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Jackie Hoffman (born November 11, 1960) is an American Jewish actress and stand-up comedian best known for her facially-contorting expresions, one-woman shows and rancorous comedy that often focuses on Jewish themes. She is a veteran of Chicago's famed The Second City comedy improv group.^[1]

Hoffman has performed a one-woman cabaret show and has been the lone star of the following comedy performances: "If You Call This Living," "The Kvetching Continues," "Jackie Hoffman's Hanukkah," "Jackie's Kosher Khristmas" and "Jackie's Valentine's Day Massacre," among others She is currently starring in the one woman show, "Jackie with a Z," in New York City.^[2]

In 2002, Hoffman was cast in the musical Hairspray on Broadway, playing the roles of Penny Pingleton, Gym Teacher, Matron and Denizen of Baltimore. She performed numerous roles in David and Amy Sedaris' 2001 comic play, The Book of Liz, a stint that reaped an Obie Award (Off-Broadway theatre award) for her mantle.

She has acted in the movies, Kissing Jessica Stein, Mo' Money Garden State, Down, Queer Duck: The Movie Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde and A Dirty Shame and was the voice of the Water Cooler in Robots. In addition to cameoing on the television show Curb Your Enthusiasm, she has appeared in many series, including Strangers with Candy, Hope and Faith, Ed, The Jeff Garlin Program, Starved and was the voice of Dilmom on Dilbert. She did the voice of Mary Phillips, the Talk Radio host, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Hoffman is joining the three woman comic team behind “The J.A.P. Show, Jewish American Princesses of Comedy,” which is set to open April 18, 2007 at the Actors’ Temple. She is also to play Calliope, muse of epic poetry, in the musical “Xanadu,” which opens summer 2007 on Broadway.^[3]

• At age 46, during the run of her show Regrets Only, she had to go into the hospital for a histerectomy to remove a benign tumor.^[4]
• She won the Joseph Jefferson Award, Chicago's venerable theatre award, during her eight-year tenure with the Second City troupe.^[5]
• Won an Obie Award (Off Broadway) in 2001 for playing-of-several-roles in her good friend Amy Sedaris's hilarious "The Book of Liz".^[6]*She won the 2003 Theatre World Award for her performance in Hairspray.^[7]

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