Joy Gohring is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for the Oxygen sketch comedy series Ripe Tomatoes and the sitcom Good Girls Don't.
Early life
Gohring was born in Cincinnati, before moving to Austin, Texas. She attended Anderson High School, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Acting and comedy
An early acting role was in the locally produced Troma comedy film Teenage Catgirls in Heat. She gained experience performing live comedy as a member of the alternative sketch and improv troupe Monks' Night Out, before moving to Los Angeles.
Gohring and Johanna Stein co-wrote and performed Without Pants at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. That led to working with Oxygen. Producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner saw Without Pants there and signed Gohring to create and star in Ripe Tomatoes, a sketch comedy series featuring Gohring and Stein, along with Tracy Vilar and Emmy Laybourne. She also appeared in the Oxygen comedy Running with Scissors.
Gohring developed a stand-up career and became a regular performer at Austin's Cap City Comedy Club. She starred as Jane in the Oxygen comedy series Good Girls Don't, written by Claudia Lonow. She performed The Joy Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2005.
Filmmaking
Gohring made her directorial debut with the short drama You Wish, about a teenage girl caring for her bedridden mother. She was a participant in the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, after which she wrote, directed, and produced the short film 18, starring Portia Doubleday, Jake Abel, and Nolan Gerard Funk.
She later directed Undergrads: South, a documentary web series produced by James Franco's Rabbit Bandini Productions. The series followed four student filmmakers and incorporated their work on a scripted film project. The pilot was presented at South by Southwest.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role / credit Notes 1993 Shameless Waitress 1994 Teenage Catgirls in Heat Yora 2000 Radio Free Steve Crystal 2001 Not Another Teen Movie Albino Folk Singer 2001 On Edge Whistle Blower 2002 The Third Wheel Drunk Office Girl Uncredited 2003 Melvin Goes to Dinner Extra 2006 Mojave Phone Booth Glory 2007 Shelter Ellen 2007 You Wish Director Short film 2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Willow 2008 Pedro President's Secretary 2009 Peacock Season Amy 2009 18 Writer, director, producer Short film 2010 Annie in the Aisle of Irma Makeup Queen Short film 2011 Bad Actress Dr. Monika 2011 Balls to the Wall Li'l Ben's Mom 2011 Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best Jim's Drunk Date 2012 Black November Susan 2013 Bloom Producer Short film 2014 They Dissect Frogs, Don't They? Woman Short film 2014 Play Nice Producer Short film 2015 Chatty Catties Joy 2016 Gay Cake Director 2021 Shook Interviewer
Television
Year Title Role / credit Notes 2000 Ripe Tomatoes Creator, star Oxygen sketch comedy series Running with Scissors Actor Oxygen comedy series Street Smarts Writer 2004 Good Girls Don't Jane Oxygen comedy series 2004 The World Stands Up Self Stand-up comedy series 2005 CSI: NY Donna 2005 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Self
Web series and online work
Year Title Role / credit Notes 2007 Senator Kim McFriendly videos Senator Kim McFriendly Online political-comedy videos Date a Human Co-creator, director Science-fiction comedy web series 2012 Undergrads: South Director Documentary web series
References
External links Official website