Lorne Michaels
Born	November 17, 1944 (1944-11-17) (age 63) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Awards won Emmy Awards Writing in a Comedy Series 1974 Lily

Lorne Michaels (born November 17, 1944) is a Canadian Emmy-winning television producer, writer and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 107 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... An Emmy Award. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An Emmy Award. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ... SNL redirects here. ...

Biography

Born Lorne David Lipowitz in Toronto, Ontario, Michaels began his career as a writer and broadcaster for CBC Radio ^[1]. He moved to Los Angeles from Toronto in 1968 to work as a writer for Laugh-In and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show. During the late 1960s, Michaels married Rosie Shuster, who later worked with him on Saturday Night Live as a writer^[2]. She was the daughter of Frank Shuster, one half of the famous comedy team, Wayne and Shuster. Michaels and Shuster were divorced in 1980. Michaels was the eldest of the Lipowitz children. He has a sister, Barbara Lipowitz, who currently resides in Toronto and a brother, Mark Lipowitz, who passed away from a brain tumor. Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 107 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... CBC Radio is the English language radio division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ... Rowan & Martins Laugh-In was a United States comedy television show broadcast from January 22, 1968 through 1973 over the NBC Network. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wayne and Shuster was a Canadian comedy duo formed by Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. ... Wayne and Shuster were a Canadian comedy duo formed by Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. ...

Saturday Night Live

In 1975, Michaels co-created (with fellow NBC employee Dick Ebersol and president of the network Herb Schlosser) the TV show "NBC's Saturday Night", which in 1977 changed its name to "Saturday Night Live." The show, which is performed live in front of a studio audience, immediately established a reputation for being cutting edge and unpredictable. It became a vehicle for launching the careers of some of the most successful comedians in North America, including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy (who was on the Dick Ebersol produced Saturday Night Live during Michaels' absence), Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, Chris Rock, David Spade, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan and Tina Fey. Duncan Dick Ebersol (born July 28, 1947 in Torrington, Connecticut) is an American radio and TV manager. ... SNL redirects here. ... For other uses, see Chevy Chase (disambiguation). ... John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, actor and musician, notable for his work on Saturday Night Live, National Lampoons Animal House and The Blues Brothers. ... Daniel Edward Aykroyd CM (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Canadian/American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and musician. ... Gilda Susan Radner (28 June 1946 – 20 May 1989) was an American comedienne and actress, best known for her five years as part of the original cast of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. ... William James Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and BAFTA-winning American comedian and actor. ... For other uses, see Eddie Murphy (disambiguation). ... Duncan Dick Ebersol (born July 28, 1947 in Torrington, Connecticut) is an American radio and TV manager. ... Phil Hartman (September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American Emmy Award-winning writer as well as an actor, voice artist, comedian and graphic artist. ... This article is about the actor. ... Dana Thomas Carvey (born April 2, 1955, in Missoula, Montana) is an American actor and comedian best known for his work on Saturday Night Live and the spin-off movie Waynes World. ... Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American Emmy Award-winning comedian, political commentator, television personality, and talk radio host. ... Christopher Julius Rock III[5] (born February 7, 1965)[6][7] is an Emmy Award winning American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. ... David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an Emmy-Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actor, comedian, television personality who gained fame in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. ... Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American comedian and actor. ... Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, musician, screenwriter, and film producer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... John William Ferrell (born July 16, 1967)[1] is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American comedian, actor and writer who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and has since gone on to a successful film career, starring in the comedies A Night at the... Christopher Lee Kattan (born October 19, 1970) is an American comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. ... Elizabeth Stamatina Tina Fey (b. ...

Originally the producer of the show, Michaels was also a writer and later became executive producer. He occasionally appears on-screen as well, where he's known for being very deadpan. However, during the October 28, 2006 episode, Michaels laughed at himself after mispronouncing "Kazakhstan" while introducing Borat. Throughout the show's history, SNL has been nominated for more than 80 Emmy Awards and has won 18. It has consistently been one of the highest-rated late-night television programs. Michaels has been with SNL for all seasons except for his hiatus in the early 1980s (seasons 6-10). is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Sacha Baron Cohen character Borat. For the movie, see Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. ... An Emmy Award. ...

His daughter Sophie once appeared in an episode during the show's 30th season hosted by Johnny Knoxville during the monologue where Lorne introduces Johnny Knoxville to his daughter and Sophie shocks Knoxville with a taser.

Perhaps Michaels' best known appearance occurred in the first season when he offered the Beatles $3000.00 - a deliberately paltry sum - to reunite on the show. ^[3] He later upped his promise to $3200, but the money was never claimed. According to an interview in Playboy magazine, former Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney happened to be in New York City that night and saw the show. They very nearly went, but changed their minds as it was getting too late to get to the show on time, and they were both quite tired by that point. In 2000, VH1 produced a television movie entitled Two of Us, which offered a fictionalized account of this event. The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, entrepreneur, painter, record producer, film producer, and animal-rights activist. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994 and VH1: Music First until 2003) is an American digital television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently... Two of Us is a 2000 television drama (and the third original VH1 film [1]) which offers a fictionalized account of 24 April 1976 (six years after the break-up of The Beatles), the day in which Lorne Michaels made a statement on Saturday Night Live offering The Beatles $3000. ...

Despite the program's success, he has been known to have had combative relationships with several cast members, and is generally portrayed by media onlookers as a harsh but evidently effective boss. An example of the harshness is his rather active disdain of improvisation during the performances of SNL. This is somewhat ironic, as many performers on SNL over the years have had extensive background and training in improvisational comedy. The disdain on Michaels' part may be due in no small part to the fact that the scripts tend to be worked on extensively through the week for the skits, and any deviation or improvisation is seen by Michaels as affecting the flow and timing of the show.

Other work

Michaels started Broadway Video in 1979, producing such shows as The Kids in the Hall. Broadway Video is an American independent entertainment company started by Lorne Michaels. ... The Kids in the Hall was a Canadian sketch comedy group, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin MacDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. ...

During his SNL hiatus, Michaels created another sketch show entiltled The New Show, which debuted on Friday nights in prime time on NBC in January 1984. It was critically panned and was a failure in the ratings which led to its cancellation after only 2 months. The New Show was a comedy sketch show produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels,which ran for only one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. ...

In the 1980s, Lorne Michaels appeared in an HBO mockumentary titled The Canadian Conspiracy about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities, with Lorne Greene as the leader of the conspiracy. Michaels was identified as the anointed successor to Greene. For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary)[1], a portmanteau of mock and documentary, is a film and TV genre, or a single work of the genre. ... The Canadian Conspiracy is an HBO/CBC mockumentary from 1985 about the way the Canadian government is subverting the United States by taking over its media. ... Lorne Greene in his role as Ben Cartwright in Bonanza Lorne Greene as Commander Adama in Battlestar Galactica Lorne Greene O.C., LL.D. (February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor best known for two iconic roles on American television. ...

Gilda Live is an American film released in 1980. ... Nothing Lasts Forever is a 1984 movie staring a number of high profile Hollywood actors. ... ¡Three Amigos! is a 1986 comedy western film, produced by George Folsey, Jr. ... Waynes World is a 1992 comedy film starring Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, hosts of a cable access television show (called Waynes World) from Aurora, Illinois. ... The Coneheads was originally a sketch on Saturday Night Live which starred Dan Aykroyd as father Beldar, Jane Curtin as mother Prymaat and Kristen Kilpatrick as daughter (Connie). The Coneheads were an alien family, natives of the planet Remulak, who found themselves stranded on Earth. ... Waynes World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a cable access television show from Aurora, Illinois. ... Lassie is a 1994 adventure family film directed by Daniel Petrie and featuring the fictional collie Lassie. ... For the record company, see Tommy Boy Records. ... Stuart Saves His Family is a 1995 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, and based on a series of popular Saturday Night Live sketches from the early-to-mid 1990s. ... This article is about the 1996 comedy film. ... Brain Candy (aka Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy) is a feature film by The Kids in the Hall, a popular Canadian comedy troupe. ... A Night at the Roxbury is a 1998 comedy film based on a recurring skit on televisions long-running Saturday Night Live. ... Movie poster for the Ladies Man The 2000 release is a film comedy that stars actor, comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows. ... Enigma is a 2001 film set in World War II. It stars Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet and is based on a novel of the same title by Robert Harris. ... Mean Girls is a 2004 film directed by Mark Waters (Freaky Friday), written by (and co-starring) Tina Fey and stars Lindsay Lohan with Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert and featured several Saturday Night Live cast members, including not only Tina Fey but also Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer... Hot Rod is a Paramount Pictures movie written by Pam Brady and directed by Akiva Schaffer; starring Andy Samberg, Sissy Spacek, Jorma Taccone, Will Arnett, Danny R. McBride, Ian McShane, Isla Fisher, and Bill Hader. ... SNL redirects here. ... All You Need Is Cash (also known as The Rutles) is a 1978 television film that traces (in mockumentary style) the career of a British rock group called The Rutles. ... Mr. ... The New Show was a comedy sketch show produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels,which ran for only one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. ... Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. ... For the Chicago rap group see Kidz in the Hall. ... Late Night with Conan OBrien is an Emmy Award-winning American late night talk show that is syndicated worldwide. ... Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn was a talk show on Comedy Central. ... This article is about the TV series. ...

Honors

In 1999, Michaels was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. The Television Academy Hall of Fame was founded by a former president of the Television Academy, the late John H. Mitchell, to honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to television. ...

In 2002, Michaels was made a member of the Order of Canada for lifetime achievement^[4], and awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seal of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means (those) desiring a better country (Hebrews 11. ... Buskers perform on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ...

In 2003, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

In 2004, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts^[5], the first non-American to earn this honour.^{[citation needed]} Speaking at the awards ceremony, original Saturday Night Live cast member Dan Aykroyd described Michaels as "the primary satirical voice of the country." The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is awarded by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts annually since 1998. ... The Kennedy Center as seen from the Potomac River. ... Daniel Edward Aykroyd CM (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Canadian/American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and musician. ...

In Canada, Michaels also received a 2006 Governor General's Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.^[1] The Governor Generals Awards are named in honour of Canadas Governor General, and are presented in a number of fields. ...

Michaels in popular culture

Dr. Evil, a character in Mike Myers' Austin Powers films, has been rumored to be partly based on Michaels.^[6] Myers has denied the rumors, saying that the two share only a voice. Dr. Evil is a fictional supervillain played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

Mark McKinney of the comedy team, The Kids in the Hall has stated that his character, Don Roritor, the president of Roritor Pharmaceuticals in the film Brain Candy, is based on Lorne Michaels. Mark Douglas Brown McKinney (born June 26, 1959) is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for his work in the long-running sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. ... For the Chicago rap group see Kidz in the Hall. ... Brain Candy (aka Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy) is a feature film by The Kids in the Hall, a popular Canadian comedy troupe. ...

Michaels was played by Ari Cohen in the 2002 TV movie Gilda Radner: It's Always Something.

In a 2008 interview with Playboy Magazine, Tina Fey has admitted that Alec Baldwin's character on 30 Rock is inspired by her old boss, Lorne Michaels.

Personal life

Michaels has two sons, Henry and Edward, and a daughter, Sophie. He has been married three times, first to Rosie Shuster (1973; div. 1980), then to model Susan Forristal (1984; div. 1987), and currently to his former assistant Alice Barry (1991 to present).

References

The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... For the news website, see msnbc. ...

External links

• Official website
• The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television "Saturday Night Live"
• Lorne Michaels at the Internet Movie Database
• Broadway Video productions from Internet Movie Database
• Signature and Picture of Lorne Michaels