Kathy Najimy Biography: Height, Ethnicity, Age, Net Worth, Siblings, Awards, Movies, Husband, Daughter

Kathy Najimy is an actress and activist who first came to public attention in the early 1980s as co-creator and performer of the feminist comedy “The Kathy and Mo Show,” which she wrote and staged with Mo Gaffney, showcasing her willingness to address social issues with humour.

By the early 1990s, Najimy’s scene-stealing turn as Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act (1992) introduced her to a broader audience, and her portrayal of Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus (1993) further solidified her as a recognizable character actor in comedy and family films.

Profile

• Full name: Kathy Ann Najimy
• Date of birth: February 6, 1957
• Age 68 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: San Diego, California, U.S.
• State of origin: California
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actress; activist
• Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
• Parents: Father: Fred Najimy (postal worker); Mother: Samia Najimy (née Massey; Lebanese immigrant)
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Dan Finnerty (1995–2001; divorced)
• Children: Samia Najimy (daughter; born 2001)
• Relationship status: Divorced
• Religion: Maronite Catholic (raised)
• Ethnicity: Lebanese American
• Net worth: $8 million

Early Life and Education

Kathy Ann Najimy is now 68 years old, having been born on February 6, 1957, in San Diego, California, to parents Samia (née Massery), who immigrated from Lebanon in 1946, and Fred Najimy, a postal worker.

Raised in a Maronite Catholic household, Najimy attended Crawford High School in San Diego, where she participated in the theatre and discovered her aptitude for performance. Her father passed away when she was fourteen, an event that she later described as formative in shaping her sense of independence and commitment to social causes.

After high school, Najimy enrolled at San Diego State University, graduating in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts; during her college years, she began performing folk music in local clubs and writing sketches with future collaborator Mo Gaffney, laying the groundwork for The Kathy and Mo Show.

Following graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in theatre, studying improvisational techniques at The National Theatre of the Coburn School and honing her craft in off-Broadway productions before transitioning to screen work in the early 1980s.

Personal Life

Najimy married comedian Dan Finnerty in 1995; they divorced in 2001 but remained friends and co-parents to their daughter, Samia, who was born the same year.

Samia, named after Kathy’s mother, has followed in her mother’s footsteps, pursuing her passion for the arts by studying theatre in college and occasionally performing in regional productions. Following her divorce, Najimy raised Samia in Los Angeles.

In interviews, Najimy has spoken openly about how balancing single parenthood with a demanding career in Hollywood shaped her outlook on work-life balance; she credits her mother’s example—immigrating from Lebanon with determination—as a guiding influence in her parenting.

Career

Najimy’s professional career began in 1981 when she co-wrote and performed The Kathy and Mo Show with Mo Gaffney in New York City. This feminist theatrical piece ran for multiple Off-Broadway engagements and generated two HBO specials, Parallel Lives (1991) and The Dark Side (1992).

Her stage work established her as an incisive comedic voice, paving the way for her first screen appearances in minor roles, including an uncredited part in The Fisher King (1991) and a featured role in Soapdish (1991) as Tawny Miller, which led to her casting as Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act (1992).

Following the success of Sister Act, Najimy was cast as Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus (1993), one of three adult Sanderson sisters alongside Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy, who played the role originally intended for Sarah Jessica Parker. However, the film initially underperformed; it eventually became a cult classic, leading to her reprising the role of Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2 (2022).

In the mid-1990s, she balanced supporting roles in films such as Hope Floats (1998) and The Wedding Planner (2001) with comedic turns in Rat Race (2001) and self-produced projects like Say Uncle (2001), which she co-wrote, directed, and starred in.

In television, Najimy made a memorable guest appearance on Ellen (1994) in “The Puppy Episode, Part 2,” which featured Ellen DeGeneres’s character publicly coming out; Najimy’s portrayal of a woman in a lesbian bar reflected both her comedic range and commitment to LGBTQ visibility.

From 1997 to 2000, she portrayed Olive Massery on NBC’s Veronica’s Closet, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical.

Concurrently, she lent her voice to Peggy Hill on Fox’s King of the Hill (1997–2010; 2025), marking one of the longest-running voice roles in animated television and earning an Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Voice Acting (2001).

Awards

• CableACE Award for Performance in a Comedy Special (Parallel Lives with Mo Gaffney) (1993) – Winner
• CableACE Award for Performance in a Comedy Special (The Dark Side with Mo Gaffney) (1995) – Winner
• American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Sister Act) (1992) – Nominee
• Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress (Hocus Pocus) (1994) – Nominee
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film (Veronica’s Closet) (1999) – Nominee
• Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production (King of the Hill) (2001) – Winner
• OFTA Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (King of the Hill) (2001) – Winner
• Time Magazine “Time 100 Women Who Changed the World” (2016) – Honoree

Net Worth

Kathy Najimy’s net worth is estimated at approximately $8 million, accumulated through her extensive work as an actress in feature films and television, voice acting, producing, and writing.

Controversy

Over her four-decade career, Kathy Najimy has largely avoided major scandals. Yet, a few episodic controversies provide insight into how her public stance and personal choices occasionally intersected with media scrutiny.

In 1994, after her vocal support for abortion rights in California’s Proposition 187 campaign, a movement seeking to restrict state services for undocumented immigrants, critics accused her of conflating immigrant rights with women’s health—a charge she rebuked by underscoring the autonomy of each issue, stating that her focus on reproductive freedom did not negate compassionate immigration policy.

During the early 2000s, Najimy’s work with PETA on the “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign prompted backlash from some fans and fashion commentators who argued that she unfairly vilified fur wearers.

A group of small-scale fur farm owners in Wisconsin even circulated petitions decrying celebrities’ dismissive attitudes toward a traditional rural trade. Najimy responded by pointing out the ethical imperative to reduce animal suffering, arguing that progress sometimes meant challenging entrenched cultural norms rather than preserving them.

In 2004, her selection as Ms. Magazine’s Woman of the Year and keynote speaker at the March for Women’s Lives generated debate among conservative pundits who contended that Najimy’s direct style risked alienating moderate women. Specifically, a television commentator criticized her for saying, “Women’s rights are not up for negotiation,” a line some viewed as too absolutist.

Another contentious moment occurred in 2013 when footage from a live taping of The Weakest Link showed Najimy agreeing to go “all in” for a $50,000 donation to the Feminist Majority Foundation. Some critics called it performative activism, questioning whether game-show appearances truly advance social causes or generate publicity.

Social Media

• Instagram: @kathynajimy
• Twitter (X): @kathynajimy

Filmography

• Soapdish (1991)
• The Fisher King (1991)
• This Is My Life (1992)
• Sister Act (1992)
• Hocus Pocus (1993)
• Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
• Hope Floats (1998)
• The Wedding Planner (2001)
• Rat Race (2001)
• WALL-E (2008)
• Step Up 3D (2010)
• The Guilt Trip (2012)
• A Madea Christmas (2013)
• A Christmas Melody (2015)
• Descendants (2015)
• Dumplin’ (2018)
• Music (2021)
• Single All the Way (2021)
• Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)