Kathy Najimy

Kathy Ann Najimy was born on February 6, 1957, in San Diego, California, to Lebanese-American parents Samia (née Massery) and Fred Najimy. She attended Crawford High School and began her career in entertainment during the early 1980s, gaining national recognition through her feminist comedy play “The Kathy and Mo Show,” co-written and performed with Mo Gaffney. This show had multiple successful runs in New York City and led to two HBO specials, “Parallel Lives” and “The Dark Side.” Najimy’s film career started in the early 1990s with minor roles, eventually leading to her breakthrough as Sister Mary Patrick in the 1992 film “Sister Act,” a role she reprised in its 1993 sequel, “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.” In 1993, she also played Mary Sanderson in the cult classic “Hocus Pocus,” a role she later reprised for the 2022 Disney+ sequel “Hocus Pocus 2.”

Beyond her live-action roles, Najimy is widely recognized for her extensive voice acting work. She voiced Peggy Hill on the animated television series “King of the Hill” from 1997 to 2010 and is set to return for the series’ revival from 2025 onwards. Her voice work extends to numerous other animated projects, including “WALL-E” (2008), “Brother Bear 2,” “Cats Don’t Dance,” and “Tinker Bell.” On television, she held a dramatic recurring role on “Chicago Hope” and was a cast member of “Veronica’s Closet” from 1997 to 2000. She also appeared in HBO’s “Veep” for four seasons as Wendy Keegan, and had recurring roles in “Unforgettable” and “Younger.” Najimy’s career includes appearances in films such as “Hope Floats” (1998), “The Wedding Planner” (2001), “Rat Race” (2001), “The Guilt Trip” (2012), “A Madea Christmas” (2013), and “Single All the Way” (2021). She also starred as Mae West in the Broadway production of “Dirty Blonde” and participated in “The Vagina Monologues” on Broadway.

In addition to her acting career, Najimy is a prominent activist, advocating for equal rights, women’s and girls’ self-esteem, LGBTQ rights, AIDS awareness, domestic violence prevention, body image, and civil rights. She has spoken at events for organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, and PFLAG. In 2004, she was named “Ms. Magazine’s” Woman of the Year and was a speaker at the March for Women’s Lives. Najimy has collaborated with PETA on animal welfare issues, receiving their Humanitarian of the Year award in 2000 and the Compassionate Action Award in 2014. She actively supports women’s health and reproductive rights, contributing to “The Choices We Made.” Her activism also includes creating and producing “Gloria: A Life,” an off-Broadway play about Gloria Steinem, and developing personal monologues with actresses like Olivia Wilde and Amy Schumer. She has utilized her celebrity platform to raise funds for various charities through appearances on game shows like “The Weakest Link,” “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” and “Gameshow Marathon,” donating winnings to organizations such as The Feminist Majority Foundation and V-Day. Kathy Najimy is currently developing a television series focused on the women’s movement.