Mary Birdsong

Mary Evans Birdsong, born April 18, 1968, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. She grew up on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, one of five sisters, and graduated from Southern Regional High School in 1986. Birdsong earned a BFA in acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Birdsong made her on-screen debut in the 1996 television film Live On Tape. She became widely recognized for her recurring role as Deputy Cherisha Kimball on the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, appearing from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2020 to 2022, as well as in two spin-off films released in 2007 and 2021. Her film credits include the role of Nancy McDonald in Rob Zombie's Halloween II, Kai Mitchell opposite George Clooney in Alexander Payne's The Descendants, and Mrs. Gordon in the 2010 comedy High School alongside Adrien Brody. She also appeared in Made of Honor, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and the psychological thriller Buried. Birdsong served as a correspondent on both The Daily Show and Crossballs.

Her television work includes appearances in seasons 1 and 4 of the HBO series Succession, where she played Marianne Hirsch, mother of Greg Hirsch and niece of Logan Roy. As a voice actress, Birdsong contributed to animated series including Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, Tak & the Power of Juju, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Goldie and Bear, and Stroker and Hoop, along with the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, and the animated film Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe.

Birdsong's Broadway career spans 2002 to 2006 and includes the musicals Hairspray and Funny Girl, as well as the comedy musical Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. She performed in the latter production from July 2006 to January 2007, appearing alongside Martin Short, Marc Shaiman, Nicole Parker, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Capathia Jenkins. That performance earned her a Theatre World Award in 2007. She subsequently joined the Broadway cast of Hairspray on January 29, 2008, playing Velma Von Tussle, a bigoted stage mother and television producer, and remained with the production until April 6, 2008.

Following her Broadway work, Birdsong performed her one-woman show 3 Days in the Tub: A Mama Drama at Comedy Central Stage in Los Angeles in September 2010, at the Fake Gallery in November 2010, and at Joe's Pub in New York City in January 2011. She later played Mona Ramsey in the American Conservatory Theater's adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City in San Francisco. In May 2012, she appeared in the comedy showcase Don't Tell My Mother! alongside author Justin Halpern and comedian Jen Kober.