Christine Zander

Christine Zander is an American television writer and producer. She is best known for her work as a writer on NBC's Saturday Night Live (1986–1993).[1] She began her comedy career performing for Second City in Chicago.

Zander is the daughter of Marie Zander, who died in May 2001. She has one brother Ernie Zander. She married actor and writer Mark Nutter in 1987, and together they had son Andrew Nutter. Nutter and Zander first met at the cabaret Cross-Currents in Chicago where they were both performing improvisational comedy, and Nutter also played keyboard for the Second City touring company. The couple relocated from Chicago to New York City when Zander was offered a position at Saturday Night Live in 1986. After six years of working for Saturday Night Live, Mark Nutter and Zander relocated with their baby relocated to Los Angeles for Nutter to find more opportunities as a writer. They have since divorced.

In May 1998, Phil Hartman, a former Saturday Night Live colleague of Zander, was murdered in his sleep by his wife Brynn Hartman in their Los Angeles home, and Brynn Hartman then proceeded to kill herself. Earlier that night, Brynn Hartman had gone for an early drink with Zander at Italian bistro Buca di Beppo, despite her history with drug and alcohol abuse. Zander was the last person known to have seen Hartman before the murder-suicide. According to Zander, she had seemed perfectly fine and content, and they had even made plans to see each other the next weekend.

Christine Zander joined the 1986 season of Saturday Night Live along with other famous comedy writers such as Kevin Nealon and Phil Hartman. The first sketch Zander was able to get on the air starred Bill Murray as the one night stand of cast member Jan Hooks. During her time there, she worked closely with Nora Dunn on various sketches. When Dunn left the show, she became very close with Julia Sweeney, helping her craft sketches for the famous character “Pat,” an androgynous and cripplingly awkward boss. Zander and Sweeney later collaborated on a fictional biography for the character, It’s Pat! My Life Exposed, which was published by Hyperion in September 1992.[2] Her favorite sketches to write on the show were “Pat,” “Attitudes” starring John Malcovich, and “Their Eyes Evolved to Be on Their Breasts,” which involved women who developed eyes on their breasts so as to better meet the male gaze.

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