Various stand up comedy appearances across America
DVD Thou Shalt Laugh the Deuce with Tim Conway and others
TV appearances include: NBC’s Saturday Night Live 1986-1992, Celebrity Fit Club, Politically Incorrect, Touched by an Angel, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and others
Films: UHF, Baby Boom, and others
Guest bio
Victoria Jackson: Comedy Missionary
By Heather Salon
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– VICTORIA’S NOT-SO SECRET
Victoria Jackson is not ashamed of being a born again Christian in the entertainment industry. She and her family moved back to the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles, a year ago so Victoria could go back to audition for acting roles. She says Christians have to get involved in entertainment and politics whether we like it or not. She is very encouraged to see that God is moving in Los Angeles.
There are many Christians who are talented, love God and are called to the entertainment industry. Victoria recalls when she was in Los Angeles 20 years ago, it was hard to find Christians in the media. Being a Christian is always being a minority, but then it felt even more so. Victoria says that because American entertainment is such a worldwide influence, being a missionary in the entertainment industry/Hollywood can be even more important than being a missionary in Africa. She also says that many times Christians complain about the entertainment that is out in the world. Victoria challenges that if you don’t like it, you should go out and do something about it. This is why she feels called back to LosAngeles. She sees it as her mission field.
Victoria went back on auditions and has even written a one act play about why one should hold on to his faith in God. She wrote this play in response to a friend’s one act play about why she became an atheist. Though there are anti-God things out there, there are also more pro-God/pro-faith movies/entertainment coming out. Victoria doesn’t care if she loses work because of her faith.
VICTORIA’S CAREER
Victoria always knew there was going to be a conflict being in showbiz and having faith in God. Her father tried to discourage her from the entertainment industry when she was 17-years-old, but Victoria decided to try it anyway and succeeded. She attended Florida Bible College; received a gymnastic scholarship to Furman University, attended Auburn University one year, and ended up in Hollywood, Calif. via Summer Stock in Alabama. There she met Johnny Crawford (The Rifleman), who promptly put her in his night club act and sent her a one-way ticket to Hollywood.
Victoria supported herself as a cigarette girl, a typist at the American Cancer Society, a waitress at a retirement hotel, and she performed stand up comedy for two years until "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" put her act of doing a handstand while reciting poetry on national TV. She appeared with Johnny 20 times. She also appeared in many movies and TV shows, most notably six seasons on Saturday Night Live from 1986-1992. She was the only Christian in the cast, but that was alright because everyone respected each other’s talent and differing views.
Around the time she left Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s, she went through a divorce. She then re-united with her high school sweetheart, married him and moved to Florida, where he was a police helicopter pilot. She was a busy mother of two daughters, Scarlet and Aubrey, and still found time to appear onstage, on camera and did some writing. Last year, the family decided to move back to California so Victoria could pursue more acting opportunities. She is still doing stand up and making appearances.
VICTORIA’S FAITH
Victoria has never been shy, especially about her faith. She was raised in a Bible-believing, piano-playing, gymnastic home with no TV. Her dad was a gym coach, so she competed in gymnastics from ages 5-18. She remembers going to church about four times a week. She liked church and found a lot of comfort, joy and peace as a child hearing the Bible. Even when preachers talked about hell, it didn't scare her. The Bible made sense to Victoria at an early age, and it gave her a foundation on which to build her life.
Throughout her life, Victoria has gone through her share of trials and temptations, but she credits her faith in Jesus for keeping her from falling or even dying. Victoria is very clear about being a true believer in Jesus Christ and is eager to listen to any and all viewpoints.
Victoria is a guest artist at Regent University, teaching a modular graduate class on sketch comedy in the Department of Theatre Arts.
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