'SNL' actress Jan Hooks dies aged 57: agent's office

[October 10, 2014]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Jan Hooks, best known for portraying first ladies Hillary Clinton, Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s, died in New York, the office of her agent Lisa Lieberman said on Thursday. She was 57.

Hooks performed alongside comedians such as Dana Carvey and the late Phil Hartman on NBC's "SNL" from 1986 until 1991, before joining the cast of CBS sitcom "Designing Women."

Her representatives did not give a cause of death.

Hooks had a cameo in 1992's "Batman Returns," a recurring role as Vicki Dubcek on NBC's "3rd Rock from the Sun" and lent her voice to play Apu's wife Manjula in Fox's hit animated series "The Simpsons." Most recently, she played Vera Maroney in NBC's "30 Rock."

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Grant McCool)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.