Cheri Oteri is a Primetime Emmy Award-nominated American comedienne and actress, perhaps best known for her appearance in the hit sketch comedy series, “Saturday Night Live.”
Age, Early Life, And Education Background
Cheryl Ann Oteri was born under the Virgo zodiac sign on 19 September 1962, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and is 60 years old as of 2023. She’s one of the daughters of the record producer Gaetano Thomas, who was the founder and CEO of the music publishing firm, Of Music, and his wife, Patricia Breen Oteri. Cheri was raised alongside her sister Denise Oteri, and brothers Brian and Tommi Jr. Oteri. She’s of Italian ancestry.
Cheri enjoyed watching comedy TV shows with her family when she was in elementary school, which sparked her interest in comedy at an early age. She attended Archbishop Prendergast High School, situated in Drexel Hill, Upper Darby. She didn’t join college after her matriculation in 1980, but instead moved to Los Angeles to start an acting career.
Hobbies and Interesting Facts
Oteri loves doing impressions, and has impersonated various celebrities including the American actress and singer Cyndi Lauper, Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, and the late American singer and actress Debbie Reynolds.
She is a huge lover of animals, especially dogs, and likes flaunting her pet Chihuahua named Papillon on her social media platforms.
In her spare time, the comedienne enjoys playing board games – her favorites are Monopoly and Catan.
Cheri’s “Saturday Night Live” castmate, Tina Fey, is also a native of her hometown, Upper Darby.
TV Appearances and Voicing Projects
After relocating to Los Angeles in the late ‘80s, Cheri landed a job at the now-defunct label A&M Records, where she worked for four years. Thereafter, she joined the renowned American sketch comedy troupe, The Groundlings. Oteri was noticed by one of the producers of “Saturday Night Live” while performing a monologue in 1995, and was invited to audition for a role in the show, and was subsequently cast for various roles from 1995-2000, which saw her make her career breakthrough.
Cheri is notable for playing hyper and upbeat characters in various comedy TV series. Between 1997-1999, she was cast as Cindy in the NBC sitcom, “Just Shoot Me!”, a performance which earned her an Online Film & Television Association (OFTA) Award nomination in 2000. Cheri went on to voice characters in single episodes of various TV shows – her next notable performance was in the adult animated series “Sit Down, Shut Up” in 2009. For voicing Gingersnaps in two episodes of Disney XD’s “The 7D” in 2014 and 2016, the Upper Darby native was nominated for a Behind the Voice Actors Award (BTVA).
Cheri has voiced characters in several other animated TV shows, including Nickelodeon’s “The Fairly OddParents” (2016 and 2017) and “Bunsen Is a Beast” (2017), and Disney Junior’s “Puppy Dog Pals” (2017-2023) and “Big City Greens” (2019-2021).
Film Appearances
Oteri made her film debut playing Jane in the Jim Carrey-starred legal comedy, “Liar Liar” in 1997. In 2000, she played Gail Hailstorm in the slasher parody “Scary Movie”, and went on to voice Sleeping Beauty in the hit animated comedy film “Shrek the Third” in 2007. The latter starred Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz, and was the third installment of the “Shrek” film series.
Some of Oteri’s other notable appearances in the 2010s were in the Adam Sandler-starred comedy “Grown Ups 2” in 2013, and the teen comedy “F the Prom” in 2017. She was recently cast in the 2022 comedies “Give or Take” and “Out of Office.”
Other Works
Cheri has served as the writer and producer of several short comedy films such as “Turkey’s Done,” “The HOA,” and “Worst Album Covers Ever: The Brailettes,” among others. Moreover, she has appeared in several talk shows including “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “Entertainment Tonight.” For her praised performances in the films “Ping Pong Playa” in 2007 and “Bleed Out” in 2018, Cheri received special thanks.
Awards and Nominations
Cheri won her first award, a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress, for her performance in “Scary Movie” in 2001. In 2010, she bagged The Steamy Award, which was followed by a Hoboken International Film Festival Award in 2013 and a Jury Award in 2020. Her performance in “Just Shoot Me!” saw her nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2000.
Cheri is active on Instagram (@cheri_oteri) with around 50,000 followers – she joined Twitter in April 2010, and is followed by around 15,000 fans (@cherioteri).
Personal Life
Cheri is tight-lipped when it comes to her dating life and hasn’t revealed the names of men she might have dated in the past. She is seemingly single as of 2023, hasn’t married, and doesn’t have children.
Previously, Cheri was rumored to be dating her “Saturday Night Live” castmate, Alec Baldwin, who is also known for his appearances in the films “Beetle Juice,” and “Working Girl,” among others. The two were often spotted together at various events, which sparked their dating rumor. However, their alleged relationship was short-lived, and Baldwin is now married to the yoga instructor, Hilaria Baldwin.
Cheri’s father, Gaetano Thomas, died in Nashville in April 2008. According to the police report, Thomas had a ‘significant laceration’ on one of his wrists when his body was found. The authorities ruled his death as a murder, and reported that late country songwriter, Richard Fagan, was the main suspect. Fagan was good friends with Oteri’s father, and was famous for co-writing songs with several other singers including John Michael Montgomery. He was alleged to be the last person to spend time with Thomas, with whom he had an altercation shortly before he died, and was arrested for drunk driving while he was leaving the crime scene.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Oteri is of White ethnicity and has green eyes and dark brown hair. She’s slim, weighs approximately 120lbs (54kgs), and is 5ft 2ins (1.57m). Her vital statistics are 34-26-34, and she wears dress and shoe sizes 2(US) and 6(US) respectively. It’s rumored that Cheri has undergone various plastic surgery procedures in a bid to look younger, including a facelift, nose job, and Boto,. The allegation began when a fan posted her before and after photo on social media which highlighted a noticeable face and body transformation – Cheri hasn’t addressed the allegations.
Net Worth
Cheri has appeared in numerous films and TV series and has earned a good sum from her successful career. She’s worth around $2 million, as of 2023.
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