Cheryl Hines
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
As a quick-witted and charming performer, actress Cheryl Hines found television stardom while playing the tolerant and often sarcastic wife to Larry David's miserable and annoying self-parody on the hit comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 2000- ). Unlike anything else on television, the critically acclaimed series kept dialogue fresh and genuine by improvising each episode, with the actress adeptly holding her own with David. Prior to "Curb," Hines had landed a handful of guest spots on shows like "The Wayans Bros." (The WB, 1995-99), "Suddenly Susan" (NBC, 1996-2000) and "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004). But it was her leading role on Larry David's show that marked her true breakthrough and helped turn Hines into a major comic star, leading to guest stints on other popular shows like "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS, 1996-2005) and "Reno 911!" (Comedy Central, 2003-09), while breaking into features with supporting turns in "Along Came Polly" (2004) and "RV" (2006). Following a turn to more seriocomic fare with the indie hit "Waitress" (2007), Hines began branching out beyond "Curb" to star on other series like "Suburgatory" (ABC, 2011-14) and "Son of Zorn" (Fox 2016- ), which allowed her to show other sides of her sharp and unique comedic skills.
Born on Sept. 21, 1965 in Miami Beach, FL, Hines had the notion early in life that acting would be her path. She studied theater and television production at West Virginia University and Florida State University before finally graduating from the University of Central Florida with a BA. Hines soon moved to Los Angeles to find acting work, but had little luck. While bartending at a hotel, she met the sister of comedic actor Phil Hartman. She mentioned to Hines that she was trying out for The Groundlings, Los Angeles' premier comedy improv group - the same place her brother, who was then on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ), had his start. Soon Hines found herself auditioning. Trained by experienced comedic talents like Lisa Kudrow, Hines perfected her craft of improvisation and refined her comedic chops while doing several local showcases. Her charismatic and unique presence on the stage quickly landed her onscreen, with the budding actress showcasing her talents; small bits on "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004) and "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS, 1996-2005) put Hines front and center and helped catapult her visibility as a serious comedic actress.
While gaining credibility on the small screen, Hines continued to perform at the Groundlings Theater, which provided her the much-needed improvisation experience for her later portrayal of Cheryl David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm." It was during a performance outside The Groundlings, however, that brought Hines to the show. She was doing sketch comedy at another club where the director and producer of "Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 1999), a one-hour mockumentary depicting David preparing to shoot a standup comedy special for HBO, noticed her skills and felt her comedic sense matched well with David's. Following an audition that consisted of a lot of improv and even more laughs, Hines landed the part of David's skeptical, no-nonsense, but fiercely devoted wife who seems about the only person able to tolerate his loutish behavior. Hines quickly garnered praise for her cunning improvisational skills, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2004. She also earned two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003 and 2006. With so much attention on the small screen, it was only a matter of time before Hines made the leap into feature films. She landed a small, but memorable role in the hit comedy "Along Came Polly" (2004), starring Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller, then played the girlfriend of an overprotective father (Michael Keaton) trying to keep his daughter (Lindsey Lohan) from being the third generation of race car drivers in "Herbie: Fully Loaded" (2005).
After a sharp performance as a rapier-tongued ad saleswoman in the straight-to-video romantic comedy, "Cake" (2005), Hines appeared in the studio comedy "RV" (2006), playing the wife an over-worked executive who drags his family on a road trip from hell to Colorado in an RV he barely knows how to drive. Along the way, they encounter a clan of fanatical RV enthusiasts, forcing them to band together and become a family again. Despite poor reviews, "RV" took its opening weekend with a $16 million haul at the box office. Meanwhile, Hines took more of a dramatic turn with a supporting role in "Waitress" (2007), the late Adrienne Shelly's hopeful dark comedy about a pie-making waitress (Keri Russell) with a loutish husband (Jeremy Sisto) struggling to find the right recipe for love. Hines played a fellow waitress and supportive friend also trying her hand at pie-making. Meanwhile, her character on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" - in mimicking Larry David's real life - separated from the fictional Larry during season six. Though the promise of reconciliation was made the following year, Cheryl divorces Larry at the beginning of season eight, marking Hines' last appearance as a regular on the show.
Hines made her directorial debut with the black comedy "Serious Moonlight" (2009), starting Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, while joining the cast of the short-lived and critically maligned sitcom "In the Motherhood" (ABC, 2009), which failed to survive past seven episodes. After co-starring as an anchor of a morning show opposite Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in the romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth" (2009), she appeared in an episode of the short-lived anthology series "Love Bites" (NBC, 2011) and voiced Stardust for a couple of episodes of "The Super Hero Squad Show" (Cartoon Network, 2009-2011). Sticking with television for the short term, Hines had a recurring guest stint on "Brothers & Sisters" (ABC, 2006-2011), where she played the campaign manager of former television and radio host-turned-politician Kitty Walker (Calista Flockhart). She next returned to regular series status with "Suburgatory" (ABC, 2011-14), a satirical sitcom about a single father (Jeremy Sisto) who moves to the suburbs with his sexually active teenage daughter (Jane Levy), where she begins to question their new Stepford Wife-like environs. Following the end of "Suburgatory," Hines appeared in the romantic comedy sequel "Think Like A Man Too" (2014) and the Aubrey Plaza-starring zombie film/romantic comedy "Life After Beth" (2014).
After nearly eight years of marriage, Hines divorced husband Paul Young, founder and manager of the literary and talent management firm Principato-Young. She moved on to a relationship with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., which gained exposure after his estranged wife, Mary Kennedy, was found dead from suicide in her New York home in May 2012. Hines and Kennedy married in Hyannis Port, MA on August 2, 2014.
After co-starring opposite Patrick Stewart in holiday comedy "Christmas Eve" (2015) and Kevin Spacey in family-friendly farce "Nine Lives" (2016), Hines returned to television in the partially-animated comedy "Son of Zorn" (Fox 2016- ), playing the ex-wife of an animated fantasy hero (Jason Sudeikis).
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1996
Starred in the independent feature film "Cheap Curry and Calculus"
1998
Appeared on an episode of "Suddenly Susan" (NBC)
2002
Guest starred on the CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond"
2003
Cast as the trailer park lady on an episode of "Reno 911!" (Comedy Central)
2004
Played a catering manager in the comedy "Along Came Polly," starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston
2006
Starred in the road-trip comedy "RV" with Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels
2006
Cast opposite Jeremy Piven and Garry Marshall in "Keeping Up with the Steins," directed by Marshall's son Scott
2007
Co-starred with Keri Russell in the indie feature "Waitress"; directed by Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered before the film's release
2009
Cast on the short-lived ABC sitcom "In The Motherhood"
2009
Co-starred with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in "The Ugly Truth"
2015
Co-starred in the comedy "Christmas Eve"
Family
Companions
