Molly Shannon: Queen Of Quirky Molly Shannon was born on September 16, 1964, in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Her happy youth was marred by tragedy when her mother, sister and cousin were killed in a car accident in 1969. The constant support of Shannon's free-spirited father helped her to cope, as did a budding passion and talent for comedy and performing. Her knack for improv comedy led Shannon to study acting at New York University, and she moved to Hollywood after graduating. There, she waited tables and auditioned for nearly 10 years, with little success. Determined, the aspiring actress decided to be more proactive and created her own venue with Rob Muir, a fellow improv actor; it was called ""The Rob and Molly Show."" Her initiative paid off when a talent scout from ""Saturday Night Live"" caught the program and recruited Shannon for the legendary sketch comedy show. Her portrayal of zany characters quickly made Shannon a hit on SNL. Particularly popular was her armpit-sniffing, sexually c
