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Zach Galifianakis Saved 87-Year-Old L.A. Woman From Homelessness
Zach Galifianakis is a man of many surprises, and the latest twist to his winding tale is that in addition to being hilarious and having done stand-up with Ken Jeong in the 90s, he's a big softie at heart.
According to the New York Daily News, after Galifianakis made it big, he found out that a woman who used to volunteer at his laundromat in L.A. had fallen into homelessness -- so he put her up in an apartment, and still pays her rent and bills to this day.
The woman is 87-year-old Elizabeth “Mimi” Haist:
Haist first met Galifianakis in 1994, when the then-unknown comic was a newcomer to Los Angeles trying to get his big break. He moved into an apartment around the corner and was soon a regular visitor to Fox Laundry, where she volunteered — surviving off tips from customers... Two years ago, the funnyman discovered that Haist — who was married earlier in life but has been on her own for the past 30 years — was homeless. He swooped in and found her a one-bed, one-bath apartment and started covering her rent and utilities.
[Haist] is the subject of a film being made by Israeli actor and director Yaniv Rokah. Now entering post-production thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, “Queen Mimi” tells the story of how this feisty octogenarian, who was once a San Fernando Valley housewife, ended up living on the streets of Los Angeles for almost a decade before taking up permanent residence at Fox Laundry 18 years ago.
Fox Laundry is located in Santa Monica.
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According to the Daily News, Galifianakis will bring Haist to the premiere of "Hangover Part III" as his date.
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