Julia Sweeney
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1959-10-10
    • Born Place: Spokane, Washington, USA
  • Also Known As:

    Julia Anne Sweeney

Julia Sweeney

Julia Sweeney is an American actress, comedian, and writer born on October 10, 1959, in Spokane, Washington. The oldest of five children, she graduated from the University of Washington with a double major in economics and European history. She began her career as an accountant at Columbia Pictures before transitioning to comedy. In 1988, she enrolled in classes with the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, where she developed her skills and eventually became part of the troupe's main cast.She gained widespread recognition as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1994. During her time on the show, she created and became known for the popular character Pat, whose androgynous nature was the basis for the sketches. The character was later adapted into the feature film It's Pat! which was a commercial and critical failure.After leaving SNL, Sweeney experienced a series of personal difficulties, including her brother's diagnosis with lymphoma and her own diagnosis of cervical cancer. These experiences became the basis for her one-woman stage show, God Said Ha! The show debuted in 1995 and was later released as a film produced by Quentin Tarantino, earning Sweeney a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album and a Golden Space Needle Award for directing.Sweeney has written and performed two other autobiographical monologues: In the Family Way, which chronicles her journey to adopting a daughter from China, and Letting Go of God, which discusses her transition from a Catholic upbringing to a secular worldview. She took a decade off from her career to raise her daughter in suburban Chicago before moving back to Los Angeles to resume her work as a writer and performer. She has appeared in a number of films and television shows, including Pulp Fiction, Stuart Little, Shrill, and Work in Progress. Sweeney is a cervical cancer survivor and has been married to Michael Blum since 2008.

Person History