MIMI KENNEDY is a sought after American actress. Her acting career spans decades of television, theater and film. To see a complete list of Mimi’s film & television credits visit her IMDB page.
Born in Rochester, N.Y., she first fell in love with acting as a child in the community theater. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband of over 40 years, Larry Dilg; an actor, educator and musician. They have two grown children, two grandchildren and an adorable dog.
TELEVISION:
Mimi Kennedy has been an active presence on our tv screens since the 1970’s. Her most notable TV roles are Marjorie Armstrong on MOM and Abby O’Neil on Dharma & Greg.
For 8 seasons Kennedy portrayed the much beloved character, Marjorie on the hit Chuck Lorre comedy MOM on CBS. She garnered a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series before becoming a series regular in Season 2. This was the second pairing of Kennedy and Lorre; she played ‘Abby O’Neil’ on the hit 90’s television series DHARMA & GREG for five seasons. Dharma & Greg is currently available to stream on Hulu. All 8 seasons of MOM are currently airing in syndication and on multiple streaming platforms.
Her television debut was on “3 Girls 3,” a musical-variety mini-series also starring Debbie Allen and Ellen Foley. The New York Times declared it a hit, however it sadly only aired 4 episodes. You can view all 4 episodes on Mimi’s YouTube channel. “3 Girls 3” was quite an introduction to Hollywood allowing her the opportunity to play opposite Bob Hope, Carl Reiner, Flip Wilson, and Steve Martin (in his prime-time TV debut.)
Regular TV sitcom series roles followed throughout the 70’s and 80’s, most notably as Stockard Channing’s sister in “Just Friends”and co-starring with comedy legend Peter Cook in “The Two of Us.” The 1990’s started with Kennedy in a dramatic role portraying a slightly darker side of the affluent wasp type she had portrayed on sitcoms previously. As Queen-B Ruth Sloan on “Homefront,” she netted another American Television Critics nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. In the 2000’s she recurred as CIA Director and House Minority Leader in HBO’s “The Brink” and “Veep,” respectively.
Recent television roles included guest arcs on Grace & Frankie , The Goldbergs , and In The Dark.
STAGE:
Kennedy ignited her acting career on stage opposite TV legend Sid Caesar in Neil Simon’s “Last Of The Red Hot Lovers,”along with Doris Roberts, who became a friend and mentor.
Kennedy was active in the NYC theatre scene in the 1970’s, cast in plays like Jim Steinman’s “Das Rheingold” and Andy Warhol’s “Pork” – a role she left due to reasons recounted in her mid-life memoir “Taken to the Stage: The Education of an Actress.” Steinman would become a life-long friend and Warhol, at least in her case, would be proven wrong about fame. She achieved some that has lasted longer than 15 minutes. Her Broadway debut was as the Pink Lady Jan in the original run of “Grease.” She was also a member of the original touring production of the “National Lampoon Show.”
Her stage career did not end when Hollywood came calling. She has performed the 1-woman play about newspaper advice columnist Ann Landers at both the Pasadena and Cleveland Playhouses. In 2013 she wrote and starred in a 1-woman play about suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage.
Mimi returned to the stage in March of 2023 as Pru Payne in the world premiere at Arizona Theatre Company.
FILM:
Her most notable films include “In the Loop,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Pump Up the Volume,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Man in the Chair,” and “The Five-Year Engagement.”
Recent releases include the Tony Hale comedy “Eat Wheaties!” and the feel good film “Saving Paradise.” Upcoming film releases include “Going Places” and “Scrambled.”