Biography for
Edie McClurg More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

23 July 1951, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Mini Biography

Edie McClurg began her performing career at age five with the oxymoronic Kansas City Rhythm Kids. She retired when the dance teacher was arrested on a morals charge for "dating" the tall and lissome, yet underage, star dancer in the troupe. That girl's big number culminated with a back-bend where Edie drank a soda upside down (of course).

Edie has a Master of Science from Syracuse and taught radio at the University of Missouri/Kansas City for eight years. There she re-entered the entertainment field as a DJ, newswoman and producer for the NPR affiliate KCUR-FM. Her proudest moment was portraying John Ehrlichman in Conversation 26 of the NPR national broadcast of the Nixon Tape Transcripts. Thus did Edie contribute to the peaceful overthrow of the government of an unindicted co-conspirator.

Her career-long devotion to satirical improvisation included an impressive tenure with The Groundlings. She went on to create original characters, performed on the daytime "The David Letterman Show" (1980): Mrs. Marv Mendenhall, Dot Duncan, Whirly June Pickens, Officer Jeanelle Archer, 105-year-old Edie, etc. TV has been a home to many of Edie's characters--on "The Richard Pryor Show" (1977); as Lucille Tarlek, wife of mega-obnoxious ad salesman Herb Tarlek on "WKRP in Cincinnati" (1978); and as Mrs. Poole on "Valerie" (1986).

Her movie career growth paralleled her ten years with The Groundlings. Her first film was the teen horror favorite Carrie (1976). She did several John Hughes films, including Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988) and _Curly Sue (1990)_. Offbeat cult faves are Eating Raoul (1982), Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), HBO's The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981) (TV) and Martin Mull's The History of White People in America (1985) (TV).

In more mainstream films, she received a National Media Award for her portrayal of a mentally disabled woman in Bill: On His Own (1983) (TV), starring Mickey Rooney. She's acted for Robert Redford in A River Runs Through It (1992), for Oliver Stone in Natural Born Killers (1994), for Diane Keaton in Hanging Up (2000) and she was named Best Actress of the Chicago Alternative Film Festival for her portrayal of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's mother.

A few of Edie's most recent accomplishments: "Fat Actress" (2005)' Rude Lady in Restroom, David Spade's nasty neighbor in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), Dana Carvey's mother in Sony Pictures' The Master of Disguise (2002), Jane Kaczmarek's friend in _"Malcolm in the Middle" (2000)_ (qg), guest-starring on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000), NBC's "Providence" (1999), WB's "7th Heaven" (1996), Lea Thompson's mother on "Caroline in the City" (1995) and several animation roles for TV and in features, such as The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rugrats Movie (1998) and as Dr. Flora in A Bug's Life (1998). She also did the voice of a Midwestern minivan for Pixar's Cars (2006).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Edie McClurg

Trade Mark

Often plays characters with a cheery accent.

Trivia

She was an original member of The Groundlings from 1975-1985. In the late 1980s, she studied with the Mother-Creator of all Improv Comedy, Viola Spolin and continues to improvise satiric comedy with the Spolin Players at the Second City Theatre in West Hollywood.

Her career-long devotion to satirical improvisation began with the Pitschel Players in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Then, she did a stint as one of the stand-up comediennes working for free at the Comedy Store. When she started, the other two women were Shirley V ("What's Happening!!" (1976)) and a protégé of Redd Foxx's who had woven bells into her braids.

She has a BA in Speech Education and a Master of Science from Syracuse and taught radio at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for eight years. She was Operations Manager, News Anchor, Documentary and Fine Arts Producer for NPR affiliate KCUR-FM and National Public Radio 1966-1974.

Played a secretary in both Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) and Back to School (1986) -- both school comedies opened on June 13, 1986.