Editing Laraine Newman (section)

==''Saturday Night Live''==
In 1974, [[Lorne Michaels]] hired 22-year-old Newman for a [[Lily Tomlin]] special, impressed with her work as founder and original member of The Groundlings. A year later, she became an original cast member on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', appearing on the show from its inception in 1975 through 1980.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Tony |date=October 17, 1980 |title='Saturday Night Live' Gets New Cast |pages=83 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1980/10/17/112890914.html?pageNumber=83 |access-date=March 10, 2022}}</ref>

During her five years on ''SNL'' she became a close friend of co-star [[Gilda Radner]], although there was also a degree of rivalry between them.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Tom|last1=Shales|author-link1=Tom Shales|first2=James Andrew|last2=Miller|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2002/09/snl200209|title=It's Saturday Night!|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|location=New York City|date=June 4, 2008}}</ref> The instant success of ''SNL'' propelled her to stardom very quickly. Newman recalled being stopped in the street in New York City by [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]], who introduced themselves to her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/laraine-newman|title=Laraine Newman|website=biography.com|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412172112/https://www.biography.com/people/laraine-newman|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Newman admits that she was "never a good improviser," but when in character, like an angry Jewish poet, a flight attendant, an eccentric chef, or a British groupie, she was "free". Commenting on her early experiences during ''Saturday Night Live'' she said: "When I first performed (my characters) and the audience responded, I felt like crying, I mean the idea that what I saw—what other people saw—(meant) I wasn't so alone in my perspective. I hope this doesn't sound too overblown, but it really did feel like a [[Koinonia|Communion]]."<ref>{{cite web|first=Maggie|last=Prosser|url=http://chqdaily.com/2018/07/finally-ready-for-prime-time-newman-closes-week-with-laughs/|title=Finally ready for prime time: Newman closes week with laughs|newspaper=[[The Chautauquan Daily]]|date=July 12, 2018}}</ref>

However, by her own account, Newman was unhappy for much of her time with the show. She disliked living in New York, and during her years on ''SNL'', Newman had developed serious [[eating disorder]]s, as well as a [[heroin addiction]]. She spent so much time in her dressing room playing [[Solitaire (game)|solitaire]] that for Christmas 1979, castmate Radner gave her a deck of playing cards with a picture of Newman on the face of each card.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,361712,00.html|title=And They All Hate Chevy|author=Lev Grossman|magazine=Time}}</ref>

Newman was photographed as a [[vampire]] by [[Francesco Scavullo]] for the July 1978 issue of ''[[High Times]]''. The accompanying interview introduced Newman as the "Skinny spaced-out sex symbol of ''Saturday Night Live''."<ref>{{cite web|first=Harry|last=Wasserman|url=https://hightimes.com/high-times-greats/laraine-newman/|title=Laraine Newman: Skinny spaced-out sex symbol of ''Saturday Night Live.''|newspaper=[[High Times]]|date=March 2, 2021 }}</ref>

===Recurring characters on ''Saturday Night Live''===
Newman is best known for her roles as [[Coneheads|Connie Conehead]], proto-[[Valley girl]] [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 1975–1976#Sherry|Sherry]], and [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 1976–77#E. Buzz Miller and Christie Christina|Christie Christina]], the ditzy co-host of E. Buzz Miller ([[Dan Aykroyd]])'s [[public-access television]] [[cable TV]] show. Using her own name, Newman also played a TV news reporter for ''[[Weekend Update]]'' when the segment was hosted by [[Chevy Chase]] (1975–1976) and [[Jane Curtin]] (1976–1980). Newman generally decided not to repeat her characters, and so has far fewer signature characters than some of her fellow cast members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2011/06/saturday-nights-children-laraine-newman-1975-1980.html|title=Saturday Night's Children: Laraine Newman (1975-1980)|author=Megh Wright|date=June 14, 2011}}</ref>

Newman states when asked about her favorite ''Saturday Night Live'' character: "My favorite character ... which, I think, only pleased me and no one else, was Lina Wertmüller (based on the actual [[Lina Wertmüller]])."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2009/06/06/snls-laraine-newman-where-is-she-now/|title=SNL's Laraine Newman: Where Is She Now?|author=Comcast Interactive Media|date=June 6, 2009}}</ref>