four Shannon was in a car accident that killed her mother, her three-year-old sister, and a cousin. Molly’s dad raised her and her other sister Mary, on his own. After she graduated from Hawken School in Ohio, Molly went on to study at New York University at the Tisch School of the Arts. She received her BFA in Drama in 1987. After graduating college, Molly struggled to break her way into films. Her first film was a remake of The Phantom of the Opera (1989). Her big break came in 1995 when she replaced Janeane Garofalo on the hit comedy show Saturday Night Live. Some of Shannon’s most popular characters on the show included Mary Katherine Gallagher, a Catholic school girl; Sally O’Mally, a 50-year-old dancer; and Helen Madden, a quirky joyologist. She was also known for her impersonations of Monica Lewinsky, Elizabeth Taylor, Courtney Love, and Bjork. In 1999, Shannon starred in Superstar, a film based around her popular character, Mary Katherine Gallagher. The film co-starred fellow Saturday Night Live cast mate, Will Ferrell, along with Tom Green, Mark McKinney, and Elaine Hendrix. She also landed a supporting role in Never Been Kissed (1999) starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Leelee Sobieski, Jessica Alba, James Franko, Guiseppe Andrews, Jeremy Jordan, and Garry Marshall.
In 2001, Molly left Saturday Night Live in order to pursue her career in movies. She is the longest-serving female cast member on the show. Since leaving the show, Shannon has had roles in The Santa Clause 2 (2002) co-starring Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell, Serendipity (2001) starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack, and Marie-Antoinette (2006) starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman. She has also made appearances in films starring fellow former Saturday Night Live cast mates like Shallow Hal (2001) starring Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jason Alexander and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) starring Will Ferrell. Shannon also landed her own television series on the Fox network, Cracking Up, but it only lasted nine episodes before being cancelled. In 2003 Molly got engaged to artist Fritz Chestnut. The couple married on May 29, 2004. At their wedding, Shannon’s wedding dress was designed by SNL wardrobe department head, Dale Richards. The couple’s first daughter, Stella Shannon Chestnut, was born in 2003. Their first son, Nolan Shannon Chestnut, was born in 2005. Some of Shannon’s previous relationships include the songwriter and guitarist, James Patrick Whalen, Jr. She also dated Neal Brennan, who is a screenwriter. The two called it quits in 1998. |
