Cheri Oteri — Movies, TV Shows & Roles

Actor

1962-09-19 · Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, U.S. · Female

23 series in the catalog

Cheri Oteri (; born September 19, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. A Primetime Emmy Award nominee, she is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000 and for her role as Gail Hailstorm in the Scary Movie film series.
Early life
Oteri was born on September 19, 1962, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Patricia (née Breen) and Gaetano Thomas Oteri. She is of Italian ancestry.
Career
Saturday Night Live (1995–2000)
After moving to Los Angeles at age 25, Oteri worked at A&M Records for four years and eventually joined famed comedy troupe The Groundlings. In 1995, producers of Saturday Night Live (SNL) attended a performance with the intention of auditioning fellow Groundlings member Chris Kattan. Oteri performed a monologue during one of Kattan's costume changes, which led to her own invitation to audition for SNL, along with Kattan and fellow Groundling Will Ferrell. She was hired as a performer in September 1995 as part of an almost-entirely new cast, which was brought in after the show's disastrous 1994–1995 season.
Celebrities that Oteri impersonated included Alanis Morissette, Barbara Walters, Cyndi Lauper, Mariah Carey, Marla Maples, Debbie Reynolds, Jennifer Lopez, Ross Perot, Jennifer Tilly, Paula Jones, Tori Spelling, Melanie C, Robin Byrd, Jessica Simpson, Fran Drescher, Marisa Tomei, Katie Couric and Gloria Stuart.
Original characters
Arianna, a member of The Spartan Cheerleaders (with Will Ferrell)
Rita DelVecchio, a grouchy Philadelphia woman who is mean to the neighborhood children, patterned after Oteri's tough-talking grandmother.
Cass Van Rye, the dim-witted co-host of the "Morning Latte" talk show (with Will Ferrell)
Mickey "The Dyke", a butch public-access television cable TV host (with Mark McKinney)
Nadeen, a testy employee whose catchphrase constantly orders everyone to "Simmer down now!"
Althea McMahonaman, an absurdly hyper child who is an awful passenger and disturbs public servants
Collette Reardon, a prescription pill addict
Joy Lipton, Erotic Attic boutique owner
Adele, a vulgar and highly sexual office worker whose attempts at sexual innuendos disgust rather than attract her colleagues
Laura Zimmerman, one half of the Zimmermans, who suddenly break into rough and sexual behavior before returning to casual conversation as if nothing happened (with Chris Kattan)
2001–present
Oteri has appeared in supporting roles in the films Liar Liar, Inspector Gadget, Scary Movie, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, and Southland Tales; and voiced characters in The Ant Bully and Shrek the Third.
She starred in two TV pilots that did not make it to air: Loomis and With You in Spirit; and made guest appearances in the series Just Shoot Me!, Strangers with Candy, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2009, Oteri became a regular voice cast in the Fox animated comedy series, Sit Down, Shut Up. She voices Helen Klench, the unappreciated librarian who often gets mistaken for objects, such as brooms or toilet brushes. The series premiered on April 19, 2009 and moved to Comedy Central in May 2010.
Oteri played a tooth fairy on Imagination Movers, a regular on the Playhouse Disney block. She starred in the AMC web series Liza Life Coach in 2010. Oteri appeared in the pilot episode of Glory Daze, which premiered on TBS on November 16, 2010. She hosted AXS TV's Gotham Comedy Live on May 26, 2016, in New York City.
Oteri is an occasional guest on Jeff Lewis' talk radio show on Radio Andy, the Andy Cohen channel on SiriusXM. She also appeared as a guest judge on Season 34, episode 9 of Beat Bobby Flay entitled, Cheri Takes the Cake.
In 2025, Oteri began a recurring role on the NBC sitcom Happy's Place as Monica, the health inspector. In 2026, she reprised her role as Gail Hailstorm in the revived Scary Movie sequel.