Jackie Hoffman
Jackie Hoffman (born November 29, 1960) is an American actress, singer, and comedian known for Jewish-themed one-woman shows and for big roles on Broadway and on screen. She began her career with Chicago’s The Second City, where she performed for eight years and won the Joseph Jefferson Award.
She created several solo shows, such as If You Call This Living and The Kvetching Continues, and has acted in plays like The Book of Liz (for which she won an Obie Award) and One Woman Shoe (winning a Jeff Award).
On Broadway, Hoffman starred in Hairspray (2002) as Prudy Pingleton and earned a Theatre World Award in 2003. She also played Calliope in Xanadu (2007–2008) and Grandmama in The Addams Family (2010–2011). She appeared in the revival of On the Town (2014–2015) and played Mrs. Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2017–2018). In 2018 she joined Fidler Afn Dakh as Yente the matchmaker.
On TV and film, Hoffman was nominated for an Emmy for Feud (2017) as Mamacita. Her film work includes Kissing Jessica Stein, Garden State, Legally Blonde 2, A Dirty Shame, and Robots; she also voiced a character in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. TV credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Difficult People, 30 Rock, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, The New Normal, and a cameo in Birdman. Since 2021 she has played Uma Heller in Only Murders in the Building, and in 2023 she appeared as Assistant Principal McGee in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. She has also contributed to Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Fairytale Adventure.
Her Broadway cast recordings include Hairspray, Xanadu, The Addams Family, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, On the Town (revival), and Joe’s Pub Live. She can be heard on Scott Alan’s Dreaming Wide Awake.
Hoffman was born in Queens, New York. She is married to jazz trumpeter Steve Smyth and is friends with Stephen Colbert. She has spoken about a hysterectomy she had at age 46 and returning to work quickly afterward.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:11 (CET).