Sarah Silverman

Birthday: 1 December 1970, Bedford, New Hampshire, USA

Birth Name: Sarah Kate Silverman

Height: 170 cm

Two-time Emmy Award winner Sarah Silverman is one of the most versatile talents in entertainment, with credits including that of actress, creator, writer, executive producer, comedian, and author. Silverman will next be seen in both The Book of Henry and The Lonely Island's Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, both of which are set for release later this year. Silverman also continues to lend her voice to the Emmy-nominated Fox animated series Bob's Burgers and has a recurring role on the Golden Globe-nominated Showtime series Masters of Sex, which will return for its fourth season this year. Additionally, she is a part of JASH, a comedy collective on YouTube featuring original content by Silverman and friends Michael Cera, Tim & Eric, and Reggie Watts.Silverman was most recently seen as the star of I Smile Back, the film adaptation of the Amy Koppelman novel. The drama premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and was later released in theaters by Broad Green Pictures. Silverman received much praise for her role as "Laney Brooks," culminating in a 2016 Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role." Her additional film credits include Ashby, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Take This Waltz, Gravy, Peep World, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, The School of Rock, There's Something About Mary, The Way of The Gun, and the Oscar-nominated smash hit Wreck It Ralph.On stage, Silverman continues to cement her status as a force in stand up comedy. In 2013, she debuted her hour-long, critically-acclaimed HBO stand up special Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles, which earned her the 2014 Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special." The special received an additional Primetime Emmy Awards nomination that year for "Outstanding Variety Special" in addition to a Writers Guild Awards nomination. In September 2014, Silverman released the special as an audio album through Sub Pop Records, which went on to receive a 2015 Grammy Awards nomination for "Best Comedy Album." Previously, Silverman made an impressive splash with her concert-meets-comedy film Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic, which garnered major attention at the Toronto Film Festival.In 2010, she released her first book, a memoir called The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee. The book went on to become a New York Times Bestseller.Silverman was nominated for a 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" for her portrayal of a fictionalized version of herself in her Comedy Central series The Sarah Silverman Program. This marked Comedy Central's first ever Emmy nomination in a scripted acting category. Silverman also received a Writers Guild Award nomination for her work on the show. In 2008, Silverman won a Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics" for her musical collaboration with Matt Damon. Additionally, she was honored with a Webby Award for "Best Actress" for her online video "The Great Schlep," in which she persuaded young kids to encourage their grandparents in Florida to vote for President Obama prior to the 2008 Presidential Election.Silverman has made memorable guest appearances on a number of acclaimed and notable television shows, including Monk, which earned her a 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards nomination for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series." Her additional television work includes The Good Wife, The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, and Mr. Show with Bob and David. Silverman has also hosted a number of major awards shows, including the 2007 MTV Movie Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.Silverman grew up in New Hampshire and attended one year of New York University. In 1993 she joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and feature performer and has not stopped working since. Show less «

I have very vivid dreams - almost always action-adventure. I'm often on the run. I've always had dre...Show more »

I have very vivid dreams - almost always action-adventure. I'm often on the run. I've always had dreams. When I was little, I'd go to sleep with my head on my hands, which were in fists like I was looking through a camera. I felt like sleep was the movies - just drifting off to the movies. Show less «

They've got great parents; I'm just trying to be the fun uncle.

Relations between black and white would be greatly improved if we were more accepting of our fears a...Show more »

Relations between black and white would be greatly improved if we were more accepting of our fears and our feelings and more vocal about it. Show less «

I still have highs and lows, maybe I don't cry salty tears as much.

I enjoy the last quarter of all basketball games.

When I came out to L. A., I got a part in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager (1995), and I hired an ac...Show more »

When I came out to L. A., I got a part in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager (1995), and I hired an acting coach. Show less «

I think I've been called edgy - but in all honesty, there is a safety in what I do because I'm alway...Show more »

I think I've been called edgy - but in all honesty, there is a safety in what I do because I'm always the idiot. Unless you're just listening to buzz words and not taking into account the context of the situation, you see I'm always the ignoramus. Show less «

Was that incredible? Britney Spears. Wow. She is amazing. She is 25 years old and she's already acco...Show more »

Was that incredible? Britney Spears. Wow. She is amazing. She is 25 years old and she's already accomplished everything she's going to accomplish in her life. It's mind-blowing. Show less «

And then before going back for my sophomore year, I decided to change my major to arts and sciences,...Show more »

And then before going back for my sophomore year, I decided to change my major to arts and sciences, and my dad cut a deal with me: He said if I'd quit school he'd pay my rent for the next three years, as if I were in school. Show less «

Some people say my humor focuses too much on stereotypes. It doesn't. It focuses on facts.

You want to make people laugh and by virtue of that please them, but when you're instructed to make ...Show more »

You want to make people laugh and by virtue of that please them, but when you're instructed to make people laugh and please them, you're too resentful to do it. Show less «

I remember when I got a part on Seinfeld (1989) it was like an out of body experience, I was so exci...Show more »

I remember when I got a part on Seinfeld (1989) it was like an out of body experience, I was so excited. Show less «

I can't believe how much time has passed. The first time I did stand-up I was 17, and I was really a...Show more »

I can't believe how much time has passed. The first time I did stand-up I was 17, and I was really a stand-up once I was 19 in New York, and now I'm 41, and I still feel like I haven't found myself onstage. Show less «

I'd have to be honest: I have contempt for pretty much every drug other than pot. I find drunk peopl...Show more »

I'd have to be honest: I have contempt for pretty much every drug other than pot. I find drunk people gross. Most people with more than one drink in them aren't giggly, goofy and happy the way people are with a puff of pot smoke in them. . . . At a party, I have so much fun stoned, flitting about -- but once I sniff that first wave of drunkenness on someone, I'm out of there. Show less «

I think maybe I became funny because as a kid, I was a Jew in a town of no Jews, and being funny jus...Show more »

I think maybe I became funny because as a kid, I was a Jew in a town of no Jews, and being funny just instinctively came about as a way to put people at ease around me. Show less «

I don't set out to offend or shock, but I also don't do anything to avoid it.

I mean, I talk about being Jewish a lot. It's funny because I do think of myself as Jewish ethnicall...Show more »

I mean, I talk about being Jewish a lot. It's funny because I do think of myself as Jewish ethnically, but I'm not religious at all. I have no religion. Show less «

I'd love to do drama if it was interesting.

Men like to squash you. I just want someone who's happy with himself, happy with his life. He doesn'...Show more »

Men like to squash you. I just want someone who's happy with himself, happy with his life. He doesn't have to squash mine. Show less «

Everyone self-Googles. And, I have, of course, the Google alert.

People are always introducing me as "Sarah Silverman, Jewish comedienne." I HATE that! I wish people...Show more »

People are always introducing me as "Sarah Silverman, Jewish comedienne." I HATE that! I wish people would see me for who I really am -- I'm white! Show less «

If you are truly offended by an 80-year-old man saying you're not funny, then you're probably not fu...Show more »

If you are truly offended by an 80-year-old man saying you're not funny, then you're probably not funny. Show less «

In terms of television and movies, I've been really interested in seeing the partnership of comedy a...Show more »

In terms of television and movies, I've been really interested in seeing the partnership of comedy and beauty and heart. I think they can go together really well and really thoughtfully. But, I'm a total one-hour drama addict. I think when you're a comedian, you tend towards dramas because that's the less stressful thing to watch. Show less «

It fills me with a weird rage to wear shoes that make me not able to walk easily or run if I had to....Show more »

It fills me with a weird rage to wear shoes that make me not able to walk easily or run if I had to. It feeds into this whole 'war on women' thing in my head. Show less «

I definitely think that prescription drugs, like antidepressants, are prescribed so cavalierly, anyo...Show more »

I definitely think that prescription drugs, like antidepressants, are prescribed so cavalierly, anyone can get anything, but I need it. I do think that it needs to work hand and hand with therapy. Show less «

It shows the truth - that the real meaning of a word is only as powerful or harmless as the emotion ...Show more »

It shows the truth - that the real meaning of a word is only as powerful or harmless as the emotion behind it. Show less «

My comedy notebooks are filled with random journal entries. It's all the same. I can look back on ol...Show more »

My comedy notebooks are filled with random journal entries. It's all the same. I can look back on old joke notebooks, and know exactly what was going on in my life. Show less «

My growing up years, we watched Happy Days (1974) every night. I don't know what was reruns and what...Show more »

My growing up years, we watched Happy Days (1974) every night. I don't know what was reruns and what was new. Show less «

Well, I'm not afraid to say something if I think it's funny, even if it's harsh or racist.

I'm a very ritualistic person. I have to wash my face twice, and on the second wash before I rinse, ...Show more »

I'm a very ritualistic person. I have to wash my face twice, and on the second wash before I rinse, I brush my teeth, then I rinse, then I floss, then I put on moisturizer. I'm ritualistic. Jewishness is very ritualistic. Show less «

Smells definitely do have a crazy impact on me.

I looked up and saw the shape of a heart made by the silhouette of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon kissin...Show more »

I looked up and saw the shape of a heart made by the silhouette of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon kissing. Show less «

But I think you can make fun of anything as long as it's funny enough.

I had a lot of depression as a kid.

I have a ton of Holocaust stuff, and some of it is really hard core.

You know, I think whatever a comic talks about onstage is all they talk about offstage.

Growing up, I always loved Disney movies, but the first movie I remember seeing is 'Sleepers,' so I ...Show more »

Growing up, I always loved Disney movies, but the first movie I remember seeing is 'Sleepers,' so I wasn't really taken to children's movies. Show less «

Earlier in my career, I was really tight, really together, and knew who I was and I was confident. I...Show more »

Earlier in my career, I was really tight, really together, and knew who I was and I was confident. I kind of feel in between now. Show less «

I'm doing a lot of stand-up, but not like when you're living in New York and you can do three sets a...Show more »

I'm doing a lot of stand-up, but not like when you're living in New York and you can do three sets a night and it's your life, and you sleep all day and you wake up and you eat with a bunch of other comics and then get ready for the night. Show less «

Traditionally, I have no right to talk about race. I'm white; I didn't grow up in an all-black neigh...Show more »

Traditionally, I have no right to talk about race. I'm white; I didn't grow up in an all-black neighborhood. But the license I see for myself is I'm a member of the world. Show less «

I tend to be more arrogant on stage. Far more ignorant. I sometimes say what I think and sometimes s...Show more »

I tend to be more arrogant on stage. Far more ignorant. I sometimes say what I think and sometimes say the opposite of what I think and the lines get blurred, but I can only hope that some kind of absolute power transcends. Show less «

I've turned down things that, I just go "I'd rather do stand-up than say this shitty exposition for ...Show more »

I've turned down things that, I just go "I'd rather do stand-up than say this shitty exposition for bad writing." It's just not fun, like "but you're a lawyer and he loves you!" Good writing doesn't need some Greek chorus in the form of a sassy friend. Show less «

[on the US-Iraq war of 2003:] "This is not the first time that Europe has been passive while a Jew-h...Show more »

[on the US-Iraq war of 2003:] "This is not the first time that Europe has been passive while a Jew-hating tyrant with a weird looking mustache killed the people by giving them gas. [Pause.] Obviously I'm talking about Chef Boyardee." Show less «

I like my messiness on stage, though I watch comics who come at a joke from every angle and I think,...Show more »

I like my messiness on stage, though I watch comics who come at a joke from every angle and I think, 'Yeah! That's how it's done!' But for me it's the audience. If I feel connected to them, I have so much fun, and if not, it stinks. Show less «

I'm always writing; I'm always jotting things down on paper or making notes in my iPhone. Then I'll ...Show more »

I'm always writing; I'm always jotting things down on paper or making notes in my iPhone. Then I'll make myself sit down and kind of shape it up, but there's really no other way to practice other than onstage. Show less «

I like my life alone. I mean, I love being with friends and I love kissing and loving someone to pie...Show more »

I like my life alone. I mean, I love being with friends and I love kissing and loving someone to pieces. But it's hard to find someone who doesn't ultimately start judging you and your choices. Men like to squash you. I just want someone who's happy with himself, happy with his life. He doesn't have to squash mine. Show less «

I was always the class clown; I made my family laugh, and that was when I was always happiest. I gre...Show more »

I was always the class clown; I made my family laugh, and that was when I was always happiest. I grew up listening to stand-up comedians' albums and watching them on TV, on The Tonight Show and Letterman. Show less «

Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman's FILMOGRAPHY

Sarah Silverman'S roles

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