Sandra Bernhard is an actor, entertainer, and comedian. The brassy and outspoken performance artist first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy. She has since become a household name from her appearances in various films (including The King of Comedy, Hudson Hawk, The Apocalypse and Inside Monkey Zetterland) as well as her television spots, most notably as Nancy, a lesbian friend of the title protagonist on Roseanne.

She has developed a cult following with her stand-up comedy shows that are better described as performance art. She also gained notoriety as a bisexual with public intimations of a relationship with Madonna which both made in the late 1980s.

Within her comedy, often bitterly ripping apart celebrity culture and political figures, Bernhard performs classic pop music, jazz and blues tunes.