Actress and activist Kathy Ann Najimy was born in America on February 6, 1957. She is best known for her performances in the movies Soapdish (1991), Sister Act (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Hope Floats (1998), The Wedding Planner (2001), and Rat Race (2001), as well as for playing Olive Massery on the NBC sitcom Veronica’s Closet (1997-2000) and providing the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill (1997–2010).
Additionally, she appeared in the Academy Award-winning films WALL-E (2008) from Disney and Pixar, Step Up 3D (2010), The Guilt Trip (2012), A Christmas Melody (2015) from Tyler Perry, Dumplin’ (2018), Music (2021), and Single All the Way (2021).
Her feminist piece The Kathy and Mo Show, which she co-wrote and co-performed with Mo Gaffney, made her a household name in the country.
Najimy switched from movies to television, appearing in dramatic recurring parts on Chicago Hope and Veronica’s Closet from 1997 to 2000.
For four seasons, she portrayed Wendy Keegan in the HBO series Veep. She co-starred with Ellen DeGeneres in three episodes of her comedy Ellen, each time taking on a different role (including a silent cameo in the infamous “Puppy Episode”), as well as in the television film If These Walls Could Talk 2.
Season 4 of Unforgettable, Season 4 of The Big C, and Season 3 of Numbers all included Najimy as a regular cast member.
On That’s So Raven, Drop Dead Diva, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, and Franklin & Bash, she appeared as a guest star. In Search of Dr. Seuss on TNT had her as the lead.
