Kathy Najimy is an American actress, director, producer, comedian, and activist. She started her career as a comedian in 1986, and her pieces like “The Kathy and Mo Show” made her famous for their feminist themes.
She started acting in movies in the 1990s, and her most famous roles are in Soapdish (1991), Sister Act (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Hope Floats (1998), and The Wedding Planner (2001).
Najimy is best known for her roles as Olive Massery on the NBC sitcom Veronica’s Closet (1997–2000) and Peggy Hill on the animated series King of the Hill (1997–2010).
Najimy is an activist who often travels around the country to talk about issues like equal rights, women’s and girls’ safety and self-esteem, LGBTQ rights, and AIDS awareness.
Early Life of Kathy Najimy
Kathy Najimy was born in San Diego, California, on February 6, 1957, to Lebanese parents, Samia (Massery) and Fred Najimy, who worked at the post office. In 1946, her mother moved from Lebanon to the United States.
She was raised as a Maronite Catholic until her father died when she was 14 years old. Najimy went to Crawford High School and then San Diego State University. In 1995, he got his degree.
Personal Life of Kathy Najimy
Najimy married Dan Finnerty of The Dan Band in 1998, and the couple has one daughter, musician Samia.
Net Worth of Kathy Najimy
As of 2022, Kathy Najimy’s estimated net worth is $8 million. She earns approximately $2.5 million per year as an actress and comedian. Najimy is renowned for her notable roles in over 25 films and over 100 television series.
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Beginning of Kathy Najimy’s Career
Najimy began her acting career on stage and rose to national prominence in 1986 with “The Kathy and Mo Show,” a hugely popular comedy with feminist undertones. But this was not her first encounter with a celebrity; she had appeared on television previously.
In 1981, the young actress appeared with her family on the game show Family Feud. She received a reward of $10,000. In 1985, she also appeared as a contestant on the game show “$25,000 Pyramid.” She appeared in the television film Walls of Glass in the same year.
Breakthrough in Kathy Najimy’s Career
Kathy’s breakthrough came in 1991 when she co-hosted The Kathy & Mo Show: Parallel Lives with Mo Gaffney. In the same year, she made her debut in The Hard Way, a buddy police action drama, and The Fisher King.
In the 1992 film Sister Act, Najimy received her most renowned role as Sister Mary Patrick. She reprised her role in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit a year later. She then portrayed Mary Sanderson in the 1993 comedy-horror film Hocus Pocus, which was a commercial and critical success.
In 1994, she appeared on Ellen, a sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres, in multiple roles. In the same year, she also starred in her film with the lowest rating, It’s Pat. She then continued to switch between film and television series.
The Dark Side of The Kathy and Mo Show returned in 1995. In 1996, Bix Kronstadt cast her in the critically acclaimed role of Dr. Barbara in the medical drama Chicago Hope.
In 1997, Najimy was cast in the lead role of the sitcom Veronica’s Closet, in which he starred from 1997 to 2000. She also appeared in the anime series Hey Arnold (1997–1999) and the animated film Cats Don’t Dance as a voice actress (1997). She also provided the voice for Peggy Hill, a character in the animated series King of the Hill who won an award (1997–2010).
Even though she was in a few movies, like Nevada (1997) and Hope Floats (1997), none of them did well at the box office. But 2001 was a slightly better year for her, with movies like The Wedding Planner and Rat Race doing well at the box office.
In the 2000s, Najimy became known for her voice work on TV shows like Stuart Little and in movies like Balto III: Wings of Change, and Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!, and Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers (2006).
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In 2008, she made WALL-E, which was her most popular animated movie. Step Up 3D (2010), The Guilt Trip (2012), Descendants (2015), and Dumplin’ are some of her other well-known movies (2018).
Najimy’s career on TV has been very successful. Her TV shows Veep (2014-present), Younger (2015-present), Unforgettable (2015-2016), The President Show (2017), and Good Witch have all been praised by critics (2019).
She was in Music in 2021, a musical drama directed by Sia. She was in the Netflix Christmas romance comedy Single All the Way that same year. It started out in the top ten English-language movies on Netflix at number six.
Kathy Najimy’s in Other works
The play Gloria: A Life, written and produced by Najimy, is based on the life of activist Gloria Steinem. Najimy co-wrote and performed a series of personal monologues with Olivia Wilde, Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, and Gabourey Sidibe, among other actresses.
She is currently working on a documentary about the 53 percent of white women who supported Donald Trump in 2016. She has also performed her solo show, Lift Up Your Skirt, at venues such as the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, ICONS at Fire Island, and Feinstein’s at The Nikko.
Awards and Nominations
•Wins:
- 3 OFTA Television Awards (1998, 2001)
- 3 CableACE Awards (1995,1993)
- Annie Award (2001)
- American Comedy Award (1993)
•Nominations:
- Q Award (1996)
- OFTA Television Award (1998)
- MTV Movie Award (1993)
- Saturn Award (1994)
Kathy Najimy: A Feminist
As a proud feminist and supporter of social justice, Najimy has won a lot of awards for her tireless work for women’s, girls’, LGBT, animal, and reproductive rights.
She talks about these topics as a keynote speaker all over the country. She is now trying to end the ban on immigrants, protect reproductive rights, get rid of carriage horses in New York City, and bring back the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
Najimy also uses her fame by going on game shows to raise money for charities. In 2006, Najimy won the Grand Prize on CBS’s Gameshow Marathon. He gave $100,000 to the Girls Best Friend organization. She took part in the Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off for PETA in 2013 and came in third.
Final Words
Kathy Najimy was born in San Diego, California, on February 6, 1957. She is renowned for her notable roles in over 25 films and over 100 television series. Her estimated net worth is $8 million; she earns approximately $2.5 million per year as an actress and comedian.
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