Amy Sedaris (born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, author and comedienne. Amy is perhaps best known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris.

Biography

Amy was born in Endicott, New York, daughter of Sharon and Lou Sedaris, and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is of half Greek descent; her father was Greek Orthodox and her mother was Protestant, and she remains Greek Orthodox.

Amy lives in Greenwich Village, New York City, with her Mini Rex rabbit Dusty and is very involved with the House Rabbit Society. As part of a running joke during public appearances, she frequently alludes to her imaginary boyfriend, Ricky. During an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman (October 6, 2006), she claimed Ricky had been murdered and she now lives with Ricky's ghost.

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A former member of Chicago-based Second City and Annoyance Theatre comedy troupes, she is known for her role as Jerri Blank in the television series Strangers with Candy. The show, which she co-wrote with Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert (both of whom also starred with her in the short-lived sketch show, Exit 57, on Comedy Central), was based on Sedaris's impression of 1970s motivational speaker Florrie Fisher. Sedaris has appeared in the movies Elf, School of Rock, Maid in Manhattan, the film version of Bewitched and is featured in David Munro's upcoming Full Grown Men. She also starred in the 2006 film adaptation of Strangers with Candy. In addition to acting, she runs a cupcake and cheese ball business ("Dusty Food Cupcakes") out of her kitchen.

Amy also hosted the series Film Fanatic on Trio. She coauthored the text-and-picture novel Wigfield with Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert, published in 2003. As of 2005, Sedaris writes a monthly advice column in The Believer. She has written a guide to entertaining titled I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, published in October 2006 by Warner Books. That light-hearted approach to cooking stayed on the New York Times best-sellers list for over 12 weeks, and currently has over 350,000 copies in print.

Along with her brother, author and essayist David Sedaris, Amy has co-authored several plays under the name "The Talent Family." These include: Stump the Host (1993), Stitches (1994), One Woman Shoe (1995), Incident at Cobblers Knob (1997) and The Little Frieda Mysteries (1997) which were all produced and presented by Meryl Vladimer, when she was the artistic director of "the CLUB" at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club Incident at Kobblers Knob was presented and produced by David Rockwell at the Lincoln Center Festival. She co-authored the play The Book of Liz with her brother. She played the stage manager in Paul Rudnick's play The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.

Amy appeared in two episodes of Rescue Me, two episodes of Monk, an episode of Wonder Showzen, on Just Shoot Me! as a female version of David Spade's character, and as Carrie Bradshaw's book publisher in Sex and the City. She also played Paulie the Penis in the online comedy sketch 'The Puberty Pals'. She guest-starred as Randy's cat-obsessed girlfriend in an October 2006 episode of My Name Is Earl. She has also made a guest appearance on Sesame Street as a flustered Snow White who keeps losing her dwarves.

Amy has also made several notable appearances on televised talk shows. In 2008 Sedaris made a memorable appearance on Chelsea Lately during which she gave host Chelsea Handler a presentation concerning vaginal hygiene. This was done with the aid of a plush vagina made for Sedaris by fashion designer Todd Oldham.

In 2007, Amy was featured in Dolly Parton's first mainstream country music video in 17 years, "Better Get to Livin'."

In 2008, Amy stars as principal Abby Hofman in Nickelodeon TV's Gym Teacher: The Movie directed by her Strangers with Candy co-star Paul Dinello.

It was announced in October 2008 that Sedaris would be getting her own sitcom, produced by 20th Century Fox, that she will be creating, writing and starring in. Sedaris will also guest star on two episodes of The Closer as Brenda Leigh Johnson's psychic sister-in-law.

This Amy Sedaris Biography Page is Copyright © 2004 - 2009 Chuck Ayoub