Victoria Jackson

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Jan Hooks, Dolly Parton, and Jackson in a 1989 SNL sketch.

Victoria Jackson (b. August 2, 1959, in Miami, Florida) is an American comedian and actress best known as a cast member of the NBC television sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1992.

Jackson became famous for her appearances on Weekend Update with Dennis Miller, reciting poetry while doing backbends or handstands (she entered college on a gymnastics scholarship) on the desk (with Miller cracking a suggestive comment about her at the end) or, in the cases of the episode hosted by Steve Martin and another hosted by Demi Moore, singing and dancing on the Weekend Update desk. One episode (host Andie MacDowell with musical guest Tracy Chapman) had Jackson play Santa Claus' wife, Mrs. Claus, who was so lonely around the holidays that she seduces Dennis Miller in song. After many such appearances had established her character, she stopped in the middle of a poem, saying in a low, throaty voice, "I can't do it anymore. I can't do this Victoria 'airhead' thing anymore." She then removed her blonde wig to reveal a butch brunette wig underneath, announcing that she couldn't believe people thought that her goofy routine was for real, and that she would be doing serious political commentary on the show from that point onward.

Jackson also makes sporadic film appearances, including leading roles in Casual Sex? (with Lea Thompson) and UHF (with "Weird Al" Yankovic, whom she dated in 1990).

She graduated from Furman University in South Carolina after spending one year at Auburn University.

She starred in W*A*L*T*E*R, a M*A*S*H spin-off that featured Walter "Radar" O'Reilly as a St. Louis police officer. This show aired only as a pilot episode.

Jackson starred in an X-Files episode The Rain King as the unrequited love of a small town man who can control the weather.

She appeared in the Nickelodeon show Romeo!, with Lil' Romeo as the nanny, "Mrs. Rodgers." However, she was only in the series for its first two seasons, from 2003 to 2004.

Jackson is a self-proclaimed devout Christian and frequently appeared on programs such as The 700 Club and Politically Incorrect. She has also appeared in the Comedy Central series Strip Mall, in 2000. In 2005, Jackson starred in the second edition of the VH1 show Celebrity Fit Club. She also voiced Penelope in Garfield and Friends (1991-1994).

[edit] Recurring Characters on SNL

Brenda Clark from "Toonces: The Cat Who Could Drive A Car"
Jenny Baker, a Christian girl who appears on "Church Chat"
Nancy Maloney, a nightclub singer for The Jungle Room
Susan Keister, the daughter of the Keister family (played by Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks)