#comedy ninja

In Hollywood, fame is but a fleeting thing. Not so for iconic actress, singer, and writer Sally Kellerman, who has been a force in Hollywood with a lengthy career spanning nearly 60 years! While she is most famous for her unforgettable turn as Major “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s hit MASH…

it is her work with another Houlihan that is being spotlighted at the COMEDY NINJA Film Festival. Kellerman stars in director Ellen Houlihan’s hilarious award-winning short comedy JOAN’S DAY OUT.

Kellerman was born in Long Beach, California in 1937, and attended Hollywood High School. After graduation, she dropped out of Los Angeles City College to pursue acting lessons with Jeff Coreys, who taught the likes of Jack Nicholson, Shirley Knight, and James Coburn. After her debut film REFORM SCHOOL GIRL (1957), Kellerman was a great presence in the live theater scene, starring in stage productions of Henrik Ibsen’s AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, Leslie Stevens’s THE MARRIAGE-GO-ROUND, and Michael Shurtleff’s CALL ME BY MY RIGHTFUL NAME.  During the 1960s, Kellerman landed roles in several television shows, including Dr. Elizabeth Dehner in STAR TREK (1966), and Judith Bellero in THE OUTER LIMITS opposite Martin Landau.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that Kellerman’s career really began to heat up, and it all started with her iconic role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s Palme d’Or-winning comedy MASH. Kellerman was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance. After MASH, Kellerman continued to work with Altman and starred in several of his films, such as BREWSTER MCCLOUD, PRET-A-PORTER, and his short-lived television series, GUN. Outside of her work with Altman, Kellerman has delighted audiences for decades with her ability to portray a vast array of characters. She lit up the screen as Rodney Dangerfield’s English teacher-turned-love interest in BACK TO SCHOOL, and made audiences cry of laughter as a porn star in purgatory in MEATBALLS III: SUMMER JOB.

Aside from being an actress, Kellerman keeps busy off-screen by performing as a voice-over artist, promoting global brands such as Revlon and Mercedes-Benz. She also has an incredible singing career, has cut two albums, and has worked with music industry greats Lou Adler and Norman Granz. Kellerman often collaborates on her film’s soundtracks. Last year, Kellerman’s memoir about her trials and tribulations in the entertainment biz, READ MY LIPS: STORIES OF A HOLLYWOOD LIFE, was published.

You don’t want to miss seeing Kellerman’s awesome performance (and beautiful voice!) as a retirement home prisoner searching for freedom in JOAN’S DAY OUT. Ellen Houlihan’s hilarious breakout short was an official selection of the 2013 LA Shorts Fest and debuted at the Cannes Film Festival’s Cannes Court Metrage. JOAN’S DAY OUT will be featured at the COMEDY NINJA Film Festival on May 31st at 12:00pm, as part of the DIRTY GARDENING comedy shorts program.

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