Sweeney is best known for his appearances as a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL) during that program’s 1985–86 season. He had also been a writer of sketches for SNL during the early 1980s prior to being hired as a member of the cast.
He was SNL’s first openly gay male cast member and was “out” prior to being hired as a cast member. His run on the show came at a time when there were few openly gay characters or actors on television.
During his season on SNL, he became known for his celebrity impersonations, particularly female impersonations of stars like Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Joan Collins, Brooke Shields’s mother Teri Shields, and Joan Rivers, as well as Ted Kennedy (the only male celebrity he impersonated). His most notable recurring character was a portrayal of then-First Lady Nancy Reagan
Sweeney has written for the FOX TV series MADtv, The WB’s short-lived sketch comedy series Hype (and co-created), and Sci Fi Channel’s Tripping the Rift, among a few others, all with his partner, Lanier Laney. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the cult Southern Film “Shag” which was recently chosen by Garden and Gun Magazine as one of The South’s Ten Greatest Films. Terry Sweeney’s brand new book “Irritable Bowls and The People Who Give You Them” A Collection of Humorous Essays is making is making its debut Sept 2015. This first collection of autobiographical essays marks his return to his literary roots.
