This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

The Maya Rata, also known as the Kingdom of Kelaniya, was a medieval era Sinhalese kingdom located in Western part of Sri Lanka. The capital was known as Kelaniya. The boundaries of the Kingdom of Maya Rata are Deduru Oya River from North, and Kalu River River from South.

See also[link]

• History of Sri Lanka
• List of Maya Rata monarchs
• List of monarchs of Sri Lanka

References[link]

This Sri Lankan history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Look up Maya or maya in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Maya may refer to:

Peoples, languages, numerical systems[link]

• The Maya peoples, peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America
  • Maya civilization, their historical civilization
  • Mayan languages, the family of languages spoken by the Maya
    • Yucatec Maya language, a specific Mayan language frequently referred to simply as Maya
  • Maya art, the art of the Maya civilization
  • Maya numerals, the numeral system used by the Maya civilization
  • Maya calendar, the system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization
  • Maya script, the writing system of the Maya civilization
  • Maya society, social constructs and practices of the Maya
• Badimaya language, an Aboriginal language of Australia, also known as "Parti-Maya"
• Maya language (Brazil), an unclassified language that may be related to the Panoan languages
• Ma'ya language, an Austronesian language of West Papua

Religion and mythology[link]

• Maya religion, the religious practices of the Maya peoples of parts of Mexico and Central America
  • Maya mythology, the myths and legends of the Maya civilization
• Maya (illusion), in Hinduism and Sikhism, the principal concept which manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality in the phenomenal Universe
• Mayasura, a Hindu demon often known by the name Maya
• Maya (Buddhist mental factor)
• Maya (mother of Buddha), the mother of the historical Buddha
• Mahamaya-tantra, "Great Maya tantra", a Vajrayana Buddhist Tantra & meditational deity

Historical persons or events[link]

See Maya (given name) for persons with this name.

• Battle of Maya, a 1813 battle of the Peninsular War, between British and French forces
• Maya (Egyptian) (13th century BC), the treasurer to Pharaoh Tutankhamun of Egypt
• Maya (Korean singer) (b. 1979), K-Pop singer
• Maya (musician), vocalist of Japanese visual kei band LM.C

Geographical locations[link]

• Maya, Western Australia, a location in Western Australia
• Maya, Chizhou (马衙镇), town in Guichi District, Chizhou, Anhui, China
• Maya, an alternative transliteration of Al-Mayah, a town in Libya
• Maya Biosphere Reserve, a nature reservation in northern Guatemala
• Maya Karimata, an island in West Borneo, Indonesia
• Maya Mountains, a range in Guatemala and Belize
• Maya Pass, Pyrenees, pass were the battle of Maya was fought in 1813
• Maya River, a river in the region of Sakha, Russia
• Mount Maya, a mountain in Kobe, Japan
• Yogmaya Temple in New Delhi, India

Technology[link]

• Japanese cruiser Maya of the Imperial Japanese Navy
• Japanese gunboat Maya, the lead ship of the Maya-class gunboats of the early Imperial Japanese Navy
• Maya, the NATO reporting name for Aero L-29 Delfín, a Czech military jet trainer aircraft
• Autodesk Maya, a computer program for creating 3D graphics
• Washburn Maya Signature Series, six-string electric guitars created by Washburn Guitars

Culture and art[link]

Fictional characters[link]

• Maya, the original name given to Aelita (Code Lyoko) in the TV show Code Lyoko
• Maya, the Indian DC Comics super-heroine. See Maya (comics)
• Maya, the alter ego of Marvel Comics superhero Paragon. See Paragon (comics)
• Maya, a character in Battlestar Galactica. See List of minor characters in Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
• Maya (Space: 1999), an alien character on the television series Space: 1999
• Maya the Magnificent, the title elephant of the 1966 film and 1967 Maya (TV series) scripted by Jalal Din
• Maya Amano, a player character from videogame Persona 2
• Maya the Bee, a character in a German and Czech children's book and television series
• Maya Chinn, a character from the American daytime soap opera Passions. See Minor Passions characters
• Maya Do'Urden, a sister of Drizzt Do'Urden in Forgotten Realms. See House Do'Urden
• Maya Fey, a character from the Ace Attorney videogame series. See List of characters in the Ace Attorney series
• Maya Gallo, a character in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me
• Maya Herrera, a character in the NBC drama series, Heroes
• Maya of Mirinoi, the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy. See Galaxy Power Rangers.
• Maya Santos, a character from the children's animated series Maya & Miguel
• Maya Wilkes, a character from the American sitcom Girlfriends
• Maya Fisher, a character from the HBO TV show Six Feet Under .
• Maya, one of the main characters in Redakai: Conquer the Kairu

Art, film, literature, music[link]

• Maya, a 1999 book by Jostein Gaarder
• Maya, a song by the Incredible String Band from the 1968 album Wee Tam and the Big Huge
• Maya (Banco de Gaia album), 1994 release by Banco de Gaia
• MAYA (M.I.A. album), or /\/\/\Y/\, the 2010 album by M.I.A.
• Maya (film), a 2001 film by Digvijay Singh
• Maya (1966 film), an American film starring Sajid Khan, Jay North, and Clint Walker
• Maya (TV series), a US television adventure series that ran from 1967 to 1968 and was a follow-up to the 1966 film
• The Maya Calendar and the European Agenda, a documentary film about Prodesis by Mirrormundo
• Maya TV, television channel in Honduras
• Maya Lokam, 1945 Telugu film.
• Māya Love, a 1974 song by George Harrison from his album Dark Horse
• Maya Memsaab, a 1992 Bollywood movie directed by Ketan Mehta
• Maya with Doll, a 1938 painting by Pablo Picasso of his daughter Maya
• Tamperer featuring Maya, a British pop group

Other[link]

• C.D. Maya, a football club in El Salvador
• Maya, the name for a number of different birds in various Philippine languages, including:
  • Philippine Oriole
  • Eurasian Tree Sparrow
  • Black-headed Munia
• MAYA, the acronym of the Muslim Arab Youth Association, an American Muslim organization
• MAYA, the acronym for "Most Advanced Yet Acceptable", a product design principle associated with Form follows function

See also[link]

• Mayan (disambiguation)
• Maia (disambiguation)
• Maja (disambiguation)
• Majo
• Mya (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Rata Blanca
Background information
Origin	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres	Heavy Metal Power Metal Neoclassical metal Hard Rock
Years active	1986–1997 2000–present
Members
Adrián Barilari Fernando Scarcella Walter Giardino Guillermo Sánchez Danilo Moschen
Past members
Saúl Blanch Gustavo Rowek Sergio Berdichevsky Hugo Bistolfi Gabriel Marian

Rata Blanca is a heavy metal band from Argentina formed in 1986.

Biography[link]

The band was founded by Walter Giardino after he left V8 and Gustavo Rowek another former member of V8. Rata Blanca played together for about two years before their debut on August 15, 1987 in the theater "Luz y Fuerza" in Buenos Aires. They later took part in the "Halley en Obras", along with other bands: Alakrán ("Skorpion"), JAF and Kamikaze, in 1988. That year they made their debut album with two hits: "Chico Callejero" ("Street Boy") and "El Sueño de la Gitana" ("Gypsy Woman's Dream").

In 1989, Hugo Bistolfi joined the band and then Saúl Blanch left, to be replaced by Adrián Barilari. With that arrangement, the band made its second album Magos, Espadas y Rosas ("Wizards, Swords, and Roses"), containing their classic song "Mujer amante". It was followed by "Guerrero del Arco Iris" ("Rainbow Warrior"). The band ended their contract with Polygram recording a live album, made at the Opera Theater with an orchestra,^[1] but this album was released years later. Once in BMG they made a short CD called "El Libro Oculto" ("The Hidden Book").

Both Bistolfi and Barilari decided to leave, being replaced by Mario Ian on vocals and Javier Retamozo on keyboards. With this line-up they released Entre el Cielo y el Infierno ("Between Heaven and Hell"). Later that year, they were invited to play in "Festival Monsters of Rock" in São Paulo, Brazil, along with Ozzy Osbourne, Therapy?, and Alice Cooper.^{[citation needed]}

They released yet another album with new singer Gabriel Marian and keyboard player Javier Retamozo (Hugo Bistolfi left to form the band Alianza with singer Adrian Barilari) called "Rata Blanca VII", the group disbanded in late 1997. They regrouped in 2000 (with Barilari back on vocals and Bistolfi on keyboards) to tour Latin America.

In recent years, they have released three more albums, El Camino del Fuego ("The Path of Fire") in 2002, La Llave de la Puerta Secreta ("The Key to the Secret Door") in 2005, and El Reino Olvidado ("The Forgotten Kingdom") in 2008. The lyrics to La Llave de la Puerta Secreta were inspired by The Da Vinci Code.

Wanting to gain a more international profile, Giardino approached former Rainbow singer Doogie White to record an English version of the Forgotten Kingdom album in 2009.^[2]

The band is heavily influenced by British hard rock bands like Rainbow, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, as well as by Yngwie Malmsteen.^{[citation needed]}

Walter Giardino has had successful collaborations with Spain's Mägo de Oz.^{[citation needed]}

The band's name literally means "White Rat" in English; however in South American slang, rata blanca refers to a type of firework.

Personnel[link]

Current[link]

• Walter Giardino: Guitar (1986–1997, 2000–Present)
• Guillermo Sánchez: Bass (1986–1997, 2000–Present)
• Adrián Barilari: Vocals (1989–1993, 2000–Present)
• Fernando Scarcella: Drums (2000–Present)
• Danilo Moschen: Keyboards (2010–Present)

Original[link]

• Saúl Blanch: vocals
• Walter Giardino: guitar
• Guillermo Sánchez: bass
• Gustavo Rowek: drums
• Sergio Berdichevsky: rhythm guitar

Others[link]

• Hugo Bistolfi: keyboards (1989–1993, 2000–2009)
• Mario Ian: vocals (1993–1996)
• Gabriel Marian: vocals (1996–1997)
• Doogie White: vocals on english versions (2009 -2010)
• Javier Retamozo: keyboards (1993 –1997)
• Saúl Blanch: vocals (1987, 1988–1989)
• Sergio Berdichevsky: rhythm guitar (1986–1997)
• Shito Molina: vocals (1988)
• Rodolfo Cava: vocals (1986)
• Gustavo Rowek; drums (1986–1997)
• Doogie White; vocals (2009–2010)

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Rata Blanca (1988)
• Magos, espadas y rosas (1990)
• Guerrero del Arco Iris (1992)
• El libro oculto (1993)
• Entre el Cielo y el Infierno (1994)
• Rata Blanca VII (1997)
• El Camino del Fuego (2002)
• La Llave de la Puerta Secreta (2005)
• El Reino Olvidado (2008/2009)

Live and compilation albums[link]

• En vivo en Buenos Aires (1996)
• Grandes Canciones (2000)
• Poder Vivo (2003)
• Rata Blanca & Glenn Hughes (2003)

Singles[link]

• "La Leyenda del Hada y El Mago"
• "Rata Blanca" (2001)
• "Teatro Gran Rex" (2001)
• "Highway on Fire" (2002)

Cover versions[link]

Spain's Mägo de Oz recorded a version of "Mujer amante".

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rata Blanca's official homepage
• biog and discog at MusicMight
• Videoclip: El reino olvidado
• Rata Blanca lyrics

Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez (1966-09-02) September 2, 1966 (age 45) Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico
Citizenship	American/Mexican
Occupation	Actress, director, producer
Years active	1988–present
Spouse	François-Henri Pinault (m. 2009) «start: (2009)»"Marriage: François-Henri Pinault to Salma Hayek" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Salma_Hayek)
Children	1

Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsalma ˈxaʝek]; born September 2, 1966)^[1] is a Mexican and American film actress, director and producer. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.

Early life[link]

Hayek was born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, the daughter of Diana Jiménez Medina, an opera singer and talent scout, and Sami Hayek Dominguez, an oil company executive who once ran for mayor of Coatzacoalcos.^[2][3][4] Hayek's father is of Lebanese ancestry, while her mother's ancestry is Spanish.^[5][6] Her first given name, Salma, is Arabic for "safe".^[7] Raised in a wealthy, devoutly Roman Catholic^[8] family, she was sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, at the age of twelve.^[4] While there, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.^[9] She attended college in Mexico City, where she studied International Relations at the Universidad Iberoamericana.^[4]

Career[link]

Mexico[link]

At the age of 23, Hayek landed the title role in Teresa (1989), a successful Mexican telenovela that made her a star in Mexico. In 1994, Hayek starred in the film El Callejón de los Milagros (Miracle Alley), which has won more awards than any other movie in the history of Mexican cinema.^{[citation needed]} For her performance, Hayek was nominated for an Ariel Award.^[10]

Early Hollywood acting work[link]

Hayek moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1991 to study acting under Stella Adler.^[11] She had limited fluency in English, which was attributed to her suffering from dyslexia.^[12] Robert Rodriguez and his producer and then wife Elizabeth Avellan soon gave Hayek a starring role opposite Antonio Banderas in 1995's Desperado.^[4] She followed her role in Desperado with a brief role as a vampire queen in From Dusk Till Dawn, in which she performed a table-top snake dance.

Hayek had a starring part opposite Matthew Perry in the 1997 romantic comedy Fools Rush In. In 1999, she co-starred in Will Smith's big-budget Wild Wild West, and played a supporting role in Kevin Smith's Dogma.^[4] In 2000, Hayek had an uncredited acting part opposite Benicio del Toro in Traffic. In 2003, she reprised her role from Desperado by appearing in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the final film of the Mariachi Trilogy.

Director, producer and actress[link]

Hayek at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival

Hayek and Banderas at the Puss in Boots premiere in Australia.

Around 2000, Hayek founded film production company Ventanarosa, through which she produces film and television projects. Her first feature as a producer was 1999's El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba, Mexico's official selection for submission for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars.^[13]

Frida, co-produced by Hayek, was released in 2002. Starring Hayek as Frida Kahlo, and Alfred Molina as her unfaithful husband, Diego Rivera, the film was directed by Julie Taymor and featured an entourage of stars in supporting and minor roles (Valeria Golino, Ashley Judd, Edward Norton, Geoffrey Rush) and cameos (Antonio Banderas). She earned a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her performance.^[4]

In the Time of the Butterflies is a 2001 feature film based on the Julia Álvarez book of the same name, covering the lives of the Mirabal sisters. In the movie, Salma Hayek plays one of the sisters, Minerva, and Edward James Olmos plays the Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo whom the sisters opposed.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003, Hayek produced and directed The Maldonado Miracle, a Showtime movie based on the book of the same name, winning her a Daytime Emmy Award^[14] for Outstanding Directing in a Children/Youth/Family Special.^[15] In December 2005, she directed a music video for Prince, titled "Te Amo Corazon" ("I love you, sweetheart") that featured Mía Maestro.^[16]

Hayek was an executive producer of Ugly Betty, a television series that aired around the world from 2006 to 2010. Hayek adapted the series for American television with Ben Silverman, who acquired the rights and scripts from the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea in 2001. Originally intended as a half hour sitcom for NBC in 2004, the project would later be picked up by ABC for the 2006–2007 season with Silvio Horta also producing. Hayek guest-starred on Ugly Betty as Sofia Reyes, a magazine editor. She also had a cameo playing an actress in the telenovela within the show. The show won a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series in 2007. Hayek's performance as Sofia resulted in a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.^[17]

In April 2007, Hayek finalized negotiations with MGM to become the CEO of her own Latin themed film production company, Ventanarosa.^[18] The following month, she signed a two year deal with ABC for Ventanarosa to develop projects for the network.^[19]

Hayek stars as the wife of Adam Sandler in Grown Ups, which also co-stars Chris Rock and Kevin James.^[20] At his insistence, Hayek co-starred with Antonio Banderas in the Shrek spin-off film Puss in Boots as the voice of the character Kitty Softpaws, who serves as Puss's female counterpart and love interest.^[21]

Singing credits[link]

Hayek has been credited as a song performer in three movies. The first was Desperado for the song Quedate Aquí. In Frida she performed the Mexican folk song La Bruja with the band Los Vega. She also recorded Siente mi amor, which played during the end credits of Once Upon a Time in Mexico.^{[citation needed]}

Promotional work[link]

Hayek featured on the cover of Veronica magazine, as seen here on an SUV in Amsterdam

Hayek has been a spokesperson for Avon cosmetics since February 2004.^[22] She formerly was a spokesperson for Revlon in 1998. In 2001, she modeled for Chopard and was featured in 2006 Campari adverts, photographed by Mario Testino.^[23] On April 3, 2009, she helped introduce La Doña, a watch by Cartier inspired by fellow Mexican actress María Félix.^[24]

In 2011, Hayek launched her own line of cosmetics, skincare and haircare products called Nuance by Salma Hayek, to be sold at CVS stores in North America.^[25] She was inspired to create a cosmetic line from her grandmother, who used to make her own facial care products.

Hayek was also featured in a series of Spanish language commercials for Lincoln cars.

In art[link]

In spring 2006, the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center in San Antonio, Texas displayed 16 portrait paintings by muralist George Yepes and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez of Hayek as Aztec goddess Itzpapalotl.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Hayek is a naturalized United States citizen.^[26] She studied at Ramtha's School of Enlightenment,^[27] and is a practitioner of yoga.^[28] Her brother, Sami Hayek,^[29] is a designer with his own line of products at Target^[30] and clients that include Louis Vuitton, Brad Pitt, and the Mexican Government.^[31]

On March 9, 2007, Hayek confirmed her engagement to a French billionaire and PPR CEO François-Henri Pinault as well as her pregnancy. On September 21, 2007, she gave birth to daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. On July 18, 2008, Hayek and Pinault announced the end of their engagement.^[32] They later reconciled and were married on Valentine's Day, 2009 in Paris.^[33] On April 25, 2009, they were married a second time in Venice.^[34]

In July 2011, Hayek's husband was named in a paternity case. According to reports, Pinault is the father of supermodel Linda Evangelista's four-year-old son, Augustin James. He denied all allegations,^[35][36] although the reports were later substantiated.

Activism[link]

Hayek's charitable work includes increasing awareness on violence against women and discrimination against immigrants.^{[37][dead link]} On July 19, 2005, Hayek testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary supporting reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.^[38] In February 2006, she donated $25,000 to a Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, shelter for battered women and another $50,000 to Monterrey based anti-domestic violence groups.^[39] Hayek is a board member of V-Day, the charity founded by playwright Eve Ensler.

Since the birth of her daughter, Hayek has worked to help mothers in developing nations worldwide, teaming up with Pampers and UNICEF to help stop the spread of life-threatening maternal and neonatal tetanus. She is a global spokesperson for the Pampers/UNICEF partnership 1 Pack = 1 Vaccine to help raise awareness of the program.^[40]

Hayek also advocates breastfeeding. During a UNICEF fact-finding trip to Sierra Leone, she breastfed a hungry week-old baby whose mother could not produce milk.^[41]

In 2010, Hayek's humanitarian work earned her a nomination for the VH1 Do Something Awards.^[42]

Honors and awards[link]

• Recipient of Glamour magazine Woman of the Year Award in October 2001.^[43]
• Recipient of Producers Guild of America Celebration of Diversity Award in 2003.
• Recipient of Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year Award in February 2006.^[44]
• Recipient of Time magazine 25 Most Influential Hispanics in 2005.^[45]
• Knight (Chevalier) of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (France, 30 December 2011)^[46]

In July 2007, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Hayek fourth in their inaugural Latino Power 50, a list of the most powerful members of the Hollywood Latino community.^[47] That same month, a poll found Hayek to be the "sexiest celebrity" out of a field of 3,000 celebrities (male and female); according to the poll, "65 percent of the U.S. population would use the term 'sexy' to describe her".^[48] In 2008, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television^[49] In December of that year, Entertainment Weekly ranked Hayek number 17 in their list of the "25 Smartest People in TV."^[50]

Hayek is not the only Mexican actress to succeed in Hollywood. Others include Dolores del Río, Lupe Vélez and Katy Jurado.^[51]

Filmography[link]

Event appearances[link]

• Was a member of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival jury.^[53]
• Co-hosted the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert with Julianne Moore in Oslo, Norway on December 11, 2005.^[54]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Salma Hayek

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salma Hayek

• Salma Hayek at the Internet Movie Database
• Salma Hayek at People.com
• Salma Hayek at Emmys.com

Maya Rudolph
Rudolph at the "Up All Night" Cast at Paley Center 2012
Born	Maya Khabira Rudolph (1972-07-27) July 27, 1972 (age 39) Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	Porter College, (UC Santa Cruz) B.A., 1993
Occupation	Actress, comedienne, singer
Years active	1996–present
Partner	Paul Thomas Anderson
Children	3
Parents	Minnie Riperton Richard Rudolph
Notes [1][2]

Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedienne and singer who was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and has appeared in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber. She is the daughter of R&B and soul singer Minnie Riperton and music producer/composer Richard Rudolph. Since 2011, she has co-starred in the NBC sitcom Up All Night.

Early life[link]

Rudolph was born in Gainesville, Florida. She is the daughter of soul singer Minnie Riperton and composer/songwriter/producer Richard Rudolph. Her father is Ashkenazi Jewish and her mother was African-American.^[3][4] Her paternal grandfather was Sidney Rudolph, a philanthropist who once owned all of the Wendy's and Rudy's restaurants in Dade County, FL.^[5] Her parents moved to Los Angeles when she and her brother Marc were very young, and they grew up primarily in the Westwood section.^[2]

Rudolph was in the studio with her mother on the day Riperton recorded "Lovin' You",^{[citation needed]} Near the end of the track, Riperton can be heard singing "Maya, Maya, Maya" to Rudolph. Riperton incorporated this into her performance of the song on The Midnight Special.^[6] Riperton died on July 12, 1979, at age 31, from breast cancer, just shy of Rudolph's seventh birthday.^[2] Rudolph's godmother was R&B singer Teena Marie.^[7]

Education[link]

Growing up, Rudolph attended high school at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, where she became friendly with fellow alumna Gwyneth Paltrow, and continued her education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in photography from Porter College.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] Saturday Night Live

In May 2000, Rudolph joined the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured player for the final three episodes of the 1999–2000 season, after a stint as a member of The Groundlings improv troupe, where she met future Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte.^[2]

Rudolph's characters on the show have included "Attorney Glenda Goodwin" and "Megan" from the "Wake Up, Wakefield!" sketches. Rudolph has performed impressions of Oprah Winfrey, Christina Aguilera, Condoleezza Rice, Paris Hilton, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Tyra Banks, Patti LaBelle, Beyoncé, Liza Minnelli, LaToya Jackson, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Rocsi and Marie "Free" Wright (of 106 & Park), and designer Donatella Versace.

Rudolph's musical talents were frequently employed on Saturday Night Live. She sang as Beyoncé Knowles in the Prince Show sketches, as the "Space Creature" in the Gays in Space sketches (except for the one on the Season 31 episode hosted by Peter Sarsgaard, because it aired around the time Rudolph was on maternity leave. (Friend Will Forte substituted for her during that episode.) Her ability to change her looks and her command of many accents also led to her playing an unusually wide range of ethnicities on the show, often with only a change of wigs. She has been white (Paris Hilton, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Lisa Kudrow), Asian (Lucy Liu, Lisa Ling), black (Diana Ross, Tina Turner), and Latina (Charo). As "Nooni Schoener," Rudolph, along with Fred Armisen (who, like Rudolph, is multiracial), created a couple from an unspecified Scandinavian country, who have unplaceable accents and bewilderingly foreign manners. Rudolph was also able to play male characters such as Scott Joplin, Justin Guarini, and Mario Vazquez.

Her final show was on November 3, 2007, with host Brian Williams and musical guest Feist, the last episode before the writers' strike. She returned on October 25, 2008, in a featured guest appearance as Michelle Obama and sang a duet with Kenan Thompson about Amy Poehler's newborn. She then also appeared in the 2008 Christmas episode, where she reprised her role in the sketch Bronx Beat, with Amy Poehler. She also appeared in two sketches in the 2008–2009 season finale with Will Ferrell. She appeared in a Weekend Update Thursday sketch during the fall 2009–10 season as Oprah Winfrey speaking on behalf of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. She also appeared on the show in May 2010 to perform in skits including "The Manuel Ortiz Show" with Betty White.

She returned to Saturday Night Live for the Season 36 premiere, hosted by Amy Poehler, performing the "Bronx Beat" sketch and that same season for episode 700, hosted by Tina Fey.^[9]

On February 18,2012 she returned to Saturday Night Live as a host for the first time and reprised her roles in sketches such as "Bronx Beat".

Television and film[link]

In addition to her work on Saturday Night Live, Rudolph has appeared on other television shows, including the CBS medical drama series City of Angels and Chicago Hope.

She had small parts in Chuck & Buck, Gattaca, As Good as It Gets, Duplex and Duets; she was also a music supervisor for Duets. Her first prominent film role came in 2006 with A Prairie Home Companion. Earlier, she had co-starred with Luke Wilson in the 2005 Mike Judge sci-fi comedy Idiocracy, although that film was shelved until September 2006 and then only given a limited release. She also guest starred as Rapunzel in the DreamWorks animated film Shrek the Third. She guest starred as Julia in the The Simpsons episode "The Homer of Seville". Rudolph guest starred as character Athena Scooberman in NBC's Kath & Kim, and starred in the film Away We Go with The Office star John Krasinski. In 2010, she appeared in Grown Ups starring Adam Sandler, where she played the wife of Chris Rock's character. In 2011 she appeared in Bridesmaids, together with Saturday Night Live colleague Kristen Wiig. Since 2011, she has co-starred in NBC's latest sitcom, Up All Night, with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett.

Music[link]

Prior to joining Saturday Night Live, Rudolph was backing singer (1995-1999)^[1] and briefly a keyboardist in the band The Rentals, with whom she toured for a short time.^[2] She also appears in the music videos of the songs "Waiting" and "Please Let That Be You" by the band. She sang backing vocals for "Barcelona" and "My Head Is in the Sun," both from the album Seven More Minutes. In 2004, she recorded a track with the Rentals frontman Matt Sharp, including a cover of Tegan and Sara's "Not Tonight." Rudolph also performed "Together In Pooping" and "Little Roundworm" with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Robert Smigel) on his album Come Poop With Me.

Personal life[link]

Rudolph lives with director Paul Thomas Anderson and their three children — daughters Pearl Minnie (born October 15, 2005) and Lucille (born November 6, 2009),^[10] and son Jack (born July 3, 2011).^[11]

[edit] Recurring characters on Saturday Night Live

• Appreciante
• Megan, one of the co-hosts of "Wake Up, Wakefield!"
• Jackie
• Jodi Dietz, one of the co-hosts of "Bronx Beat"
• Beertje Van Beers
• Mrs. Denmont
• Britanica of Gemini's Twin
• Leilani Burke
• Rebecca
• Cocktail Waitress
• Space Creature
• Casey
• Charli Coffee
• Glenda Goodwin
• Patti Sylviac
• Nuni Schoener

[edit] Celebrity impressions on Saturday Night Live

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maya Rudolph at the Internet Movie Database