Former "Saturday Night Live" star Jan Hooks died on Thursday. She was 57 years old.
Hooks appeared on "SNL" from 1986-91 and most recently guest starred on "30 Rock" as Jenna Maroney's mother, Verna. She was a regular on "Designing Women" from 1991-93 and appeared on TV shows "3rd Rock From The Sun," "The Martin Short Show," "The Dana Carvey Show," "The Simpsons," "Futurama" and "Primetime Glick." While on "SNL," she was known for her recurring character Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters." She also impersonated Bette Davis, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster and Hillary Clinton.
Originally, Hooks was considered for the 1985 "SNL" cast, but was passed over for Joan Cusack. She was hired the next season alongside Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman and Nora Dunn. In one of her most memorable sketches, she played Brenda the Waitress in "The Diner" with Alec Baldwin.
Hooks was born near Atlanta in 1957 and began her career as part of famed comedy troupe The Groundlings. Prior to joining "SNL," she landed a small but notable part in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" as a tour guide at the Alamo.
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