V
anessa
HOLLINGSHEAD
the comedy of
"Vanessa is extremely funny, has a strong, great point of view and fresh material. She's really really good and I wish her much success. She's got what it takes." - Jerry Seinfeld
about.
Vanessa's is the straight daughter of two drug-addicted, alcoholic, hippy parents. In fact her dad is the man who gave Timothy Leary his very first hit of LSD. Closer to Leary than he was to her, he'd say things like, "The three most important people in my life are 'me,' 'myself,' and 'I' -- setting the scene for some serious low self-esteem issues. But like the phoenix from the flames, Vanessa was able to rise up and turn all the wild characters from her life into comedy gold. A comic, natural story teller and accomplished actor, Vanessa has a unique repertoire of heart-felt, funny characterizations of all the people that cross her path, daily. Constantly writing new and original material, Vanessa is able to transcend a variety of audiences and always leaves them wanting more.
Having just taped her Showtime Special, Funny Women of a Certain Age, hosted by Fran Drescher, she also is on the critically acclaimed WTF Podcast hosted by Marc Maron. She's had a special on Comedy Central, performed for the troops in the Middle East, and opened for Bill Maher Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Jim Norton, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, amongst others.
Vanessa is currently writing a TV series, based on the true story of her father, called, THE DIVINE RASCAL.
Vanessa can honestly say that a cruise ship saved her life. She tells Marc what led to a comedy career in the first place after a childhood spent in communes, foster homes, and around lots of grown-ups on acid and other psychedelic drugs. Vanessa got a hot start in comedy and her big break was right in front of her, and then it all went away, followed by a crushing personal tragedy. And if it wasn't for that cruise ship, she might not be here telling this story.