Quick-witted and charming, actress Cheryl Hines found television stardom while playing the tolerant and sarcastic wife to Larry David’s miserable and annoying self-parody on HBO’s hit comedy, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000- ). Unlike anything else on television, this critically acclaimed series kept dialogue fresh and genuine by improvising each episode. In place of scripts, scene outlines were provided for the cast who made up lines as they went, helping to maintain a level of spontaneity and uniqueness rarely—if ever—seen on television. Hines more than held her own with David and costar Jeff Garlin, proving right away that she had a sharp and unique talent for comedy.
Born on September 21, 1965 in Miami Beach, FL, Hines had the notion early in life that acting was 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 Phil Hartman. She mentioned to Hines that she was trying out for The Groundlings, LA’s premiere comedy improv group—the same place her brother, who was then on “Saturday Night Live,” got his start. Soon Hines found herself auditioning to get in. 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 stage quickly landed her onscreen, with the budding actress showcasing her talents—small bits on “Friends” (NBC, 1994) and “Everybody Loves Raymond” (CBS, 1996) put Hines front-and-center for exposure 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 experience for playing 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 that also featured him doing a routine at Caroline’s in New York City. Hines had an audition for the special pushed back—effectively canceled, actually—when the director and producer witnessed her onstage 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—one in 2003, the other in 2006—for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. 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” co-starring Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller (2004), 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—if they can avoid driving each other insane. 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.