Maureen Ann Collins (born July 7, 1965)[1] is an American actress and comedian who was a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series Mad TV. Collins became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show.
Mo Collins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maureen Ann Collins July 7, 1965 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | |
She was a cast member from the 4th season (1998) through the 9th season (2004); she only appeared in fourteen episodes during season nine due to contractual reasons. She returned to Mad TV in the 10th season for one episode, and again when she made an appearance on the 300th episode doing her popular character Lorraine Swanson. Her best known role following her departure from Mad TV was as morning talk show host Joan Callamezzo on the sitcom Parks and Recreation.
The nickname Mo was first given to Collins by the football/drama coach of her junior high school whom she credits with introducing her to improv comedy.[2]
Career
editMad TV
editCollins joined the cast of Mad TV at the beginning of season four and stayed until the end of season nine, though only appeared in 14 episodes during the ninth season. Her popular stint on the show led her to come back to guest star in 2005 during Season 10, in 2007 during the 300th episode on season 13, the final episode of season 14 in 2009 and the 20th anniversary reunion special in 2016.
Her most featured and arguably most popular characters were Doreen, the screechy-voiced mother of overgrown toddler Stuart (when Mo Collins left the show, Doreen was written off as being asleep after her latest alcoholic bender or never mentioned); the odd, annoying, confused middle-aged woman Lorraine, and the perpetually unlucky Trina.
Collins also did a multitude of celebrity impressions, including Pamela Anderson, Sandra Bullock, Barbara Bush, Bobbie Battista, Cher, Hillary Clinton, Courteney Cox, Paige Davis, Celine Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Judy Garland (as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz), Jennifer Garner, Jenilee Harrison, Katherine Harris, Mary Hart, Teri Hatcher, Goldie Hawn, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anne Heche, Catherine Hicks (as Annie from 7th Heaven), Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson, Allison Janney, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Jenny Jones, Jane Kaczmarek (as Lois on a Malcolm in the Middle parody called Malcolm X in the Middle), Alex Kingston, Andrea Koppel, Jewel, Dina Lohan, Andie MacDowell, Madonna, Penny Marshall (as herself and as Laverne DeFazio from Laverne & Shirley), Audrey Meadows, Mary Tyler Moore (in several "modern-day spin" parodies of The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Alanis Morissette, Cynthia Nixon, Sharon Osbourne, Pink, Diane Sawyer, Maria Shriver, Shakira, Martha Stewart, Emily Strayer, Vonda Shepard, Sally Struthers, Concetta Tomei, Marisa Tomei, Shania Twain and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Other work
edit- She has performed her one-woman show, Mo vs. Mo, in various cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago.[3][4]
- Collins played in the fourth Hollywood Home Game edition of the World Poker Tour for the weSPARK Cancer Support Center. She placed 4th and won $2,500.[5][6]
- She performed with Streetmosphere at the (formerly named) Disney-MGM Studios in the Hollywood Public Works.[2]
- She voices Jan Ors in the Star Wars: Dark Forces: The Collector's Trilogy audio drama.
Personal life
editWhile attending St. Catherine University for visual arts, Collins was asked to leave in response to an act of graffiti she and her fellow art program friends had committed.[2]
Collins is in remission from a rare form of cancer known as gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). She was diagnosed in spring 2011 when she noticed an odd lump in her abdomen. Collins said, "I would have done nothing about it. I was 44, feeling healthy, everything was going great for me, but my fiancé, Alex said, ‘You need to get it checked out’". Collins learned she had a primary tumor in her duodenum and was able to find a doctor who knew enough about GIST to know that she needed to see a specialist.[7]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Jingle All the Way | Mother on Phone | |
| 2003 | Detective Fiction | Jennifer Hannan | |
| 2004 | Jiminy Glick in Lalawood | Sharon | |
| 2005 | The 40-Year-Old Virgin | Gina | |
| 2006 | Danny Roane: First Time Director | Deidra Fennigan | |
| Puff, Puff, Pass | Linda | ||
| 2007 | Cook Off! | Van Rookle Farms Housewife | |
| Knocked Up | Female Doctor | ||
| Cougar Club | Cindy Conrad | ||
| Carts | Hilda | ||
| 2009 | Flying By | Kate | |
| 2011 | Division III: Football's Finest | Georgia Anne Whistler | |
| 2014 | Break Point | Barry's Mom | |
| 2015 | Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts | Dispatch / Distinguished Woman | Direct-to-video |
| 2016 | Dirty Grandpa | Officer Finch | |
| 2017 | McDick | Molten Lava | |
| 2022 | My Babysitter the Super Hero | Kate | |
| 2023 | Red, White and Blue | Margo the Female Diner | Short |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–2016 | Mad TV | Various | 155 episodes |
| 2000 | The Geena Davis Show | Tammy | Episode: "What I Like About You" |
| As Told by Ginger | Nurse | Episode: "Hello Stranger" | |
| 2000–2010 | Family Guy | Little Girl / Ms. Hobson / Kim Cattrall | 4 episodes |
| 2001 | Just Shoot Me! | Robin | Episode: "The Gift Piggy" |
| Ally McBeal | Flight Attendant | Episode: "The Getaway" | |
| Primetime Glick | Various | ||
| 2001–2003 | Invader Zim | Zita / RoboMom / Dib's Computer | 13 episodes |
| 2003 | Less than Perfect | Toni St. George | Episode: "Claude the Terminator" |
| 2004 | Girlfriends | Naisa Johnson | Episode: "New York Unbound" |
| The Fairly OddParents | Ma Speevak | Episode: "Crash Nebula" | |
| Six Feet Under | Nancy Freymire | Episode: "Can I Come Up Now?" | |
| Fat Actress | Female Prison Guard | Episode: "Holy Lesbo Batman" | |
| 2004–2005 | Arrested Development | Starla | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Joey | Ms. Lafferty | Episode: "Joey and the ESL" |
| 7th Heaven | Ellen | Episode: "Chicken Noodle Heads" | |
| Higglytown Heroes | Science Fair Judge | Episode: "Kip Gets Swing Fever/Wayne's Pieces of Gold" | |
| 2005, 2017 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | The Nurse / Lisa Thompson | 2 episodes |
| 2005–2008 | King of the Hill | Ella / Melinda / Ms. Clark | 4 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | iTeacher | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Californication | Victoria | Episode: "Turn the Page" |
| 2007 | Frangela | Dr. Judy Green | Television film |
| 2008 | Pushing Daisies | Sister Larue | Episode: "Bad Habits" |
| 2008 | Chocolate News | Cindy Chamberlain | Episode #1.5 |
| 2008 | According to Jim | Emily | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | David's Situation | Celine | Television film |
| 2009 | The Goode Family | Checker / Lucy | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2009 | Modern Family | Denise | Episode: "En Garde" |
| 2009–2020 | Parks and Recreation | Joan Callamezzo | 20 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | Men of a Certain Age | Laura | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | Love Bites | Nurse Sue | Episode: "Too Much Information" |
| 2011 | Suburgatory | Trish Shay | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
| 2011 | Chuck | Colonel Caroline Haim | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Santa Suit" |
| 2012 | The Life & Times of Tim | Police Officer | Episode: "Pudding Boy/The Celebrity Who Shall Remain Nameless" |
| 2012 | Phineas and Ferb | Additional voices | Episode: "The Mom Attractor/Cranius Maximus" |
| 2012 | Ave 43 | Joy Maybower | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Pound Puppies | Jen / Lenore / Pat | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Greatest Event in Television History | Ruth | Episode: "Bosom Buddies" |
| 2014 | Sullivan & Son | Lilly | Episode: "Everybody Loved Frank" |
| 2014–2015 | Sheriff Callie's Wild West | Various | 30 episodes |
| 2015 | Other Space | Helen Woolworth | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Pig Goat Banana Cricket | Feral Ann / Sally Salad / Beautiful Woman | Episode: "Gauntlet of Humiliation" |
| 2015 | Fresh Off the Boat | Christa | Episode: "The Big 1-2" |
| 2015 | Clash-A-Rama! | Villager / Healer / Female Wallbreaker | 4 episodes |
| 2015–2021 | F Is for Family | Various | 39 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Lady Dynamite | Susan | 14 episodes |
| 2017 | Workaholics | Bianca Toro | Episode: "Bianca Toro" |
| 2017 | Cassandra French's Finishing School | Judi | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Downward Dog | Kim | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2017 | Ghosted | Monica Yates | Episode: "The Machine" |
| 2017, 2019 | The Stinky & Dirty Show | Tractor-Sue | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2022 | Puppy Dog Pals | Various | 29 episodes |
| 2018 | American Dad! | Darlene McKinnon | Episode: "The Census of the Lambs" |
| 2018 | Ghostwriter | Publisher | Episode: "Change Everything" |
| 2018 | Please Understand Me | Maureen | Episode: "Fred & Mo" |
| 2018 | Teachers | Tanya | Episode: "Step by Stepsister" |
| 2018 | Happy Together | Alarm System | Episode: "Home Insecurity" |
| 2018–2020 | Dream Corp LLC | Patient 30 | 2 episodes |
| 2018–2022 | Fear the Walking Dead | Sarah Rabinowitz | 28 episodes |
| 2020 | Single Parents | Lucy Cooper | Episode: "The Angle-Man" |
| 2020 | Lorraine | Lorraine | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Close Enough | Jojo | Episode: "Prank War/Cool Moms" |
| 2023 | Not Dead Yet | Jane Marvel | Episode: "Not a Tiger Yet" |
| 2023 | Grey's Anatomy | Jessica's Mother | Episode: "Training Day" |
| 2024 | Spidey and His Amazing Friends | Poppy | Episode: "Bubble Trouble/Rainy River Run" |
References
edit- ^ a b "Mo Collins". AllMovie. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Logan Cummins (July 13, 2021). "The Lull Isn't a Bad Place to Be ft. Mo Collins". The Fast Friends Podcast (Podcast). Event occurs at 5:54; 7:33; 9:07. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ "Comedy Central Stage at the Hudson". Comedy Central. June 2004. Archived from the original on June 6, 2004. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "SNL, MADtv acts among 110 performing at eighth annual Chicago Improv Festival now through May 1". | Reel Chicago - At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production. April 22, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ "WPT HOLLYWOOD HOME GAME IV".
- ^ "MO COLLINS". WPT. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Kristoff, Erin (April 1, 2013). "Who's laughing now? Actress Mo Collins uses humor in her battle with GIST". liferaftgroup.org. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2014.