Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an
American actress and
comedienne, known as a long-running cast member on
NBC's
Saturday Night Live, and the daughter of the late soul singer
Minnie Riperton.
Personal life
Family
Maya Rudolph was born in
Gainesville,
Florida, the daughter of the late
soul singer Minnie Riperton (a.k.a. Andrea Davis) and
composer,
songwriter and
producer Richard Rudolph.
[Maya Rudolph Biography (1972-)] Her father is
Jewish and her mother
African American.
[San Antonio Express-News Newspaper Archive, Newspaper, Archives | mySA.com] She was in the studio with her mother on the day Riperton recorded "
Lovin' You"; one can hear her mother sing "Maya, Maya, Maya" to her near the end of the track. Riperton died at age 31 from cancer, short of her daughter's seventh birthday. This death of her mother at a young age and growing up
multiracial had an effect, according to a July 2001
Rosie magazine article: "My mom was black and my dad is Jewish, and I lost my mom when I was seven. That made me feel really different from other kids." R&B Singer
Teena Marie is her godmother.
