Sandra Bernhard Biography 

American comedian and actress Sandra Bernhard is best known for her brash and in-you-face brand of comedy. She received her greatest mainstream exposure, however, with a long-running stint on the family sitcom Roseanne in the 90s.

Sandra Bernhard was born June 6, 1955 in Flint, Michigan. Her parents were Jerome Bernhard and Jeanette Bernhard. She was subsequently raised in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Raised in a Jewish household, Bernhard has been very vocal about the discrimination she felt growing up. She often cites the worst perpetrators as the “blonde WASPS” at her high school, Saguaro High School.

After graduation, Bernhard relocated to Israel for a time before moving back to Los Angeles, California. It was here she began pursuing her comedy career in earnest while paying the bills with a job as a manicurist.

Bernhard’s first introduction to the world of standup came at The Comedy Store, where her popularity steadily increased. Gaining the attention of other promising comedic actors, Bernhard’s first major televised gig came on The Richard Pryor Show. Beginning in 1977, she was both a cast member and a writer.

But her real introduction to movie-going audiences came in 1982 with a sizable role in Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy. Playing Masha, a deranged stalker, Bernhard shared the screen with Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis. Bernhard later revealed that there was a tremendous amount of animosity between Lewis and herself.

Her first one-woman production followed in 1985. Entitled I’m Your Woman, it was a mediocre success at best. She had much better success with her 1988 production of Without You I’m Nothing. The show spawned both a film and an album.

Bernhard’s career received another significant boost when she took a role in the popular series Roseanne. She shared the screen with Roseanne, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Johnny Galecki, and Sarah Chalke from 1991 to 1997.

Shocking fans and non-fans alike, Bernhard posed in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine in 1992.

With the exposure from her magazine spread and her popular television role, Bernhard found herself a household name.

 While Bernhard continued to work in film and television, her career slowed dramatically after her stint with Roseanne came to an end. This lack of exposure prompted her next Broadway production I’m Still Here…Damn It!

After a long stage hiatus, she released the Off-Broadway show Everything Bad & Beautiful in 2006. The following year saw Plan B from Outer Space hit the stage.

In her personal life, Bernhard has been allegedly linked to several celebrities such as Jay Leno, Amanda Donohoe, Ingrid Casares, Patricia Vasquez, Amanda Bearse, and Madonna.

She is currently linked to longtime partner Angela Loy.