{{short description|American comedian and actress}} {{Infobox person | name = Sommore | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Lori Ann Rambough | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|5|15}} | birth_place = Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | alma_mater = Morris Brown College | education = McCorristin Catholic High School <small>(1985)</small> | occupation = Comedian, actress | years_active = 1992–present | relatives = Nia Long (half-sister) | website = https://www.sommore.com }}
'''Sommore''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|m|ɔːr}}; born '''Lori Ann Rambough'''; May 15, 1966) is an American comedian and actress. Known as the "Diva of Contemporary Comedy", her comedic style features biting sarcasm and frank discussions about money, sex, and equality between the sexes.<ref>"We Want SOMMORE." ''Los Angeles Sentinel'', October 26, 2000, pp. B.4. {{ProQuest|369403499}}.</ref> She first gained fame as the first female host of the long-running Black Entertainment Television (BET) stand-up showcase ''ComicView'', as well as one of the four female comedians that headlined The Queens of Comedy tour.
She appeared in the films ''Friday After Next'', ''Soul Plane'' and ''Dirty Laundry'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/calendar/give-us-sommore-6367713|title=Give Us Sommore|author=D. SIRIANNI|work=Miami New Times|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20110218/sommore-the-newest-queen-of-comedy-heads-two-royal-shows-at-playhousesquare|title=Sommore, the newest queen of comedy, heads two Royal shows at PlayhouseSquare|work=The News-Herald (Ohio)|date=18 February 2011|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref> and has received the Richard Pryor Award for Comic of the Year.
==Early life and education== Sommore was raised in Trenton, New Jersey. After attending Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd and The Pennington School, she graduated from McCorristin Catholic High School (now called Trenton Catholic Academy) in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2013/11/comedian_sommore_to_perform_at.html|title=Comedian Sommore to perform at Patriots Theater|work=NJ.com|date=29 November 2013|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="trentonian.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20031124/TMP02/311249999|title=City-born comedienne living large|work=The Trentonian|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref> She graduated from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she studied business administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20090806/ARTICLES/908049981|title=Sommore brings her sassy, adult humor to MTI on Saturday|work=Star-Banner|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/04/comic_sommore_to_perform_at_th.html|title=Comic Sommore to perform at the Hu Ke Lau|work=masslive.com|date=27 April 2010|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9MDAAAAMBAJ&q=Morris+Brown+College+sommore&pg=PA15|title=Ebony|work=Ebony via google.com|date=November 2008|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jetmag.com/entertainment/sommore-chandelier-status/#.VgPrNUseSRU|title=Comedienne Sommore Talks Chandelier Status & Comic View - JETmag.com|work=Jet|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref> After receiving her degree, Sommore worked various jobs such as retail, employment consulting and an algebra instructor before progressing into her successful comedy career.
== Career == Sommore attributes her success as a comedian to her writing skills. Influenced by her father, a writer and an English teacher, she extensively researched the business of comedy and learned about the art of comedy. She loves gospel music and her idol is Karen Clark Sheard.<ref>Dukes, Howard. "She's Living Proof You can't Keep a Good Comic Down." ''South Bend Tribune'', Feb 05, 2006, pp. 1. {{ProQuest|417387388}}.</ref>
==Television and film appearances== Sommore has appeared on various shows including HBO's ''Def Comedy Jam'', ''Showtime at the Apollo'', ''ComicView'', and ''BET Live from L.A.'' She has also done guest appearances on television sitcoms ''The Hughleys'' and ''The Parkers'', and she has been featured on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. She also appeared on ''Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav.'' In 2008, she appeared as one of the mob members on several episodes of the game show ''1 vs. 100''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/travel/lasvegas/lasvegasnow/la-tr-lvn-las-vegas-shows-sommore-20150610-story.html|title=Class and sass collide when Sommore hits the Las Vegas stage|date=11 June 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref>
Her film appearances include ''Soul Plane'', ''A Miami Tail'', ''Friday After Next'', and ''Something New''.
Sommore and fellow African American female comedians Mo'Nique, Laura Hayes, and Adele Givens were the stars on ''The Queens of Comedy'' tour, which was filmed and subsequently aired on Showtime and released on DVD.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/230939/The-Queens-of-Comedy/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006133222/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/230939/The-Queens-of-Comedy/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 6, 2014|title=The Queens of Comedy (2001)|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|first=Jessica|last=Frost|date=2014|accessdate=March 11, 2008}}</ref>
Sommore launched the worldwide premiere of "The Queen Stands Alone" on September 30, 2008. The release of her stand-up comedy special was a film version of her stand-up act and was written and produced by Sommore as well as her entertainment company One Thousand Kisses, Inc.<ref>{{Citation|title=Sommore: The Queen Stands Alone|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305823/|access-date=2020-05-09}}</ref>
Sommore was a winning participant on the sixth season of ''Celebrity Fit Club''. She lost 11 pounds during the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brownsista.com/celebrity-fit-club-with-toccara-sommore/|title=Celebrity Fit Club with Toccara & Sommore|publisher=Brown Sista|date=2010 |accessdate=October 19, 2010}}</ref>
Her 2015 special ''Sommore: The Reign Continues'' was aired on Netflix in 2018.
==Personal life== Aside from her hometown of Trenton, New Jersey, Sommore has lived in Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<ref name="trentonian.com"/> Currently, her primary residence is in Miami.<ref name="ajc">{{cite web|title=Sommore, George Wallace return to State Farm Arena for more laughs Feb. 8|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/sommore-george-wallace-return-state-farm-arena-for-more-laughs-feb/JjbXveE2kSEWxo58fiuG4O/|last1=Ho|first1=Rodney|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|accessdate=14 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sommore, the Queen of Comedy, to play Fort Lauderdale Improv in Hollywood - southflorida.com|url=http://www.southflorida.com/theater-and-arts/sf-go-sommore-improv-082213-20130820-story.html|author=SFL|date=20 August 2013|work=southflorida.com|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref> Her father was the poet Doughtry "Doc" Long and her half-sister is actress Nia Long.
==Filmography==
===Film=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 2002 | ''Friday After Next'' | Cookie | |- | 2003 | ''A Miami Tail'' | Stephanie | |- | 2004 | ''Soul Plane'' | Cherry | |- |rowspan=2| 2006 | ''Something New'' | Herself | |- | ''Dirty Laundry'' | Abby | |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan=2| 1995 | ''Snaps'' | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |- | ''Def Comedy Jam'' | Herself | Episode: "Episode #5.5" |- | 1995-96 | ''ComicView'' | Herself/Host | Main Host |- | 1996 | ''It's Showtime at the Apollo'' | Herself | Episode: "Episode #9.20" |- | 1998 | ''The Hughleys'' | Keshia | Episode: "Pilot" |- | 2002 | ''The Parkers'' | Olivia Radcliffe | Episode: "Mother's Day Blues" |- | 2005 | ''Weekends at the DL'' | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.18" |- |rowspan=3| 2006 | ''The Tom Joyner Show'' | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.15" |- | ''Live at Gotham'' | Herself/Host | Episode: "Episode #1.6" |- | ''Def Comedy Jam'' | Herself | Episode: "Episode #7.1" |- |rowspan=2| 2007 | ''Wild 'N Out'' | Herself | Episode: "The Jump Off Special" |- | ''Comedy Central Roast'' | Herself | Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav" |- | 2007-14 | ''Comics Unleashed'' | Herself | Recurring Guest |- |rowspan=3| 2008 | ''1 vs. 100'' | Herself | Contestant: Season 2 |- | ''Flavor of Love'' | Herself | Episode: "Things That Go Bump On The Lip" |- | ''Celebrity Fit Club'' | Herself | Contestant: Season 6 |- |rowspan=4| 2014 | ''Just for Laughs: All-Access'' | Herself | Episode: "Jeff Ross" |- | ''Hit the Floor'' | Herself | Episode: "Blow Out" |- | ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' | Herself/Host | Episode: "Reunion Part 1-3" |- | ''ComicView'' | Herself/Host | Main Host |- | 2018 | ''The History of Comedy'' | Herself | Recurring Guest: Season 2 |- | 2021 | ''South Side'' | Yvonne Turner | Episode: "Life of an Ottoman" |}
===Documentary=== {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title |- | 2005 | ''The Funniest Man Dead or Alive'' |- |rowspan=2| 2009 | ''Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy'' |- | ''Blunts & Stunts: Class of '94'' |}
===Comedy Releases=== {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title |- | 1995 | ''Sommore: Bitch House'' |- | 2001 | ''The Queens of Comedy'' |- | 2003 | ''Latham Entertainment Presents'' |- | 2007 | ''Sommore: The Queen Stands Alone'' |- | 2013 | ''Sommore: Chandelier Status'' |- | 2015 | ''Sommore: The Reign Continues'' |- | 2018 | ''Sommore: A Queen with No Spades'' |- | 2019 | ''All The Queens Men'' |- | 2023 | ''Sommore: Queen Chandelier'' |}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0970240|name=Sommore}} *{{official website|http://www.sommore.com/}} {{authority control}}
Category:1966 births Category:20th-century American comedians Category:21st-century American comedians Category:20th-century African-American actresses Category:20th-century American actresses Category:21st-century African-American actresses Category:21st-century American actresses Category:Living people Category:Actresses from Trenton, New Jersey Category:African-American stand-up comedians Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American women comedians Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:American film actresses Category:Morris Brown College alumni Category:Comedians from Trenton, New Jersey Category:Comedians from Georgia (U.S. state)