Molly Shannon made her acting debut in the 1989 American horror film ‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ directed by Dwight H. Little. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a commercial failure. She made her first TV appearance in the American mystery-horror serial drama television series ‘Twin Peaks’ in 1991. The following year, she joined the cast of the American sketch comedy television series ‘In Living Color.’ She played the role of an Officer Trainee and remained a part of the series until 1993. Shannon next appeared in television series like ‘General Hospital’ (1993), ‘The John Larroquette Show’ (1994), ‘Sister, Sister’ (1994), and ‘Ellen’ (1994). In 1995, she joined the cast of the American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show ‘Saturday Night Live!’ She earned a ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ nomination for her performance and remained a part of the show until 2001.
In 1998, she appeared in the black comedy-drama film ‘Happiness,’ directed by Todd Solondz. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. The following year, she starred as Mary ‘Katherine Gallagher’ in the comedy film ‘Superstar.’ The film opened to mixed reception and was a moderate box office success. She next starred in ‘My 5 Wives’ (2000), ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000), ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ (2001), ‘Shallow Hal’ (2001), ‘The Santa Clause 2’ (2002), and ‘Good Boy!’ (2003).
In 2006, she appeared in the science fantasy comedy horror film ‘Scary Movie 4,’ directed by David Zucker. The film received mixed response from critics and was a major financial success, grossing over $178.3 million on a budget of $40 million. That same year, she also portrayed ‘Aunt Victoire’ in the historical drama film ‘Marie Antoinette’ which was a moderate commercial success.
She then appeared in films like ‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’ (2006), ‘Year of the Dog’ (2007), ‘Snow Buddies’ (2008), ‘What Goes Up’ (2009), ‘Bad Teacher’ (2011), and ‘Casa de Mi Padre’ (2012). In 2012, she voiced the character ‘Wanda’ in the American computer-animated monster comedy film ‘Hotel Transylvania,’ directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. The film opened to average reviews but was a massive box office success, grossing over $358.4 million against a budget of $85 million. She returned to voice the character ‘Wanda’ in ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ (2015) and ‘Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation’ (2018). In 2019, she joined the cast of the American comedy television series ‘The Other Two.’ The series has completed 2 seasons and was renewed for a third season in September 2021.
Shannon was last seen in the 2022 American computer-animated adventure comedy film ‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania,’ directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska. The film received mixed reviews from critics. She is all set to appear in the upcoming American drama film ‘A Good Person.’
