Marla Lukofsky
{{short description|Canadian-American stand-up comedian (born July 3, 1956)}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Marla Lukofsky
|image = Comedian_and_Actor_Marla_Lukofsky.jpg
|birth_name = Marla Lukofsky
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|07|03}}
|birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|citizenship = United States, Canada
|education = Seneca College, 1978
|occupation = Stand-up comedian, actor, voice-actor, singer, writer, speaker
|years_active = 1973-present
|website = www.marlalukofsky.com
}}
Marla Lukofsky is a Canadian-American stand-up comedian, actress, singer, writer, and keynote speaker. She's one of the pioneers of stand-up comedy in Canada and has performed in every major city in North America, the UK and the first female comedian to headline in Bermuda.
Lukofsky has appeared in a variety of TV shows including An Evening at the Improv with Elliott Gould, The Palace TV Variety Series with Jack Jones and The Alan Thicke Show as well as starring in feature films such as Honeymoon with Nathalie Baye and John Shea and Zero Patience.
Lukofsky was a regular radio columnist on The Vicki Gabereau Show and CBC's 'Basic Black' with host Arthur Black and became the regular last word columnist on CBC's national TV news show Midday with Keith Morrison and Valerie Pringle completing 100 segments. She has voiced many cartoon series including The Care Bears TV series and movies, Alf Tales, Super Mario Bros., Pecola and Fugget About It.
Early life
Lukofsky was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1956 to Ruth and Louis Lukofsky and has two older sisters.{{Cite web |date=2008-06-21 |title=Stand-up becomes inspirational |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/diseases_cures/2008/06/21/standup_becomes_inspirational.html |access-date=May 22, 2021 |website=thestar.com |language=en}}
Career
Lukofsky started her career in 1973 as a funny folk singer at the famed Riverboat in Toronto and performed at every folk club in Toronto. In 1975, she became a regular at a new comedy club called 'The Improv' with Gene Taylor, along with other regulars including Rick Moranis and Martin Short.
By 1978, Lukofsky became a regular headliner at Mark Breslin's Yuk Yuks Comedy chain and toured Canada sharing the bill with Jim Carrey and Howie Mandel. She was briefly a member of Toronto's The Second City Touring Company but preferred the nightclub circuit and returned to the road.
For three consecutive years, the PROCAN Music Awards had Lukofsky and John Roberts, host their awards event in 1985-1987. In 1990, Lukofsky moved to Los Angeles and played a variety of nightclubs, sharing the bill with comedian Sherri Shepherd at West Hollywood's 'The Rose Tattoo' Cabaret and other establishments.
In 2015, Lukofsky began singing jazz in Toronto, combining her comedy skills with her vocal talents and in 2016 was featured in the TD Toronto Jazz Festival.
Television
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role !class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 1984
|data-sort-value="Get Along Gang, The" | The Get Along Gang |Bingo Beaver (voice) - Pilot | |
| 1985
|Last Word Columnist |100 episodes |
| 1985
| Playful Heart Monkey / Patti Johnson (voices) |Uncredited |
| 1986
|data-sort-value="Care Bears Family, The" | The Care Bears Family | Good Luck Bear / Playful Heart Monkey (voices) |Series regular |
| 1986
|data-sort-value="Magical World of Disney: Young Again, The" | The Magical World of Disney: Young Again | Suzanne | guest star |
| 1989
|data-sort-value="Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The" | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | voice actor |Series regular |
| 1987
|data-sort-value="Magic School Bus, The" | The Magic School Bus | voice actor | |
| 1987
|Starcom: The U.S. Space Force | voice actor role of Lianna |Series guest |
| 1987
|data-sort-value="Sylvanian Families, The" | The Sylvanian Families | voice actor role of Tracy, Prissy Thistlethorn, Willow, Jerry |Series various guest voices |
| 1988-1989
| voice actor |Series regular |
| 1989
|data-sort-value="Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The" | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | voice actor |Series regular |
| 1981
|Rubber Face starring Jim Carrey |Donna Cherry |Co-star |
| 1989
|data-sort-value="Twilight Zone, The" | The Twilight Zone revised version |Principal role | |
| 1990
|T. and T. starring Mr. T |Brenda |co-star |
| 1987
|various co-starring roles | |
| 1995
|Phoebe (Voice) | |
| 2001-2002
|Doc |Meribeth Weatherbeater |guest star, 1 episode |
| 2001-2003
|Series regular voice actor | |
| 2004
|Care Bears: Forever Friends | Playful Heart Monkey, Good Luck Bear (voice) | |
| 2010-2011
| Voice actor | Series regular |
| 2012
|Rosalie (voice) |Series guest |
Movies
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| 1985
| Sally | Co-star |
| 1985
| Good Luck Bear / Playful Heart Monkey (voices) | Co-star |
| 1986
| The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation | Playful Heart Monkey (voice) | Co-star |
| 1987
| The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland | Good Luck Bear (voice) | Co-star |
| 1993
| African Green Monkey | Co-star |
References
{{reflist}}
- Stand-up becomes inspirational: Marla Lukofsky by Diane Flacks, Toronto Star [https://www.thestar.com/article/444917].
- Marla [sic] Lukofsky: Mini Mistress of Mirth by Andrew Clark,Eye Weekly [https://web.archive.org/web/20060322151039/http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_07.30.92/arts/co0730.htm].
- Breast cancer survivor tells her story through laughter by Lisa Queen, www.insidetoronto.com North York Mirror 10.03.08 [http://www.insidetoronto.com/article/56678].
- Comic reinvents herself as jazz singer by Ruth Schweitzer, The Canadian Jewish News [http://www.cjnews.com/culture/entertainment/arts/comic-reinvents-jazz-singer]
- Battling cancer with humour by Ted Woloshyn, Toronto Sun [https://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/11/battling-cancer-with-humour]''.
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0525716|name=Marla Lukofsky}}
- [http://voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=2030 Marla Lukofsky] at VoiceChasers.com
- [http://www.marlalukofsky.com Marla Lukofsky website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukofsky, Marla}}
Category:Canadian women comedians
Category:Canadian film actresses
Category:Canadian television actresses