Carol Leifer

Carol Leifer ( ; born ) is an American comedian, writer, and producer whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts including The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld.

She has received four Primetime Emmy nominations for The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, the 82nd Academy Awards, and the 84th Academy Awards. Leifer's inner-monologue driven, observational style is often autobiographical, encompassing subjects about her Jewish ancestry and upbringing, coming out, same-sex marriage, relationships, having been married previously to a man and now married to a woman, and parenting.

Early life Leifer was born and raised in East Williston, New York. As a child, she would frequently put on performances for her family and friends in her family's basement. Leifer recalls her family being a significant part of her fondest memories, including her father's well-known jokes amongst family and friends, as well as her brother taking her to see The Beatles in concert at Shea Stadium. She frequently credits her father as the reason she became a comic.

Career Rise to fame and early career While studying for a theater degree at Harpur College (now Binghamton University), Leifer accompanied her then boyfriend Paul Reiser to a comedy club to see him perform at the open mic night at Catch A Rising Star. In 1977, she began performing stand-up comedy and transferred to Queens College to be closer to the club scene. Later she tried performing at New York's Comic Strip and was introduced by emcee Jerry Seinfeld. The comedians with experience and skill, she became a successful comic.

She has gotten positive feedback over the years and is known for her laughing manner, witty observational comedy, and clean-cut humor. Leifer credits mentor and lifelong friend, David Letterman, with her rise to fame, having performed stand-up comedy on Late Night with David Letterman 25 times. Leifer also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Dr. Katz, Politically Incorrect, Hollywood Squares, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Her stand-up experience also includes opening for Jerry Seinfeld and Frank Sinatra.

Leifer has also performed and released several stand-up specials. Her stand-up specials, listed chronologically, are: The 8th Annual Young Comedians Show (1983) Rodney Dangerfield: Nothin' Goes Right (1987)

Writing Leifer's writing career spans several well-known shows, including Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, It's Like, You Know... and The Larry Sanders Show. She has written for the Academy Awards for most of the 21st century, as well as the 69th Annual Tony Awards.

Leifer started her comedy writing career at Saturday Night Live. Leifer was hired by Al Franken and Jim Downey to work as a writer for the popular sketch comedy show. Executive producer, Lorne Michaels did not hire Leifer directly, and that became clear. Leifer recalls her time at SNL being a great opportunity to grow and learn as a writer, but the division caused by Michaels' indifference impacted her time working there, as she recalls "it felt like being asked to play on a Beatles album by Ringo." The show received mixed reviews, saying it lacked an endearing plot and Leifer "squeezed uncomfortably into an uncomfortable sitcom."

With Mitchell Hurwitz, Leifer created and was a writer for The Ellen Show (2001). The series was negatively received and only ran one season. Leifer has also written for several television shows, such as Devious Maids, Modern Family and Rules of Engagement. Leifer's writing credits are listed below: +Writing credits Year Program Network