Gilda Radner, with her mass of seemingly untameable curly hair and striking ability to use her voice for comic effect, will be best remembered as one of the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" who starred in Saturday Night Live (1975—), a television series that became a hit with young adults despite its late time slot. She stayed with the series for five years, during which time she parodied many celebrities and created several of her own characters, such as reporters Roseanne Roseannadanna and Baba Wawa (her Barbara Walters parody). Radner married actor Gene Wilder in 1984. She died of ovarian cancer in 1989. After her death, Wilder became active in cancer awareness.

Further Reading:

Cader, Michael, editor. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1994.

Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna during the "Weekend Update" skit on Saturday Night Live.