Margaret Cho
By:
December 5, 2014
Like many comedians before her, MARGARET CHO (born 1968) has drawn on her own pain, suffering, and failure to make people laugh. A classmate of actor Sam Rockwell and comedienne Aisha Tyler, Cho’s career took her on a rocky road after school. Despite being a phenomenally funny comedian, Cho hasn’t yet found the right TV show to make her a mega-star. Her early sitcom All-American Girl was a flop, despite being a milestone for diversity on TV. Other than a minor role on the short-lived Golden Girls spinoff The Golden Palace and a bit part in the Cage/Travolta flick Face/Off, Cho is arguably best known for her guest spot on 30 Rock, where she played Kim Jong-Il. Her professional failures, combined with a history of substance abuse and eating disorders, have fueled some of Cho’s funniest routines. Cho’s comedy spans a wide range of topics, from her own bisexuality to American politics to Hello Kitty. While Cho may not be as immediately recognizable as funny gals like Tina Fey or Maya Rudolph, Cho is comfortable in her own skin. As she famously put it in one stand-up special, “I’m not going to die because I failed as someone else. I’m going to succeed as myself.”
***
On his or her birthday, HiLobrow irregularly pays tribute to one of our high-, low-, no-, or hilobrow heroes. Also born this date: Fritz Lang, Damia.
READ MORE about members of the Reconstructionist Generation (1964–1973).