Editing Gilda Radner

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Short description|American actress and comedian (1946–1989)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Gilda Radner
| image              = Gilda Radner - 1980.jpg
| alt                = Radner scratching her head
| caption            = Radner as [[Roseanne Roseannadanna]] in 1980
| birth_name         = Gilda Susan Radner
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1946|6|28}}
| birth_place        = [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1989|5|20|1946|6|28}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actress|comedian}}
| years_active       = 1972–1989
| spouse             = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|[[G. E. Smith]]|1980|1982|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|[[Gene Wilder]]|1984<!--Omission per Template:Marriage instructions-->}}}}
| relatives          = [[Steve Ballmer]] (2nd cousin)
}}

'''Gilda Susan Radner''' (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress and comedian. She was one of the seven [[Saturday Night Live cast members|original cast members]] of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the [[NBC]] [[sketch comedy]] series ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' from its inception in [[Saturday Night Live (season 1)|1975]] until her departure in [[Saturday Night Live (season 5)|1980]]. In her sketches on ''SNL'', she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. She also played various original characters. In 1978, Radner won an [[Emmy Award]] for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show ''Gilda, Live'' on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1979 and later [[Gilda Live|on film]] in 1980.

After leaving ''Saturday Night Live'', she appeared in various films, including three with her future husband [[Gene Wilder]], with whom she first appeared in 1982's ''[[Hanky Panky (1982 film)|Hanky Panky]].'' She also worked on stage, appearing in the play ''Lunch Hour'' with [[Sam Waterston]] in 1980. She also continued to work on network and premium cable television, making appearances on [[Lorne Michaels]]' ''[[The New Show]]'' and ''[[It's Garry Shandling's Show]]''.

She died of [[ovarian cancer]] in 1989. Shortly before her death, she published her autobiography ''It's Always Something,'' which dealt frankly with her life, work, and personal struggles, including her struggles with the illness. Her widower, [[Gene Wilder]], carried out her wish that information about her illness would be used to help other people living with cancer, founding—and inspiring the founding of—organizations that emphasize early diagnosis, attention to hereditary factors, and support for cancer patients. 

Posthumously, Radner won a [[Grammy Award]] in 1990, was inducted into the [[Michigan Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1992, and received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 2003. Other comedians have cited Radner as an influence on their work.

==Early life==
Radner was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Jewish parents Henrietta (née Dworkin), a legal secretary, and Herman Radner, a businessman.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fighting for Life|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF566CE73772D91&p_field_direct-0=document_id |work=Los Angeles Daily News|date=July 11, 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/41/Gilda-Radner.html|title=Gilda Radner profile|website=Film Reference|access-date=March 11, 2009}}</ref> In Radner's autobiography, she stated, "I was named after my grandmother whose name began with ''G'', but 'Gilda' came directly from [[Gilda (film)|the movie]] with [[Glenn Ford]] and [[Rita Hayworth]]."<ref>{{cite book|author=Radner, Gilda|title=It's Always Something|url=https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=1989|page=[https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn/page/92 92]|isbn=978-0-671-63868-9}}<br />Note:<br />Radner's mother's mother's name was Golda. The 1946 Rita Hayworth movie ''Gilda'' was released a few months before Radner was born.</ref>  Through her mother, Radner was a second cousin of business executive [[Steve Ballmer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980125/2730718/microsofts-heir-apparent|title=Business – Microsoft's Heir Apparent – Steve Ballmer|website=Seattle Times Newspaper|access-date=September 10, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064018/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980125&slug=2730718|url-status=live}}</ref> She grew up in Detroit and spent the winters in [[Miami Beach, Florida]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's Always Something |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-671-63868-9 |location=New York, NY |pages=112 |language=en}}</ref> along with the family's nanny, Elizabeth Clementine Gillies, whom she called "Dibby" (and upon whom she based her famous character [[Emily Litella]]),<ref name=CBC90>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/television/clips/16242|access-date=January 24, 2009 |title=Michaels and Radner talk SNL|publisher=[[CBC Television]]|work=[[90 Minutes Live]]|date=February 2, 1978}}</ref> and an older brother, Michael. She attended the [[University Liggett School]] in Grosse Pointe Woods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni Arts Hall of Fame |url=https://uls.org/alumni/alumni-arts-hall-of-fame-honorees/ |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=University Liggett School}}</ref>

In her autobiography, ''It's Always Something'', Radner wrote that during her childhood and her young adulthood, she battled numerous [[eating disorder]]s: "I coped with stress by having every possible eating disorder from the time I was nine years old. I have weighed as much as 160 pounds and as little as 93. When I was a kid, I overate constantly. My weight distressed my mother and she took me to a doctor who put me on [[Dextroamphetamine|Dexedrine]] diet pills when I was ten years old."<ref>{{cite book|author=Radner, Gilda|title=It's Always Something|url=https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn |url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=1989|page=[https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn/page/97 97]|isbn=978-0-671-63868-9}}</ref>

Radner was close to her father, who operated Detroit's Seville Hotel, where many nightclub performers and actors stayed while they were performing in the city.<ref name="saltman">{{cite book|author=Saltman, David|title=Gilda: An Intimate Portrait|location=Chicago |publisher=Contemporary Books|date=1992}}</ref> He took her on trips to New York to see [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] shows.<ref name="obit" /> As Radner wrote in ''It's Always Something'', when she was 12, her father developed a [[brain tumor]]. The first symptoms came on suddenly: he told people that his glasses were too tight.<ref name="Radner, Gilda 1989, p. 99">{{cite book|author=Radner, Gilda|title=It's Always Something |url=https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=1989|page=[https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn/page/99 99]|isbn=978-0-671-63868-9}}</ref> Within days, he was bedridden and he was also unable to communicate, and he remained in that condition until he died two years later.<ref name="Radner, Gilda 1989, p. 99" /> Radner said of her father, "My dad was real funny ... he loved to sing ... and tap dance. I feel that some part of my father is back alive in me, back doing what he always wanted to do."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Unterbrink |first=Mary |title=Funny women: American comediennes ; 1860 - 1985 |publisher=McFarland |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-89950-226-7 |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=160 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1964, Radner graduated from Liggett and enrolled at the [[University of Michigan]] at [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]].<ref name="JenniferDavis">{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Jennifer |title=The Story Behind 'Love, Gilda' |url=http://alumnus.alumni.umich.edu/story-love-gilda/ |access-date=October 4, 2019 |date=June 2018 |publisher=Michigan Alumnus |archive-date=October 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002153511/http://alumnus.alumni.umich.edu/story-love-gilda/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sources vary on what she majored in; Radner said in her autobiography she majored in public speaking,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's always something |date=1989 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-671-63868-9 |location=Sydney ; New York |pages=115 |language=en}}</ref> while other sources said she majored in drama<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hinds |first=Julie |title=Film about Detroit-born comedy great Gilda Radner gets hometown premiere |url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2018/06/08/gilda-radner-detroit-hometown-love-gilda-documentary/680761002/ |access-date=January 25, 2025 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref> or education.<ref name="MHOF">{{cite web |title=Gilda Radner |url=http://www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org/Images/Radner,%20Gilda.pdf |website=michiganwomenshalloffame.org |publisher=[[Michigan Women's Hall of Fame]] |access-date=October 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118170016/http://www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org/Images/Radner,%20Gilda.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> While in college, Radner did weather reports at [[WCBN-FM|WCBN]], the university's radio station.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Littleton |first=Darryl J. |title=Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady |publisher=Applause |others=Tuezdae Littleton |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-55783-842-1 |location=Milwaukee |pages=158 |language=en}}</ref> According to her friend [[David Saltman]] in his book ''Gilda: An Intimate Portrait,'' she would report on the weather in humorous ways, such as imitating a radio static.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saltman |first=David |title=Gilda : An Intimate Portrait |publisher=Contemporary Books |year=1992 |isbn=0809241021 |location=Chicago, Ill. |pages=51 |language=en}}</ref> She also took part in theater productions both on and off campus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saltman |first=David |title=Gilda: An Intimate Portrait |publisher=Contemporary Books |year=1992 |isbn=0809241021 |location=Chicago, Ill. |pages=54 |language=en}}</ref>

==Career==
In her senior year at the University of Michigan, Radner dropped out<ref name="something">{{cite book|author=Radner, Gilda|title=It's Always Something|url=https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn|url-access=registration|location= New York|publisher= Simon & Schuster|date= 1989|isbn=9780671638689}}</ref> to follow her boyfriend, Canadian sculptor [[Jeffrey Rubinoff]], to [[Toronto]]. Radner was quoted in 1973 as saying that Toronto was "the answer to my dreams. It's a young city, open to new ideas and there are incredible opportunities for creative people."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Michelmore |first=Bill |date=December 31, 1973 |title=Americans Dash to Canada to Escape Fear |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-americans-dash-to-can/162868227/ |access-date=January 12, 2025 |work=Detroit Free Press |pages=4}}</ref> There, she made her professional acting debut in the 1972 production of ''[[Godspell]]'', with future stars [[Eugene Levy]], [[Andrea Martin]], [[Victor Garber]], [[Martin Short]], and [[Paul Shaffer]]. Afterward, Radner joined [[The Second City]] comedy troupe in Toronto. She had one line of dialogue as a Buddhist group member in the 1973 film ''[[The Last Detail]]'', starring [[Jack Nicholson]] and future film luminaries [[Randy Quaid]], [[Carol Kane]], and [[Michael Moriarty]]. She also appeared on various children's shows on [[CBC Television|CBC]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saltman |first=David |title=Gilda : An Intimate Portrait |publisher=Contemporary Books |year=1992 |isbn=0809241021 |location=Chicago, Ill. |pages=106 |language=en}}</ref>

From 1974 to 1975, Radner was a featured player on the ''[[The National Lampoon Radio Hour|National Lampoon Radio Hour]]'', a comedy program syndicated to some 600 U.S. radio stations. Fellow cast members included [[John Belushi]], [[Chevy Chase]],<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|title=The National Lampoon Radio Hour| url= https://www.npr.org/2003/11/17/1505048/the-national-lampoon-radio-hour |website= [[NPR]].org|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref> [[Richard Belzer]], [[Bill Murray]], [[Brian Doyle-Murray]], and [[Rhonda Coullet]].<ref name=":1" />

===''Saturday Night Live''===
[[File:Saturday night live welch radner 1976.JPG|alt=Radner, as Emily Litella, with Raquel Welch|thumb|Radner, as [[Emily Litella]], with [[Raquel Welch]] in 1976]]
Radner gained wide recognition in 1975 as one of the original "[[Not Ready for Prime Time Players]]," the freshman cast of the first season of ''Saturday Night Live''. She was the first performer to be cast in the show,<ref name="obit"/> choosing the show over doing ''[[The David Steinberg Show]]'' in Canada.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Shales |first1=Tom |title=Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests |last2=Miller |first2=James Andrew |publisher=Back Bay Books |year=2015 |isbn=9780316295062 |edition=Revised |location=New York, NY |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Doug |title=Saturday night. A backstage history of Saturday Night Live |last2=Weingrad |first2=Jeff |publisher=Beech Tree Books |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-688-05099-3 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=54 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2018 |title=The Lost Roles of Gilda Radner -- Vulture |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/the-lost-roles-of-gilda-radner.html |access-date=January 26, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731174928/https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/the-lost-roles-of-gilda-radner.html |archive-date=July 31, 2018 }}</ref> Radner co-wrote much of the material that she performed and collaborated with [[Alan Zweibel]] (of the show's writing staff) on the development of sketches that featured her recurring characters.<ref name="zweibel">{{cite book|author=Zweibel, Alan|title=Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner| url= https://archive.org/details/bunnybunnygildar00zwei|url-access=registration| location= New York|publisher= Villard|date= 1994|isbn= 9780679430858}}</ref> Between 1975 and 1980, she created many characters, such as the obnoxious personal advice expert [[Roseanne Roseannadanna]] (modeled after a New York reporter, [[Rose Ann Scamardella]]) and "Baba Wawa", a parody of [[Barbara Walters]]. After Radner's death, Walters noted in an interview that Radner had been the "first person to make fun of news anchors, now it's done all the time."<ref>{{YouTube|LQvRFrpKi-0|Barbara Walters being interviewed about Gilda Radner }}</ref>

{{Quote box |quote = "Of the three female [''SNL''] cast members, Gilda Radner made the deepest impact. There is hardly a female sketch comic today who does not claim Radner as an inspiration for her comedy career."|source = Yael Kohen,<br />author, ''We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy''<ref>{{cite book|author=Kohen, Yael|title=We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy|publisher= Macmillan |date=2012|pages= 107–108}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/we-killed-by-yael-kohen.html |title=Funny Women|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 30, 2012}}</ref>|fontsize = 95% |width = 25% |align = left|bgcolor = Cornsilk|}}

Another of Radner's invented characters was [[Emily Litella]], an elderly, hard of hearing editorialist who made irate, misinformed comments in interview sketches on ''SNL'''s recurring ''[[Weekend Update]]'' segment.<ref name="obit"/> Radner also parodied celebrities such as [[Lucille Ball]], [[Patti Smith]], and [[Olga Korbut]] in ''SNL'' sketches.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Littleton |first=Darryl J. |title=Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady |publisher=Applause |others=Tuezdae Littleton |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-55783-842-1 |location=Milwaukee |pages=158 |language=en}}</ref> In 1978, she won an [[Emmy Award]] for her work on ''SNL''.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Gilda Radner |url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/gilda-radner |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>

Radner battled [[Bulimia nervosa|bulimia]] while on the show. She had a relationship with fellow ''SNL'' and ''National Lampoon'' castmate [[Bill Murray]], which reportedly ended badly, though few details of their relationship or its end were made public. In her autobiography, Radner mentioned Murray only once, and in passing: "All the guys [in the ''National Lampoon'' group of writers and performers] liked to have me around because I would laugh at them till I peed in my pants and tears rolled out of my eyes. We worked together for a couple of years creating ''[[The National Lampoon Show]],'' writing ''[[The National Lampoon Radio Hour]],'' and even working on stuff for the magazine. Bill Murray joined the show and Richard Belzer..."<ref>{{cite book|author=Radner, Gilda|title=It's Always Something |url= https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn|url-access=registration|location= New York|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date= 1989 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/itsalwayssomethiradn00radn/page/100 100–101]|isbn=9780671638689}}</ref>

In 1979, the new president and CEO of NBC, [[Fred Silverman]], offered Radner a primetime variety show, but she turned down the offer, not wanting to add another five years to her contract and not wanting to leave ''SNL''.<ref name="something" /><ref name=":2" /> That same year, she was a host of the [[Music for UNICEF Concert]] at the [[United Nations General Assembly]].<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/10/archives/pop-stars-join-to-tape-benefit-for-unicef.html|title=Pop: Stars Join to Tape Benefit for UNICEF|last=Rockwell|first=John|date=January 10, 1979|work=The New York Times|access-date= February 23, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Radner also gave the commencement address, in character as Roseanne Roseannadanna, to the 1979 graduating class at the [[Columbia School of Journalism]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://journalistfightclub.blogspot.com/2008/04/roseanne-roseannadanna-vs-columbia.html|title=Roseanne Roseannadanna vs. Columbia School of Journalism| website=Journalist Fight Club |date=April 3, 2008}}</ref>

Radner reportedly expressed mixed emotions about being recognized and approached in public by fans and other strangers. ''SNL'' historians Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad said she became "angry when she was approached, and upset when she wasn't".<ref name="history">Hill, Doug and Jeff Weingrad. ''Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live''. New York: Beech Tree Books. 1986.</ref>

===Broadway show===
In 1979, Radner appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in a successful one-woman show, ''Gilda Radner – Live from New York''.<ref name="ibdb">{{IBDB name|5910}}</ref> The show featured material that was racier than NBC censors would allow on ''Saturday Night Live'', such as the song "Let's Talk Dirty to the Animals." The same year, shortly before Radner's final season on ''Saturday Night Live'', her Broadway show was filmed by [[Mike Nichols]] and released with the title ''[[Gilda Live]]''. It co-starred [[Paul Shaffer]] and [[Don Novello]], and screened in theaters nationwide in 1980, but was a box-office flop. A soundtrack album was also commercially unsuccessful.

== Post ''Saturday Night Live'' career ==

=== Roles in films ===
In 1980, Radner's contract with ''SNL'' expired<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Haas |first=Al |date=September 20, 1980 |title=Gilda Radner fightening self by embarking on acting career |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-lima-news-gilda-radner-fightening-se/164588645/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=The Lima News |pages=21}}</ref> and she left the show, along with Lorne Michaels and the rest of the cast.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lifton |first=Dave |date=May 24, 2020 |title=40 Years Ago: Last Original Cast Members Leave 'SNL' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/last-original-snl-cast-members/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}</ref> After leaving, Radner pursued new acting opportunities.<ref name=":5" />

Radner's first film after leaving the show was 1980's ''[[First Family (film)|First Family]]'', with [[Bob Newhart]] and [[Madeline Kahn]], in which Radner played the sexually frustrated daughter of the [[President of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Unterbrink |first=Mary |title=Funny women: American comediennes, 1860-1985 |publisher=McFarland |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-89950-226-7 |location=Jefferson, N.C |pages=162 |language=en}}</ref> The film was unsuccessful.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Ronald L. |title=Who's who in comedy: comedians, comics, and clowns from vaudeville to today's stand-ups |date=1992 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=978-0-8160-2338-7 |location=New York |pages=388 |language=en}}</ref> In 1982, she appeared in the [[Sidney Poitier]] directed film ''[[Hanky Panky (1982 film)|Hanky Panky]]'', alongside [[Gene Wilder]]. Subsequently, she would appear in two more films with Wilder, 1984's [[The Woman in Red (1984 film)|''The Woman in Red'']], and 1986's ''[[Haunted Honeymoon]].'' The three films were not particularly successful, though ''The Woman in Red'' performed adequately at the box office, and had the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] winning song "[[I Just Called to Say I Love You]]" by [[Stevie Wonder]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Killoran |first=Ellen |title=Gene Wilder: The Gilda Radner Years |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenkilloran/2016/08/29/gene-wilder-the-gilda-radner-years/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> In her autobiography, Radner described ''Hanky Panky'' as "not-too-successful,"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's Always Something |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-671-63868-9 |location=Sydney ; New York |pages=15 |language=en}}</ref> ''The Woman in Red'' as "a nice enough success,"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's Always Something |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-671-63868-9 |location=Sydney ; New York |pages=31 |language=en}}</ref> and ''Haunted Honeymoon'' as "a bomb....a box-office disaster."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's Always Something |date=1989 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-671-63868-9 |location=Sydney ; New York}}</ref>

Radner's ''SNL'' castmate [[Laraine Newman]] said in a 2018 interview that she believed Radner's movie career had turned out to be mostly disappointing.<ref name="jweekly1">{{Cite news|url= https://www.jweekly.com/2018/09/20/love-gilda-reveals-the-pain-and-persistence-behind-the-laughter/| title='Love, Gilda' reveals the pain and persistence behind the laughter|last=Fox|first=Michael|date=September 20, 2018|work=The Jewish News of Northern California|access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref> According to Newman, this was because directors and producers did not know how to cast Radner in roles where her talents could best shine. "The specific nature of her talent was she did characters, and she would probably have been better served if she had taken part in writing the things that she did," Newman asserted. "But I don't think it occurred to her. If she and Alan Zweibel had collaborated on a feature, it might have been a whole different thing."<ref name="jweekly1" />

=== Other work ===
Outside of film, Radner continued to work in different mediums. In 1981, Radner began appearing, with [[Sam Waterston]] in the [[Jean Kerr]] play ''Lunch Hour''. They played two people whose spouses are having an affair, and who, in retaliation, begin an affair of their own consisting of lunch-hour trysts.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hischak |first=Thomas S. |title=American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1969–2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-512347-0 |pages=176 |language=en}}</ref> The show ran for more than seven months, playing in various US theaters, including the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] in Washington, D.C. Newspaper critics, including [[Tom Shales]], praised both the play and Radner's performance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=October 3, 1980 |title=Good as Gilda |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/10/03/good-as-gilda/c96b73c8-4804-47df-b073-ebb1acee6892/ |access-date=January 30, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 1983, she, along with Alan Zweibel, wrote ''Roseanne Roseannadanna's "Hey Get Back to Work!" Book''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's Always Something |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-671-63868-9 |location=Sydney ; New York |pages=19 |language=en}}</ref> She continued to work on television, as well. In 1984, Radner appeared on an episode of Lorne Michaels' ''[[The New Show]]'', a sketch comedy show featuring [[Valri Bromfield]], [[John Candy]], and [[Dave Thomas (actor)|Dave Thomas]] among others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SCTV Guide - After SCTV - The New Show |url=https://www.sctvguide.ca/episodes/as_newshow.htm |access-date=February 10, 2025 |website=www.sctvguide.ca}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
[[File:Gene Wilder - Gilda Radner.jpg|thumb|right|Radner with Gene Wilder in 1986]]
After breaking up with Jeffrey Rubinoff, Radner had an on-again-off-again relationship with [[Martin Short]] while both were appearing in ''Godspell''. Radner had romantic involvements with several ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates, including [[Bill Murray]] (after a previous romance with his brother [[Brian Doyle-Murray]]) and [[Dan Aykroyd]]. Radner's friend Judy Levy recounted Radner saying she found ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' hard to watch since the cast included so many of her ex-boyfriends: Aykroyd, Murray, and [[Harold Ramis]].<ref>{{cite AV media | people=D'Apolito, Lisa (Director) | date=2018 | title=Love, Gilda }}</ref> Radner was married to musician [[G. E. Smith]] from 1980 to 1982; they met while working on her Broadway show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gesmithmusic.com/about/|title=Bio|date=May 13, 2010}}</ref> The two lived in [[The Dakota]] building in [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Radner |first=Gilda |title=It's Always Something |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1989 |isbn=9780671638689 |edition= |pages=121 |language=en}}</ref> After the [[Murder of John Lennon|shooting]] of [[John Lennon]] in 1980 and the death of [[John Belushi]] in 1982, Radner moved to [[Stamford, Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saltman |first=David |title=Gilda: An Intimate Portrait |publisher=Contemporary Books |year=1992 |isbn=0809241021 |location=Chicago, Ill. |pages=208 |language=en}}</ref>

Radner met actor [[Gene Wilder]] on the set of ''[[Hanky Panky (1982 film)|Hanky Panky]]'', when the two worked together on the production of the film. She described their first meeting as "[[love at first sight]]".<ref name="something"/> After she met Wilder, her marriage to Smith deteriorated. Radner made a second film with Wilder, ''[[The Woman in Red (1984 film)|The Woman in Red]]'' (released in 1984), and their relationship deepened. The two were married on September 18, 1984, in [[Saint-Tropez]].<ref name="something"/> They made a third film together, ''[[Haunted Honeymoon]]'', in 1986<ref name="something"/> and remained married until her death in 1989. She discovered that she was pregnant during the filming of ''Haunted Honeymoon'', but miscarried early in the pregnancy.

Details of Radner's eating disorder were reported in a book about ''Saturday Night Live'' by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad,<ref name="history" /> which was published and received much media coverage during a period when Radner was consulting various doctors in Los Angeles about symptoms of an illness she was suffering that turned out to be cancer.

==Illness==
In 1985, while she was on the set of ''[[Haunted Honeymoon]]'' in the United Kingdom, Radner began to feel severe fatigue, and she also began to feel severe pain in her upper legs. She sought medical treatment, and for a period of 10 months, various doctors, most of them in Los Angeles, gave her several diagnoses but all of them turned out to be wrong; meanwhile, she continued to feel pain.<ref name="something" />

During those 10 months, she also faced hardships such as the publication of Hill and Weingrad's highly publicized book about ''Saturday Night Live'', which contained many details about her eating disorder<ref name="history" /><ref name="something" /> as well as the financial failure of ''Haunted Honeymoon'', which had only grossed $8,000,000 in the United States, entering the box-office-returns ranking at number 8, then slipping to 14 the following week.

Finally, on October 21, 1986, Radner was diagnosed with [[Cancer staging|stage IV]] [[ovarian cancer]].<ref name="something" /><ref name="cr">{{cite web|author= Song, Jenny| url= http://www.crmagazine.org/archive/spring%202009/Pages/AmericasFunnyGirl.aspx|title=America's Funny Girl|website=CRMagazine.org|date=Spring 2009|access-date=April 1, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160910065324/http://www.crmagazine.org/archive/spring%202009/Pages/AmericasFunnyGirl.aspx|archive-date=September 10, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> She immediately underwent surgery and had a hysterectomy.<ref name="cr" /> On October 26, surgeons removed a grapefruit-size tumor from her abdomen. Radner then began [[chemotherapy]] and [[radiation therapy]] treatment, as she wrote in ''It's Always Something'', and the treatment caused extreme physical and emotional pain.<ref name="something" />

After her diagnosis, the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' ran the headline "Gilda Radner In Life-Death Struggle" in its following issue. Without asking for her comment,<ref name="something" /> the editors of the publication asserted that she was dying. Radner wrote in ''It's Always Something'':
{{Blockquote|They found an old photo of me looking frightened from a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch and blew that up to make the point. What they did probably sold newspapers, but it had a devastating effect on my family and my friends. It forced Gene [Wilder] to compose a press release to respond. He said that I had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, had surgery, and my prognosis was good. The ''Enquirer'' doesn't like good news, so the Gilda Radner story stopped running.<ref name="something"/>}}

Radner saw her ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates one last time at [[Laraine Newman]]'s 36th birthday party (in March 1988).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Daval |first1=Malina |title=Laraine Newman Reflects on Her Life, Career in Memoir 'May You Live in Interesting Times' |url= https://variety.com/2021/tv/spotlight/laraine-newman-reflects-on-her-life-career-in-memoir-may-you-live-in-interesting-times-1234922031/ |website= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=March 5, 2021 |access-date=July 25, 2022}}</ref> According to Bill Murray,<ref>{{cite book|last=Shales|first=Tom|title=Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live| year= 2010 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn= 978-0-316-73565-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNDb1d2i9KkC&q=Gilda%20got%20married%20and%20went%20away&pg=PT318}}</ref> when he heard she was about to leave the party, he and [[Dan Aykroyd]] carried her around the Los Angeles house where the party was held so that she could say goodbye to everyone, and so that she wouldn't leave, as described by Bill Murray in detail in the book "Live from New York."

===Remission===
After Radner was told that she had gone into [[Remission (medicine)|remission]], she wrote ''It's Always Something'' (a catchphrase of her character [[Roseanne Roseannadanna]]),<ref name="something" /> which included details of her struggle with the illness. ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' did a March 1988 cover story on her illness, titled "Gilda Radner's Answer to Cancer: Healing the Body with Mind and Heart." 

Wanting to return to television, Radner [[List of It%27s Garry Shandling%27s Show episodes#Season 2 (1987–88)|guest-starred]] on ''[[It's Garry Shandling's Show]]'' on March 18, 1988, unannounced, mentioning on-camera that a cancer diagnosis and treatment explained the long hiatus in her entertainment career. According to Alan Zweibel, Radner had been nervous about appearing on the show, worrying that she had been out of the spotlight so long that no one would remember her. When she appeared on-camera, she received loud applause. This was Radner's final TV appearance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=VanHooker |first=Brian |date=May 23, 2023 |title=Founding 'Saturday Night Live' Writer Alan Zweibel Remembers Gilda Radner's Final TV Appearance |url=https://www.cracked.com/article_38108_founding-saturday-night-live-writer-alan-zweibel-remembers-gilda-radners-final-tv-appearance.html |access-date=January 26, 2025 |website=Cracked.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Hoglund |first=Andy |date=February 26, 2019 |title=Alan Zweibel Looks Back on Working With Gilda Radner and His Other SNL Friends |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/alan-zweibel-snl-gilda-radner-interview.html |access-date=January 26, 2025 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref> After the appearance, HBO president [[Michael J. Fuchs|Michael Fuchs]] discussed the possibility of giving Radner a new show created by Zweibel and Shandling.<ref name=":4" />

Radner was scheduled to host an episode of ''Saturday Night Live'' [[Saturday Night Live (season 13)|in the spring of 1988]], which would have made her the first female former cast member to host the show, but the [[1988 Writers Guild of America strike|writers' strike]] forced production to shut down before the end of the season.<ref>{{cite web |last= Evans| first= Bradford |url= https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/the-lost-roles-of-gilda-radner.html|title=The Lost Roles of Gilda Radner|website=[[NYMag.com]]|date=March 22, 2012|access-date=June 24, 2021}}</ref>

===Recurrence, death, and ''SNL'' response===
In September 1988, after tests showed no signs of cancer, Radner went on a [[maintenance chemotherapy]] treatment to prolong her remission, but three months later, in December, she learned that the cancer had returned.<ref name="cr" />

On May 17, 1989, she was admitted to [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles to undergo a [[CT scan]]. She was given a sedative and lapsed into a coma during the scan.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gilda-radner-club_b_2366303|title=Gilda Radner Remembered|last1=Karras|first1=Steven |date=January 6, 2013|website=HuffPost |language=en|access-date=November 22, 2019}}</ref> She did not regain consciousness and died three days later, on May 20, 1989; Wilder was at her side. The cause of death was [[ovarian cancer]].<ref name="obit">{{cite news|author=Hevesi, Dennis |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFD81230F932A15756C0A96F948260 |title=Gilda Radner, 42, Comic Original Of 'Saturday Night Live' Zaniness|newspaper=The New York Times|date= May 21, 1989}}</ref>

News of Radner's death broke as [[Steve Martin]] was rehearsing for his guest-host role on that night's season finale of ''Saturday Night Live''. The show's performers and crew, including [[Lorne Michaels]], [[Phil Hartman]], and [[Mike Myers]] (who had, in his own words, "fallen in love" with Radner after playing her son in a [[BC Hydro]] commercial on Canadian television and considered her the reason he wanted to be on ''SNL''),<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/mike-myers/biography/86?page=2|title=Mike Myers biography|website=Talktalk.co.uk|access-date=July 26, 2014}}</ref> had been unaware of the severity of Radner's condition. 

Martin abandoned his opening monologue, and he tearfully introduced a video clip of a 1978 sketch in which he and Radner had parodied [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Cyd Charisse]] in the well-known dance routine ''Dancing in the Dark'' from ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Shales |first1=Tom |title=Live from New York : the complete, uncensored history of Saturday Night Live as told by its stars, writers, and guests |last2=Miller |first2=Andrew James |publisher=Back Bay Books |year=2015 |isbn=9780316295062 |edition=Revised |location=New York, NY |pages=349–350 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Ronald L. |title=Who's who in comedy: comedians, comics, and clowns from vaudeville to today's stand-ups |publisher=Facts on File |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-8160-2338-7 |location=New York |pages=388 |language=en}}</ref> After the clip, Martin said it reminded him of "how great she was, and of how young I looked. Gilda, we miss you."<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2018 |title=SNL Transcripts: Steve Martin: 05/20/89: Steve Martin's Monologue - SNL Transcripts Tonight |url=https://snltranscripts.jt.org/88/88tmono.phtml |access-date=February 10, 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Finke |first=Nikki |date=1989-05-22 |title=Gilda's Final Gift: A Tale of Courage |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-05-22-vw-463-story.html |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> [[G. E. Smith]], Radner's first husband, who was ''Saturday Night Live'''s bandleader, wore a [[black armband]] throughout the episode.

Radner was interred at Long Ridge Union Cemetery in [[Stamford, Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fame and Fortune Laid to Rest - The New York Times > N.Y. / Region > Slide Show > Slide 4 of 15 |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/26/nyregion/1026cemetery_4.html |access-date=January 25, 2025 |website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Cedars-Sinai West.jpg|alt=|thumb|Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hosts the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center.]]

=== Legacy in comedy ===
In ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s February 2015 appraisal of all 141 ''SNL'' cast members to date, Radner was ranked ninth in importance. "[Radner was] the most beloved of the original cast," they wrote. "In the years between Mary Tyler Moore and ''Seinfeld's'' Elaine, Radner was the prototype for the brainy city girl with a bundle of neuroses."<ref>{{cite news |date=February 26, 2015 |title=''SNL'' cast members |magazine=Rolling Stone |page=32 |issue=1229}}</ref>

Radner has been cited as an influence by many writers and comedians such as [[Lena Dunham]], [[Melissa McCarthy]], [[Amy Poehler]], and [[Maya Rudolph]]. At the premiere for the documentary film ''[[Love, Gilda]]'', [[Tina Fey]] said "She was our equivalent to [[Michelle Obama]]. She was so lovely and she was so authentically herself and so regular in so many ways … We all saw that and said: 'I wanna do that.'"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Freeman |first=Hadley |date=May 7, 2019 |title='She was our Michelle Obama': how Gilda Radner changed comedy for ever |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/07/she-was-our-michelle-obama-how-gilda-radner-changed-comedy-for-ever |access-date=January 25, 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== Legacy in cancer awareness and treatment ===
Radner's death helped raise awareness of the early detection of ovarian cancer and the connection to familial epidemiology.<ref>Squires, Sally. "Fighting Ovarian Cancer: Doctors Don't Know Who Is At Risk and Why", ''The Washington Post'', May 30, 1989.</ref> The media attention in the two years after Radner's death led to registry of 450 families with familial ovarian cancer at the Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry, a research database registry at [[Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center]] in [[Buffalo, New York]]. The registry was renamed the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry (GRFOCR) in 1990 and renamed the Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About The Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry|url=https://www.roswellpark.org/ovarian-cancer-registry/about-registry<!--&#124;url-status=live-->|access-date=May 17, 2021 |publisher=[[Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center]]}}</ref> In 1996, Wilder and Registry founder Steven Piver, one of Radner's medical consultants, published ''Gilda's Disease: Sharing Personal Experiences and a Medical Perspective on Ovarian Cancer''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Piver |first1=M. Steven |last2=Wilder |first2=Gene |date=1996 |title=Gilda's Disease: Sharing Personal Experiences and a Medical Perspective on Ovarian Cancer |location=Amherst, NY |publisher=Prometheus Books |isbn=9781573920896 |oclc=34753362}}</ref>

Wilder established the Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Program at [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center|Cedars-Sinai]] to screen high-risk candidates (such as women of [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi Jewish descent]]) and to run basic diagnostic tests. He testified before a Congressional committee that Radner's condition had been misdiagnosed and that if doctors had inquired more deeply into her family background they would have learned that her grandmother, aunt, and a cousin had all died of ovarian cancer, and therefore they might have attacked the disease earlier.<ref>Wilder, Gene. "Why Did Gilda Die?" ''People'' magazine, June 3, 1991.</ref>
[[File:Gilda's Club New York City.jpg|alt=Picture of Gilda's Club location in New York City|thumb|Gilda's Club location in New York City]]
In 1991, [[Gilda's Club]], a network of affiliated clubhouses where people living with cancer, their friends, and families, can meet to learn how to live with cancer, was founded by Joanna Bull, Radner's cancer [[Psychotherapy|psychotherapist]], along with Radner's widower, [[Gene Wilder]] (also a cancer survivor) and broadcaster [[Joel Siegel]] (who would die in 2007 following a long battle with colon cancer). The first club opened in New York City in 1995. The organization took its name from Radner's comment that cancer gave her "membership to an elite club I'd rather not belong to".<ref>{{cite web|title=Gilda's Club Twin Cities: Who We Are |publisher=Gilda's Club Twin Cities |url=http://www.gildasclubtwincities.org/whoweare/faqs|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150320050552/http://www.gildasclubtwincities.org/whoweare/faqs|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 20, 2015|access-date=November 28, 2012}}</ref>

Many Gilda's Clubs have opened across the United States and in Canada. In July 2009, Gilda's Club Worldwide merged with [[The Wellness Community]], another established cancer support organization, to become the Cancer Support Community (CSC).<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://journals.lww.com/oncology-times/Fulltext/2009/04100/Wellness_Community___Gilda_s_Club_May_Merge.5.aspx|title=Wellness Community & Gilda's Club May Merge |journal=Oncology Times |date=2009 |volume=31 |issue=7 |pages=8–10|doi=10.1097/01.COT.0000350347.90229.05 |access-date=November 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/blog.showIndex/susanmcclure/2009/12/14/Gildas-Club-and-The-Wellness-Community-Join-Forces|title=Gilda's Club and The Wellness Community Join Forces|first=Susan|last=McClure|date=December 14, 2009|access-date=November 28, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207185410/http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/merging-to-increase-mission-impact-3966|archive-date=December 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/merging-to-increase-mission-impact-3966 |title=Merging to Increase Mission Impact |work=The NonProfit Times |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207185410/http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/merging-to-increase-mission-impact-3966 |archive-date=December 7, 2012}}</ref> As of 2012, more than 20 local affiliates of Gilda's Club were active. Although some local affiliates of Gilda's Club and The Wellness Community have retained their names, many affiliates have adopted the name Cancer Support Community following the merger.<ref name=":0" />

=== Other tributes ===
In 1997, ''Bunny , Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Romantic Comedy'', [[Alan Zweibel]]'s play about his friendship with Radner (based on his memoir with the same name) ran for 73 performances at New York's [[off-Broadway]] [[Lucille Lortel Theatre]]. [[Paula Cale]] played Gilda, [[Bruno Kirby]] played Zwiebel, and all the other roles (more than twenty) were played by [[Alan Tudyk]] in his New York stage debut (a feat for which he won the [[Clarence Derwent Award]]).[http://www.iobdb.com/production/385]<ref name="avclub">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/alan-tudyk-on-never-playing-the-same-role-twice-except-1798270141|title=Alan Tudyk on never playing the same role twice—except that one time|first=Sonia|last=Saraiya|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=July 7, 2014|access-date=July 7, 2014|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917111558/https://www.avclub.com/alan-tudyk-on-never-playing-the-same-role-twice-except-1798270141|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2002, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] dedicated a three-hour block of programming to Radner. The evening kicked off with a one-hour special, ''Gilda Radner's Greatest Moments''. Hosted by ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' alumnus [[Molly Shannon]], the special featured highlights from her career and appearances by friends and co-stars [[Victor Garber]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Eugene Levy]], [[Steve Martin]], [[Paul Shaffer]], [[Lily Tomlin]], and [[Barbara Walters]]. It was followed by a television movie about her life: ''Gilda Radner: It's Always Something'', starring [[Jami Gertz]] as Radner.

In 2007, Radner was featured in ''Making Trouble'', a film tribute to female Jewish comedians produced by the [[Jewish Women's Archive]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Deming|first=Mark|title=Making Trouble: Three Generations of Funny Jewish Women|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/400302/Making-Trouble-Three-Generations-of-Funny-Jewish-Women/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826033126/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/400302/Making-Trouble-Three-Generations-of-Funny-Jewish-Women/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 26, 2012|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2012|access-date=April 14, 2012}}</ref>

In 2015, for the [[Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special|''Saturday Night Live'' 40th Anniversary Special]], Radner was honored with other deceased cast and crew members over the show's history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gerard |first=Jeremy |date=February 16, 2015 |title='SNL 40': Bill Murray Claims Top Honors For Mixed-Bag Walk Down Memory Lane – Review |url=https://deadline.com/2015/02/snl-40-bill-murray-paul-simon-kanye-west-1201374409/ |access-date=January 26, 2025 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, during the ''[[Weekend Update]]'' segment, [[Emma Stone]] played Roseanne Roseannadanna as a tribute to Radner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Derschowitz |first=Jessica |date=February 16, 2015 |title="Saturday Night Live": 10 top moments from the 40th anniversary special - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saturday-night-live-10-top-moments-from-the-40th-anniversary-special/ |access-date=January 26, 2025 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Actress [[Ella Hunt]] portrays Radner in the 2024 film ''[[Saturday Night (2024 film)|Saturday Night]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=January 26, 2024|title='SNL 1975' Movie Finds Its Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin & Laraine Newman|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/snl-1975-jane-curtain-laraine-newman-gilda-radner-1235805534/|work=Deadline|location= |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref> In 2025, for SNL's 50th anniversary, her co-stars Newman and [[Jane Curtin]] held up a photograph of her during the "farewell" segment of the show.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frick |first=Evelyn |date=2025-02-18 |title=The Original Women of SNL Made Sure Gilda Radner Was at SNL50 |url=https://www.heyalma.com/the-original-women-of-snl-made-sure-gilda-radner-was-at-snl50/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Hey Alma |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
Radner won an [[Emmy Award]] for "Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music" for her performance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in 1978.<ref name=":3" /> She posthumously won a [[Grammy Award]] for "Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Recording" in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gilda Radner {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/gilda-radner/9788 |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> In 1992, Radner was posthumously inducted into the [[Michigan Women's Hall of Fame]] for her achievements in arts and entertainment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gilda Radner |url=https://miwf.org/celebrating-women/michigan-womens-hall-of-fame/gilda-radner/ |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=Michigan Women Forward |language=en-US}}</ref>[[File:GildaRadner-walkoffame.jpg|thumb|right|Radner's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]]]Producer/actor James Tumminia spearheaded a campaign to dedicate a posthumous star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] to Radner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ricci |first=Severino |date=March 24, 2024 |title=Navigating Hollywood: Insights from Producer and Actor James Tumminia |url=https://www.italy2california.com/en/2024/california-en/producer-and-actor/ |access-date=January 26, 2025 |website=Italy2California |language=en-US}}</ref> On June 27, 2003, Radner received her star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chad |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Gilda Radner |url=https://walkoffame.com/gilda-radner/ |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' alumna [[Molly Shannon]] (and the host of the ABC special) served as Master of Ceremonies at the induction ceremony at which [[Laraine Newman]], Gilda's Club founder Joanna Bull, and Radner's brother, Michael F. Radner, presented the honor.

Parts of West [[Houston Street]] in New York City, Lombard Street in Toronto, and Chester Avenue in White Plains, New York, have been renamed "Gilda Radner Way". The private road off Kirk Road in [[Warminster Township, Pennsylvania]], leading to the Cancer Support Community Greater Philadelphia (formerly Gilda's Club Delaware Valley) is also thus named.

==Filmography==
===Films===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1973
|''[[The Last Detail]]''
|[[Nichiren Shōshū]] Member
|
|-
|1979
|''[[Mr. Mike's Mondo Video]]''
|Herself
|
|-
|1980
|''[[Gilda Live]]''
|Herself / Various Characters
|Also writer
|-
|1980
|''[[First Family (film)|First Family]]''
|Gloria Link
|
|-
|1982
|''[[Hanky Panky (1982 film)|Hanky Panky]]''
|Kate Hellman
|
|-
|1982
|''[[It Came from Hollywood]]''
|Herself
|
|-
|1984
|''[[The Woman in Red (1984 film)|The Woman in Red]]''
|Ms. Milner
|
|-
|1985
|''[[Movers & Shakers (film)|Movers & Shakers]]''
|Livia Machado
|
|-
|1986
|''[[Haunted Honeymoon]]''
|Vickie Pearle
|
|-
|2018
|''[[Love, Gilda]]''
|Herself
|Documentary, (archive footage)
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1974
|''Jack: A Flash Fantasy''
|Jill of Hearts
|
|-
|1974
|''The Gift of Winter''
|Nicely / Malicious / Narrator
|Voice
|-
|1974–1975
|''[[Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins]]''
|—
|Voice
|-
|1975–1980
|''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
|Various characters
|107 episodes; also writer
|-
|1978
|''[[The Muppet Show]]''
|Herself
|1 episode
|-
|1978
|''[[Witch's Night Out]]''
|Witch
|Voice
|-
| 1978
|''[[All You Need Is Cash]]''
|Mrs. Emily Pules
|Television film, cameo
|-
|1979
|''Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda''
|Herself
|
|-
| 1980
|''[[Animalympics]]''
|Barbara Warbler / Brenda Springer / Coralee<br />Perrier / Tatiana Tushenko / Doree Turnell / The Contessa
|Television film, Voice
|-
|1985
|''[[Reading Rainbow]]''
|Herself
|Voice only; 1 episode
|-
|1988
|''[[It's Garry Shandling's Show]]''
|Herself
|1 episode, final appearance
|}

==Awards==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+Awards and nominations
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Title
! Result
|-
| 1978
| [[Emmy Award]]
| Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music
| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| 1990
| [[Grammy Award]]
| Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Recording
| ''It's Always Something''
| {{won}}
|-
| 1992
| [[Michigan Women's Hall of Fame]]
| Entertainer
|
| {{won}}
|-
| 2003
| [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
| Television
|
| {{won}}
|}

==See also==
* ''[[Friends of Gilda]]''
* [[Gilda's Club]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/ Cancer Support Community (formerly Gilda's Club)]
* [https://clinicaltrials.cedars-sinai.edu/view/1080 Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Program]
* [https://www.roswellpark.org/ovarian-cancer-registry/about-registry Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry]
* {{IMDb name|705717}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/radner-gilda Jewish Women in Comedy – Gilda Radner]

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[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Detroit]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American musical theatre actresses]]
[[Category:American sketch comedians]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:Comedians from Detroit]]
[[Category:Deaths from ovarian cancer in California]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish women comedians]]
[[Category:Jews from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:University of Michigan School of Education alumni]]