My first funny woman was Lucille Ball I watched probably every episode of I Love Lucy in all its iterations. The show first aired in 1951 of course but by the time I was a child, it was in syndication She was funny, but something was lacking for me. I grew up in the 1970's, so watching Lucille Ball be a zany and sometimes very stupid but ultimately subservient 1950's housewife, just seemed wrong. My second funny woman was Mary Tyler Moore, I watched her first on the Dick Van Dyke show, which was filmed a decade after Lucy in 1961, where she basically did the same thing as Lucy. Both characters thought they'd go behind their husband's backs to get something that they wanted but were told they couldn't have, it all went tits up, and then they wailed to their husbands to rescue them. Don't get me wrong. Lucille Ball was a pioneer for women both in front of the camera and behind it. MTM went from being the wife of the main character to having her own show and launching the careers of Valerie Harper (Rhoda) and Cloris Leechman (Phyllis) in their own spin-offs. it was the first time that I watched Betty White as the sexy Sue Ann. It was the first show that taught me that I didn't have to be a wife or mother and obey a man. That I could have a career, that I could live alone in my own apartment and make my own decisions.
Then came Saturday Night Live. I was 7 when it first came on TV and wasn't allowed to stay up that late to watch it. But by the time Gilda Radner's one woman show was broadcast on TV in 1980, I was 12 and I was there for it.
Then came Saturday Night Live. I was 7 when it first came on TV and wasn't allowed to stay up that late to watch it. But by the time Gilda Radner's one woman show was broadcast on TV in 1980, I was 12 and I was there for it.
Betty White, January 17, 1922 - December 31, 2021
Betty Marion White was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television with a career spanning seven decades, she was noted for her vast television appearances acting in sitcoms, sketch comedy, and game shows. She produced and starred in the series Life with Elizabeth (1953–1955), making her the first woman to produce a sitcom.
After moving from radio to television, White became a staple panelist of American game shows such as Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares, and The $25,000 Pyramid. Dubbed "the first lady of game shows", she became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983.[4] She then became more widely known for her guest and recurring appearances on shows such as The Carol Burnett Show, The Bold and the Beautiful and Boston Legal.
White's biggest roles include Sue Ann Nivens on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977), Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015). She had a late career resurgence when she starred in the romantic comedy film The Proposal (2009) and hosted Saturday Night Live the following year, garnering her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The 2018 documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television detailed her life and career.
For her lengthy work in radio, television, and film, White twice earned the Guinness World Record for the longest TV career by a female entertainer in both 2014 and 2018. She received various awards and nominations, including seven Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award.[9] She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995.
After moving from radio to television, White became a staple panelist of American game shows such as Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares, and The $25,000 Pyramid. Dubbed "the first lady of game shows", she became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983.[4] She then became more widely known for her guest and recurring appearances on shows such as The Carol Burnett Show, The Bold and the Beautiful and Boston Legal.
White's biggest roles include Sue Ann Nivens on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977), Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015). She had a late career resurgence when she starred in the romantic comedy film The Proposal (2009) and hosted Saturday Night Live the following year, garnering her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The 2018 documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television detailed her life and career.
For her lengthy work in radio, television, and film, White twice earned the Guinness World Record for the longest TV career by a female entertainer in both 2014 and 2018. She received various awards and nominations, including seven Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award.[9] She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995.
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Erma Bombeck, February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996
Erma Louise Bombeck née Fiste; was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers. Between 1965 and April 17, 1996 – five days before her death – Bombeck wrote over 4,000 newspaper columns, using broad and sometimes eloquent humor, chronicling the ordinary life of a Midwestern suburban housewife. By the 1970s, her columns were read semi-weekly by 30 million readers of the 900 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Her work stands as a humorous chronicle of middle-class life in America after World War II, among the generation of parents who produced the Baby Boomers.
CArol Burnett, born April 26, 1933
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS, was one of the first to be hosted by a woman.[1][2] She has performed on stage, television and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedic roles. She has received numerous accolades including six Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and seven Golden Globe Awards. Burnett was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013 and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, her family moved to California where she lived in the Hollywood area. She attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA. Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, her family moved to California where she lived in the Hollywood area. She attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA. Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS.
Jane WAgner, born February 26, 1935
Jane Wagner is an American writer, director and producer. She is Lily Tomlin's comedy writer, collaborator and wife.
She is the author of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, The Incredible Shrinking Woman and other Tomlin vehicles. Wagner was born and raised in Morristown, Tennessee, where she quickly developed a penchant for writing. She attended Morristown High School, where she wrote for the school newspaper. At 17, she left the hills of East Tennessee to pursue an acting career in New York City, where she also studied painting and sculpture at the School of Visual Arts and piano.
Early in her life she toured with the Barter Theatre of Abingdon, Virginia. She made her writing debut with the CBS afternoon special J.T. (1969), for which she won the Peabody Award — and drew the attention of Tomlin, who was looking for someone to help develop the Laugh-In character Edith Ann. It was the beginning of a collaboration that continues to this day.
Wagner has been nominated for Grammy Awards, with Tomlin, for the comic's recorded albums and has won three Emmy Awards and a Writers Guild of America award, also with Tomlin, for the comic's television specials. She wrote and directed Moment by Moment, starring Tomlin and John Travolta, and wrote The Incredible Shrinking Woman, which starred Tomlin. The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe won Wagner a Special Award from the New York Drama Critics' Circle and a New York Drama Desk Award. The film adaptation of the play brought Wagner a Cable ACE Award. Wagner won a second Peabody for the ABC special, Edith Ann's Christmas: Just Say Noel (1996). Since its launch in 2008, Wagner has been a contributor for wowOwow.com, a website for women to talk culture, politics and gossip.
She is the author of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, The Incredible Shrinking Woman and other Tomlin vehicles. Wagner was born and raised in Morristown, Tennessee, where she quickly developed a penchant for writing. She attended Morristown High School, where she wrote for the school newspaper. At 17, she left the hills of East Tennessee to pursue an acting career in New York City, where she also studied painting and sculpture at the School of Visual Arts and piano.
Early in her life she toured with the Barter Theatre of Abingdon, Virginia. She made her writing debut with the CBS afternoon special J.T. (1969), for which she won the Peabody Award — and drew the attention of Tomlin, who was looking for someone to help develop the Laugh-In character Edith Ann. It was the beginning of a collaboration that continues to this day.
Wagner has been nominated for Grammy Awards, with Tomlin, for the comic's recorded albums and has won three Emmy Awards and a Writers Guild of America award, also with Tomlin, for the comic's television specials. She wrote and directed Moment by Moment, starring Tomlin and John Travolta, and wrote The Incredible Shrinking Woman, which starred Tomlin. The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe won Wagner a Special Award from the New York Drama Critics' Circle and a New York Drama Desk Award. The film adaptation of the play brought Wagner a Cable ACE Award. Wagner won a second Peabody for the ABC special, Edith Ann's Christmas: Just Say Noel (1996). Since its launch in 2008, Wagner has been a contributor for wowOwow.com, a website for women to talk culture, politics and gossip.
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Lily Tomlin, Born September 1, 1939
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career as an actress on stage and screen. In a career spanning over fifty years, Tomlin has received numerous accolades including seven Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. She was also awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014 and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2017.
Tomlin started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1969 until 1973. Her signature role which was written by her then-partner (now wife), Jane Wagner, was in the show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe which opened on Broadway in 1985 and earned Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She won Emmy Awards for the special, Lily (1973), and received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for This Is a Recording (1972).
In 1975, Tomlin made her film debut with Robert Altman's Nashville, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1977, her performance as Margo Sperling in The Late Show won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Actress. Her other notable films include All of Me (1984), Big Business (1988), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Tea with Mussolini (1999), I Heart Huckabees (2004), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and Grandma (2015).
Tomlin is known for her collaborations with Jane Fonda starring in the films 9 to 5 (1980), 80 for Brady (2023), and Moving On (2023). She also starred with Fonda on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie which ran from 2015 to 2022. She earned her four Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominations. From 2002 to 2006 she portrayed Deborah Fiderer in the Aaron Sorkin series The West Wing. She also voiced Ms. Frizzle for the children's animated series The Magic School Bus (1994-1997) and The Magic School Bus Rides Again (2017-2020).
Tomlin started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1969 until 1973. Her signature role which was written by her then-partner (now wife), Jane Wagner, was in the show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe which opened on Broadway in 1985 and earned Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She won Emmy Awards for the special, Lily (1973), and received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for This Is a Recording (1972).
In 1975, Tomlin made her film debut with Robert Altman's Nashville, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1977, her performance as Margo Sperling in The Late Show won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Actress. Her other notable films include All of Me (1984), Big Business (1988), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Tea with Mussolini (1999), I Heart Huckabees (2004), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and Grandma (2015).
Tomlin is known for her collaborations with Jane Fonda starring in the films 9 to 5 (1980), 80 for Brady (2023), and Moving On (2023). She also starred with Fonda on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie which ran from 2015 to 2022. She earned her four Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominations. From 2002 to 2006 she portrayed Deborah Fiderer in the Aaron Sorkin series The West Wing. She also voiced Ms. Frizzle for the children's animated series The Magic School Bus (1994-1997) and The Magic School Bus Rides Again (2017-2020).
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Madeline Kahn, September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999
Madeline Gail Kahn née Wolfson; was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including What's Up, Doc?, Blazing Saddles (1974) as Lili Von Schtupp, (1972), Young Frankenstein (1974), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), and her Academy Award–nominated roles in Paper Moon (1973) and Blazing Saddles (1974).
Kahn made her Broadway debut in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968, and received Tony Award nominations for the play In the Boom Boom Room in 1974 and for the original production of the musical On the Twentieth Century in 1978. She starred as Madeline Wayne on the short-lived sitcom Oh Madeline (1983–84) and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1987 for an ABC Afterschool Special. She received a third Tony Award nomination for the revival of the play Born Yesterday in 1989, before winning the 1993 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the comedy The Sisters Rosensweig. Her other film appearances included The Cheap Detective (1978), City Heat (1984), Clue (1985), and Nixon (1995).
Kahn made her Broadway debut in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968, and received Tony Award nominations for the play In the Boom Boom Room in 1974 and for the original production of the musical On the Twentieth Century in 1978. She starred as Madeline Wayne on the short-lived sitcom Oh Madeline (1983–84) and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1987 for an ABC Afterschool Special. She received a third Tony Award nomination for the revival of the play Born Yesterday in 1989, before winning the 1993 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the comedy The Sisters Rosensweig. Her other film appearances included The Cheap Detective (1978), City Heat (1984), Clue (1985), and Nixon (1995).
Tony Basil, Born September 22 1943
Antonia Christina Basilotta better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit the top ten in several other countries. Her father led an orchestra, and her mother performed in vaudeville. She was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where her father moved the family for his work when she was a child. Basil graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1961, where she was a head cheerleader. Basil started dancing professionally in childhood, but her career started when she served as an assistant choreographer to David Winters and as a dancer on Shindig! a breakthrough music variety show that premiered on the ABC network in 1964. In addition, she was assistant choreographer and a dancer on the 1964 concert film The T.A.M.I. Show (Teen-Age Music International) choreographed by David Winters,[9] which featured fellow dancer and friend Teri Garr. Her 1960s film choreography work includes Village of the Giants (1965), The Cool Ones (1967), and the Monkees' 1968 film Head in which she is partnered on-screen with Davy Jones during "Daddy's Song". She was a lead dancer in the 1964 beach party film Pajama Party, and a dancer in the Elvis Presley movie, Viva Las Vegas. She is credited as a choreographer for some episodes of The Carol Burnett Show. Basil is one of the seven original Lockers, the street dance group considered "the group that changed the face of dance".[third-party source needed] She is recognized as having been a seminal influence in bringing street dance to the attention of the American public. A 2012 Dance Magazine article cited Basil as the pioneer in merging ballet with street dance for a piece she choreographed for The Smothers Brothers "Swan Lake" in 1978.Basil's recording career consists of only two albums. Her first album, 1982's Word of Mouth, included a second Hot 100 single "Shoppin' from A to Z", as well as three songs by Devo, with the group providing the backing track. The track "Space Girls" was a re-recording of a 1974 Devo demo titled "Space Girl Blues" that was later released on Devo's "Hardcore Devo: Volume One". Devo member Gerald Casale and Basil were in a relationship at the time, and Basil had been an early supporter of the group.
Toni Basil (1983), her eponymous second album, yielded a third and final Hot 100 charting single, "Over My Head", which reached No. 4 on the U.S. Dance chart. Her song "Girls Night Out" appeared on the 1986 movie soundtrack Modern Girls. To date, there have been five Toni Basil best of collections released on CD. In 1999, DJ and producer Jason Nevins's dance remix of "Mickey" was a club hit in Europe and Australia. Basil contributed vocals for the Devo song "The Only One" in 1987, part of the soundtrack of the horror film Slaughterhouse Rock, in which Basil starred. Basil began her acting career by appearing in the films Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces. Some of her other films are The Last Movie (directed by Dennis Hopper), Greaser's Palace (directed by Robert Downey, Sr.), Mother, Jugs & Speed, Village of the Giants, Rockula (with Thomas Dolby) and Slaughterhouse Rock. On TV, she has appeared in episodes of Laverne & Shirley (in which she played the character, Mickie), Dark Justice, and in Baywatch Nights as a fortune teller.
Toni Basil (1983), her eponymous second album, yielded a third and final Hot 100 charting single, "Over My Head", which reached No. 4 on the U.S. Dance chart. Her song "Girls Night Out" appeared on the 1986 movie soundtrack Modern Girls. To date, there have been five Toni Basil best of collections released on CD. In 1999, DJ and producer Jason Nevins's dance remix of "Mickey" was a club hit in Europe and Australia. Basil contributed vocals for the Devo song "The Only One" in 1987, part of the soundtrack of the horror film Slaughterhouse Rock, in which Basil starred. Basil began her acting career by appearing in the films Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces. Some of her other films are The Last Movie (directed by Dennis Hopper), Greaser's Palace (directed by Robert Downey, Sr.), Mother, Jugs & Speed, Village of the Giants, Rockula (with Thomas Dolby) and Slaughterhouse Rock. On TV, she has appeared in episodes of Laverne & Shirley (in which she played the character, Mickie), Dark Justice, and in Baywatch Nights as a fortune teller.
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Fannie Flagg, born September 21, 1944
Fannie Flagg born Patricia Neal is an American actress, comedienne, and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show Match Game and for the 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was adapted into the 1991 motion picture Fried Green Tomatoes. She was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay adaptation. Flagg lives in California and Alabama.
Bette Midler, Decemeber 1, 1945
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several off-off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse where she managed to build up a core following. Since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist, selling over 30 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, three Platinum, and three Multiplatinum albums by RIAA. Many of her songs became chart hits, including her renditions of "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Do You Want to Dance", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", and "From a Distance". She won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "The Rose", and Record of the Year for "Wind Beneath My Wings".
Midler made her starring film debut with the musical drama The Rose (1979), which won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She went on to star in numerous films, including Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Big Business (1988), Beaches (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993) and its sequel (2022), The First Wives Club (1996), The Stepford Wives (2004), Parental Guidance (2012), and The Addams Family (2019) and its sequel (2021). Midler also had starring roles in For the Boys (1991) and Gypsy (1993), winning two additional Golden Globe Awards for these films and receiving a second Academy Award nomination for the former.
In 2008, Midler signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a residency, Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On, which ended in 2010. She starred in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, which began previews in March 2017 and premiered at the Shubert Theatre in April 2017. The show was her first leading role in a Broadway musical. Midler received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several off-off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse where she managed to build up a core following. Since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist, selling over 30 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, three Platinum, and three Multiplatinum albums by RIAA. Many of her songs became chart hits, including her renditions of "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Do You Want to Dance", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", and "From a Distance". She won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "The Rose", and Record of the Year for "Wind Beneath My Wings".
Midler made her starring film debut with the musical drama The Rose (1979), which won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She went on to star in numerous films, including Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Big Business (1988), Beaches (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993) and its sequel (2022), The First Wives Club (1996), The Stepford Wives (2004), Parental Guidance (2012), and The Addams Family (2019) and its sequel (2021). Midler also had starring roles in For the Boys (1991) and Gypsy (1993), winning two additional Golden Globe Awards for these films and receiving a second Academy Award nomination for the former.
In 2008, Midler signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a residency, Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On, which ended in 2010. She starred in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, which began previews in March 2017 and premiered at the Shubert Theatre in April 2017. The show was her first leading role in a Broadway musical. Midler received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
Gilda Radner, June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989
Gilda Susan Radner was an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. Radner was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as newsanchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy. She died from ovarian cancer in 1989. Her autobiography dealt frankly with her life, work, and personal struggles, including her struggles with that illness. Her widower, Gene Wilder, carried out her wish that information about her illness would be used to help other cancer victims, founding—and inspiring the founding of—organizations that emphasize early diagnosis, attention to hereditary factors and support for cancer patients. Posthumously, Radner won a Grammy Award in 1990, was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1992, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
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Jane Curtin, born September 6, 1947
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedian. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s sitcom Kate & Allie portraying the role of Allison "Allie" Lowell. Curtin later starred in the hit series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001), playing the role of Dr. Mary Albright.
Curtin has also appeared in many movie roles, including Charlene in The Librarian series of movies (2004–2008). She reprised one of her Saturday Night Live characters, Prymaat (Clorhone) Conehead, in the 1993 film Coneheads. She is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Deadpan". The Philadelphia Inquirer once called her a "refreshing drop of acid". She was included on a 1986 list of the "Top Prime Time Actors and Actresses of All Time".
Curtin has also appeared in many movie roles, including Charlene in The Librarian series of movies (2004–2008). She reprised one of her Saturday Night Live characters, Prymaat (Clorhone) Conehead, in the 1993 film Coneheads. She is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Deadpan". The Philadelphia Inquirer once called her a "refreshing drop of acid". She was included on a 1986 list of the "Top Prime Time Actors and Actresses of All Time".
Judy Tenuta, November 7, 1949 – October 6, 2022
Judy Lynn Tenuta was an American comedian, actress, and comedy musician. She was known for her whimsical and brash persona of "The Love Goddess", mixing insult comedy, observational humor, self-promotion, and bawdy onstage antics. Throughout her career, Tenuta built a niche but devoted following, particularly among members of the LGBTQ community. Tenuta wrote two comedy books, and received two nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
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Carol Kane, June 18, 1952
Carolyn Laurie Kane is an American actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as Hester Street (for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), Dog Day Afternoon, Annie Hall, The Princess Bride and Scrooged. Kane appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as Simka Gravas, the wife of Latka, the character played by Andy Kaufman, winning two Emmy Awards for her work. She has played the character of Madame Morrible in the musical Wicked, both in touring productions and on Broadway from 2005 to 2014. From 2015 to 2020, she was a main cast member on the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, in which she played Lillian Kaushtupper. She currently plays the recurring role of Pelia in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2023–present).
Jill Conner Browne, born 1953?
Sweet Potato Queens is a women's organization based in Jackson, Mississippi, that has over six thousand registered chapters in over twenty countries. The Sweet Potato Queens concept has been explained and made popular by a series of books by Jill Conner Browne, born in Tupelo and raised in Jackson, who came up with the idea in 1982. Browne is the author of a number of books which form the backbone of the Sweet Potato Queen "movement." It involves a belief in a sisterhood that promotes self-esteem and positive thinking, appealing to mostly middle-aged middle-class women. As John Ray, the ordering manager at Politics and Prose in Washington once said of the Sweet Potato Queen books, "they began to empower women." In 2005, almost ten thousand women dressed up in costumes and came to Jackson for the annual Hal and Mal's St. Patrick’s Day parade, proceeds from which benefited a local children’s hospital. Each local chapter assumes its own theme and designs its own costumes. Some of the chapters participate in parades and fund-raisers in their local communities.
Whoopie Goldberg, born November 13, 1955
Caryn Elaine Johnson known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg is an American actor, comedian, author and television personality. A recipient of numerous accolades, she is one of 18 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award ("Oscar"), and a Tony Award. In 2001, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Goldberg began her career on stage in 1983 with her one-woman show, Spook Show, which transferred to Broadway under the title Whoopi Goldberg, running from 1984 to 1985. She won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the recording of the show. Her film breakthrough came in 1985 with her role as Celie, a mistreated woman in the Deep South, in Steven Spielberg's period drama film The Color Purple, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. For her role as an eccentric psychic in the romantic fantasy film Ghost (1990), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a second Golden Globe Award. She starred in the comedy Sister Act (1992) and its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), becoming the highest-paid actress at the time. She also starred in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Clara's Heart (1988), Soapdish (1991), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), and Till (2022). She also is known for voicing roles in The Lion King (1994), and Toy Story 3 (2010).
On stage, Goldberg has starred in the Broadway revivals of Stephen Sondheim's musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. She won a Tony Award as a producer of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. In 2011 she received her third Tony Award nomination for the stage adaptation of Sister Act (2011). On television, Goldberg portrayed Guinan in the science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988-1993), and Star Trek: Picard (2022). Since 2007, she has co-hosted and moderated the daytime talk show The View, for which she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has hosted the Academy Awards ceremony four times.
`1985 Saw this on HBO on repeat for months. This was the first stand up comedian special I think I'd ever seen.
On stage, Goldberg has starred in the Broadway revivals of Stephen Sondheim's musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. She won a Tony Award as a producer of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. In 2011 she received her third Tony Award nomination for the stage adaptation of Sister Act (2011). On television, Goldberg portrayed Guinan in the science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988-1993), and Star Trek: Picard (2022). Since 2007, she has co-hosted and moderated the daytime talk show The View, for which she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She has hosted the Academy Awards ceremony four times.
`1985 Saw this on HBO on repeat for months. This was the first stand up comedian special I think I'd ever seen.
Dawn French, born October 11, 1957
Dawn Roma French is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring in the BBC comedy sketch show French and Saunders with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, and played the lead role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. She has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won a BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009.
Jennifer Saunders, born July 6, 1958
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with her best friend and comedy partner, Dawn French. With French, she co-wrote and starred in their eponymous sketch show, French and Saunders, for which they jointly received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2009. Saunders later received acclaim in the 1990s for writing and playing her character Edina Monsoon in her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
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Julie Brown, born August 31, 1958
Julie Ann Brown is an American actress, comedian, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, and television director. Brown is known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl character. Much of her comedy has revolved around the mocking of famous people (with a strong and frequently revisited focus on Madonna). Brown's parents said "whatever you do, don't become an actress", but after attending Los Angeles Valley College she enrolled in the well-known San Francisco acting school, American Conservatory Theater, where she met future collaborator Charlie Coffey. In 1984, she released her first EP, a five-song album called Goddess in Progress. The album, parodies of popular '80s music combined with her valley girl personality, was quickly discovered by the Dr. Demento Show. The songs "'Cause I'm a Blonde" and "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" were given radio airplay across the world. The latter was a spoof on stereotypical 1950s' teen tragedy songs, with cheerleaders' heads and pompoms being blown to pieces.
In 1987, Brown released her first full-length album, Trapped in the Body of a White Girl. The album highlighted her comedic talent and valley girl personality. The album's highlights were "I Like 'em Big and Stupid" and she reprised "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" (the album was reissued on CD in 2010 by Collector's Choice Music on its Noble Rot label). Music videos were recorded and received heavy airplay on MTV. Brown's film career began in 1988 with the release of the film Earth Girls Are Easy, written, produced by, and featuring Brown, it was based loosely on a song by the same name from her debut EP. In 1989, Brown starred in that cable network's comedy and music-video show Just Say Julie. She played the role of a demanding, controlling, and pessimistic glamour-puss from the valley, making fun of popular music acts, while at the same time introducing their music videos (she was also known as "Miss Julie Brown" at the time to differentiate her from Downtown Julie Brown, who was on the network at the same time). She has continued to make television guest appearances and contributed voices to various cartoons, including Animaniacs (as the voice of Minerva Mink), Aladdin as bratty mermaid Saleen, and as the original voice of Zatanna in the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon. Brown appeared as Coach Millie Stoeger in the film Clueless, reprising that role on ABC's 1996–1999 spin-off TV series, for which she was also a writer, producer and director.
In 1987, Brown released her first full-length album, Trapped in the Body of a White Girl. The album highlighted her comedic talent and valley girl personality. The album's highlights were "I Like 'em Big and Stupid" and she reprised "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" (the album was reissued on CD in 2010 by Collector's Choice Music on its Noble Rot label). Music videos were recorded and received heavy airplay on MTV. Brown's film career began in 1988 with the release of the film Earth Girls Are Easy, written, produced by, and featuring Brown, it was based loosely on a song by the same name from her debut EP. In 1989, Brown starred in that cable network's comedy and music-video show Just Say Julie. She played the role of a demanding, controlling, and pessimistic glamour-puss from the valley, making fun of popular music acts, while at the same time introducing their music videos (she was also known as "Miss Julie Brown" at the time to differentiate her from Downtown Julie Brown, who was on the network at the same time). She has continued to make television guest appearances and contributed voices to various cartoons, including Animaniacs (as the voice of Minerva Mink), Aladdin as bratty mermaid Saleen, and as the original voice of Zatanna in the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon. Brown appeared as Coach Millie Stoeger in the film Clueless, reprising that role on ABC's 1996–1999 spin-off TV series, for which she was also a writer, producer and director.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus, born January 13, 1961
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian, and producer. Often described as one of the greatest performers in television history, she is widely known for her roles as various characters on Saturday Night Live (1982–1985), Elaine Benes on Seinfeld (1989–1998), Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), and Selina Meyer on Veep (2012–2019). Her list of accolades makes her one of the most awarded actresses in American television history, and she has received more Primetime Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer.
Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York City, the daughter of French billionaire Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, and broke into comedy as a performer with the Practical Theatre Company in Chicago. This led to her being cast in the sketch show Saturday Night Live. Her breakthrough came in 1989 with a nine-season run on Seinfeld, which became one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time. She has made guest appearances on shows such as Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 30 Rock. She has also had supporting film roles in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and leading film roles in Enough Said (2013), Downhill (2020), You People (2023), and You Hurt My Feelings (2023). Her voice acting work includes A Bug's Life (1998), Planes (2013), and Onward (2020). Since 2021, she has played Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Louis-Dreyfus has received 11 Primetime Emmy Awards (eight for acting and three for producing) in addition to nine Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe Award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2014. She was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. She has also received numerous honors including the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2018 and the National Medal of Arts in 2021.[5][6]
Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York City, the daughter of French billionaire Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, and broke into comedy as a performer with the Practical Theatre Company in Chicago. This led to her being cast in the sketch show Saturday Night Live. Her breakthrough came in 1989 with a nine-season run on Seinfeld, which became one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time. She has made guest appearances on shows such as Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 30 Rock. She has also had supporting film roles in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and leading film roles in Enough Said (2013), Downhill (2020), You People (2023), and You Hurt My Feelings (2023). Her voice acting work includes A Bug's Life (1998), Planes (2013), and Onward (2020). Since 2021, she has played Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Louis-Dreyfus has received 11 Primetime Emmy Awards (eight for acting and three for producing) in addition to nine Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe Award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2014. She was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. She has also received numerous honors including the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2018 and the National Medal of Arts in 2021.[5][6]
Amy Sedaris, Born March 29. 1961
Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both The Mandalorian (2019–2023) and The Book of Boba Fett (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series Strangers with Candy (1999–2000) and the prequel film Strangers with Candy (2005), which she also wrote.
Sedaris appeared as Hurshe Heartshe in the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler (2013–2014), as Princess Carolyn in the Netflix animated comedy series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), and as Mimi Kanasis in the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020). She received further critical acclaim as the creator and star of the TruTV surreal comedy series At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) which earned her two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. Sedaris has appeared in various films, including Maid in Manhattan (2002), School of Rock (2003), Elf (2003), Bewitched (2005), Chicken Little (2005), Shrek the Third (2007), Jennifer's Body (2009), Puss in Boots (2011), Chef (2014), Ghost Team (2016), Handsome (2017), and The Lion King (2019).
Sedaris appeared as Hurshe Heartshe in the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler (2013–2014), as Princess Carolyn in the Netflix animated comedy series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), and as Mimi Kanasis in the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020). She received further critical acclaim as the creator and star of the TruTV surreal comedy series At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) which earned her two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. Sedaris has appeared in various films, including Maid in Manhattan (2002), School of Rock (2003), Elf (2003), Bewitched (2005), Chicken Little (2005), Shrek the Third (2007), Jennifer's Body (2009), Puss in Boots (2011), Chef (2014), Ghost Team (2016), Handsome (2017), and The Lion King (2019).
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Lisa Kudrow, born July 30, 1963
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite, American Comedy and TV Guide awards. Phoebe has since been named one of the greatest television characters of all time. Phoebe is considered to be Kudrow's breakout role, spawning her successful film career.
Kudrow starred in the cult comedy film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and followed it with an acclaimed performance in the romantic comedy The Opposite of Sex (1998), which won her the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. She created, produced, wrote, and starred in the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback, which initially lasted for one season in 2005 but was revived for a critically acclaimed second and final season in 2014. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for both seasons.
Kudrow starred in the cult comedy film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and followed it with an acclaimed performance in the romantic comedy The Opposite of Sex (1998), which won her the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. She created, produced, wrote, and starred in the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback, which initially lasted for one season in 2005 but was revived for a critically acclaimed second and final season in 2014. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for both seasons.
Wanda Sykes, born March 7, 1964
Wanda Yvette Sykes is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is also known for her recurring roles on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10), and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001–). She received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her roles in ABC's Black-ish (2015–2022), and Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2020). She currently stars in the Netflix original series The Upshaws (2021-), the HBO Max comedy series The Other Two (2019-), and The Good Fight (2021).
Aside from her television appearances, Sykes has also had a career in film, appearing as Biggie Shortie in Pooty Tang (2001), Monster-in-Law (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), and License to Wed (2007), as well as voicing characters in animated films such as Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2 (all in 2006), Rio (2011), the subsequent films of the Ice Age franchise (2012-2016), and UglyDolls (2019).
Aside from her television appearances, Sykes has also had a career in film, appearing as Biggie Shortie in Pooty Tang (2001), Monster-in-Law (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), and License to Wed (2007), as well as voicing characters in animated films such as Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2 (all in 2006), Rio (2011), the subsequent films of the Ice Age franchise (2012-2016), and UglyDolls (2019).
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Leslie Jones, born September 7, 1967
Annette "Leslie" Jones is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2014 to 2019, and is currently the host of the ABC game show Supermarket Sweep. She has also been a featured performer at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and the Aspen Comedy Festival. In 2010, her one-hour comedy special, Problem Child, was broadcast on Showtime. Jones starred in Ghostbusters (2016) as Patty Tolan. In 2017 and 2018, Jones was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live.
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Margaret Cho, Born December 5, 1968
Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968 is an American comedian and actress. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and sexuality. She rose to prominence after starring in the ABC sitcom All-American Girl (1994–95), and became an established stand-up comic in the subsequent years. As an actress, she has acted in such roles as Charlene Lee in It's My Party and John Travolta's FBI colleague in the action movie Face/Off. Cho was part of the cast of the TV series Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime Television, in which she appeared as Teri Lee, a paralegal assistant. For her portrayal of Dictator Kim Jong-il on 30 Rock, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2012. In 2022, Cho co-starred in the film Fire Island, a portrayal of the LGBT Asian American experience in the eponymous gay village off the South Shore of Long Island.
She has also had endeavors in fashion and music, and has her own clothing line. Cho has also frequently supported LGBT rights and has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, Asian Americans, and the LGBT community.
She has also had endeavors in fashion and music, and has her own clothing line. Cho has also frequently supported LGBT rights and has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, Asian Americans, and the LGBT community.
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Samantha Bee, born October 25, 1969
Samantha Anne Bee is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host. Bee rose to fame as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where she became the longest-serving regular correspondent. In 2015, she departed the show after 12 years to start her own show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. The show was canceled in 2022 as a "business-based decision" by TBS. In 2017, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual Time 100 list.
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Catherine Tate, born 5 December 1969
Catherine Jane Ford known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show (2004–2007), as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and seven BAFTAs. Tate played Donna Noble in the 2006 Christmas special of Doctor Who, and later reprised her role, becoming the Tenth Doctor's regular companion for the fourth series in 2008. Following the success of The Catherine Tate Show, Tate starred as Joanie Taylor ("Nan") in the BBC One comedy series Catherine Tate's Nan (2009–2015) and in the film The Nan Movie (2022). In 2011, she began a recurring role as Nellie Bertram in the U.S. version of The Office, and was a regular until the series ended. She played the role of Miss Sarah Postern in the BBC One sitcom Big School (2013–2014) and voiced Magica De Spell in the animated series DuckTales (2017–2021). In 2022, Tate starred as six characters in the Netflix comedy series, Hard Cell, which she also co-wrote and co-directed.
Tiny Fey, born May 18, 1970
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. Fey was a cast member and head writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1997 to 2006. After her departure from SNL, she created the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013, 2020) and the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020), the former of which she also starred in. Fey is also known for her work in film, including Mean Girls (2004), Baby Mama (2008), Date Night (2010), Megamind (2010), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Sisters (2015), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016), Wine Country (2019), and Soul (2020). Fey broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, appearing as co-anchor in the Weekend Update segment and, later, developing a satirical portrayal of 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in subsequent guest appearances. In 2004, she co-starred in and wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls, which was adapted from the 2002 self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes. After leaving SNL in 2006, Fey created the television series 30 Rock for Broadway Video, a sitcom loosely based on her experiences at SNL. In the series, Fey starred as Liz Lemon, the head writer of a fictional sketch comedy series. In 2011, she released her memoir, Bossypants, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks and garnered her a Grammy Award nomination. In 2015, she co-created the comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Fey also created the musical adaptation Mean Girls, which premiered on Broadway in 2018, and earned her a Tony Award nomination.
Fey has received numerous accolades, including nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seven Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2008, the Associated Press gave Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year award for her Sarah Palin impression on SNL. In 2010, Fey was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, becoming the youngest recipient of the award.
SNL 1997-2006
30 Rock
Fey has received numerous accolades, including nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seven Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2008, the Associated Press gave Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year award for her Sarah Palin impression on SNL. In 2010, Fey was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, becoming the youngest recipient of the award.
SNL 1997-2006
30 Rock
Melissa Mccarthy, born August 26, 1970
Melissa Ann McCarthy is an American actress, screenwriter, and producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. McCarthy was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, and she has been featured multiple times in annual rankings of the highest-paid actresses in the world. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her #22 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century,
Sarah Silverman, born December 1, 1970
Sarah Kate Silverman is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Silverman first rose to prominence for her brief stint as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during its 19th season between 1993 and 1994. She then starred in and produced The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran from 2007 to 2010 on Comedy Central. For her work on the program, Silverman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
She also acted television projects such as Mr. Show and V.I.P. and starred in films, including Who's the Caboose? (1997), School of Rock (2003), Take This Waltz (2011), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and Battle of the Sexes (2017). She also voiced Vanellope von Schweetz in Wreck-It Ralph (2012), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). For her lead role in I Smile Back (2015) she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She released an autobiography The Bedwetter in 2010 which she adapted into an off-Broadway musical in 2022.
She also acted television projects such as Mr. Show and V.I.P. and starred in films, including Who's the Caboose? (1997), School of Rock (2003), Take This Waltz (2011), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and Battle of the Sexes (2017). She also voiced Vanellope von Schweetz in Wreck-It Ralph (2012), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). For her lead role in I Smile Back (2015) she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She released an autobiography The Bedwetter in 2010 which she adapted into an off-Broadway musical in 2022.
Amy Poelher, born September 16, 1971
Amy Poehler is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. Poehler is most notable for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. From 2004 until her departure, she served as co-anchor of the show's news parody segment, Weekend Update. Poehler left SNL halfway through her eighth season in 2008 to star as Leslie Knope in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, which she produced and starred in from 2009 to 2015.
After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. The group moved to New York City in 1996, where their act became a half-hour sketch-comedy series on Comedy Central in 1998. Along with other members of the comedy group, Poehler is a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
SNL 2001-2008
Parks and Rec
After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. The group moved to New York City in 1996, where their act became a half-hour sketch-comedy series on Comedy Central in 1998. Along with other members of the comedy group, Poehler is a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
SNL 2001-2008
Parks and Rec
Kristen Wiig, born August 22, 1973
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved nationwide stardom during her seven-season tenure on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2012. During her stint at Saturday Night Live, she received four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Wiig also took on supporting roles in comedy films such as Knocked Up (2007) and Paul (2011). She co-wrote and starred in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011), which was critically and commercially successful. It earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012.
SNL 2005-12
SNL 2005-12
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Jenny Lawson born December 29, 1973
Jennifer Lawson)is an American journalist, author and blogger. Lawson is from Wall, Texas and is a graduate of Angelo State University. She is the author of The Bloggess website and formerly wrote the Ill Advised blog, co-authored Good Mom/Bad Mom on the Houston Chronicle, and was a columnist for SexIs magazine. Lawson is well known for her irreverent writing style. She also used to write an advice column called "Ask The Bloggess" for The Personal News Network (PNN.com) until she quit because they stopped paying her. She lives with rheumatoid arthritis, depression, anxiety, avoidant personality disorder, and mild obsessive-compulsive disorder.Lawson was recognized by the Nielsen ratings as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Mom Bloggers and Forbes listed thebloggess.com as one of their Top 100 Websites for Women. She was a finalist in the 2010 Weblog awards for Best Writing and Most Humorous Writer,[9] and a finalist in the 2011 Weblog awards for Best Writing, Most Humorous Writer and Weblog of the Year. In 2011 The Huffington Post named her the "Greatest Person of the Day" for her work in raising money for struggling families in December 2010. She was also interviewed on CBC News Network's Connect with Mark Kelley during the fundraising campaign. Lawson's autobiography called Let's Pretend This Never Happened was released on April 17, 2012, by Amy Einhorn Books. On May 6, 2012, it was the number one New York Times bestseller. The book named Best Humor book in the 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Hannah Gadsby, born 1978
Hannah Gadsby is an Australian comedian, writer, and actor. They began their career in Australia after winning the national final of the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians in 2006. In 2018, their show Nanette on Netflix won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and a Peabody Award. Starting in 2019, Gadsby toured internationally with their show Douglas and the recorded special was released on Netflix in 2020. In 2021, they were awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Tasmania. In March 2022, they published Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation.
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Tiffany Haddish, born December 3, 1979
Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Her breakthrough came in with a leading role in the comedy film Girls Trip (2017), which earned her several accolades and was included on The New Yorker's list of the best film performances of the 21st century. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2018, and The Hollywood Reporter listed her among the 100 most powerful people in entertainment in both 2018 and 2019.
After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her roles in the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show (2015–2017), the TBS series The Last O.G. (2018–2020), and the Apple TV+ comedy series The Afterparty (2022–present). She also executive produced and voiced Tuca in the Netflix/Adult Swim animated series Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022). Haddish also starred in films such as Keanu (2016), Night School (2018), Nobody's Fool (2018), The Kitchen (2019), Like a Boss (2020), and Here Today (2021).
She won a Primetime Emmy Award for hosting a Saturday Night Live episode (2017) and published a memoir, The Last Black Unicorn (2017). She also released the album Black Mitzvah in 2019, for which she won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, making her the second African-American woman to win this prize after Whoopi Goldberg in 1986.
After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her roles in the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show (2015–2017), the TBS series The Last O.G. (2018–2020), and the Apple TV+ comedy series The Afterparty (2022–present). She also executive produced and voiced Tuca in the Netflix/Adult Swim animated series Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022). Haddish also starred in films such as Keanu (2016), Night School (2018), Nobody's Fool (2018), The Kitchen (2019), Like a Boss (2020), and Here Today (2021).
She won a Primetime Emmy Award for hosting a Saturday Night Live episode (2017) and published a memoir, The Last Black Unicorn (2017). She also released the album Black Mitzvah in 2019, for which she won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, making her the second African-American woman to win this prize after Whoopi Goldberg in 1986.
Garfunkle and Oates, Born 1979-80
Garfunkel and Oates is an American comedy folk duo consisting of actresses Riki Lindhome, who performs as Garfunkel, and Kate Micucci, who performs as Oates. Their fast-paced songs typically combine raunchy observational comedy with sweet-sounding melodies and vocals. The duo was formed in 2007 in Los Angeles after Lindhome and Micucci met during an improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. They began releasing songs on YouTube in 2007, becoming popular through the website. Garfunkel and Oates' debut studio album, All Over Your Face, was released in 2011, while their second studio album, Slippery When Moist (2012), topped the Billboard Comedy Albums chart. They released their third studio album, Secretions, in 2015.
Garfunkel and Oates went on their first tour in 2013. They starred in an eponymous comedy TV series (2014), which aired on IFC for one season. Their Vimeo comedy special, Garfunkel and Oates: Trying to Be Special (2016), was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. The duo wrote the music for the Netflix children's TV series, Waffles + Mochi (2021), and will executive produce and write the music for the upcoming animated film Steps.
Garfunkel and Oates went on their first tour in 2013. They starred in an eponymous comedy TV series (2014), which aired on IFC for one season. Their Vimeo comedy special, Garfunkel and Oates: Trying to Be Special (2016), was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. The duo wrote the music for the Netflix children's TV series, Waffles + Mochi (2021), and will executive produce and write the music for the upcoming animated film Steps.
Rebel Wilson Born March 2, 1980
Rebel Wilson born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds is an Australian actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing as Toula in the SBS comedy series Pizza (2003–2007, 2019) and later appeared in the sketch comedy show The Wedge (2006–2007). She wrote, produced and starred in the musical comedy series Bogan Pride (2008). Shortly after moving to the United States, Wilson appeared in the comedy films Bridesmaids and A Few Best Men, both in 2011.
In 2012, Wilson appeared in the comedy films What to Expect When You're Expecting, Struck by Lightning, and Bachelorette, which led to Variety naming her one of their "Top Ten Comics to Watch for 2013". She played the role of Fat Amy in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017), which earned her several award nominations and wins, including the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress. In 2016, she appeared in the films How to Be Single and Grimsby.
In 2012, Wilson appeared in the comedy films What to Expect When You're Expecting, Struck by Lightning, and Bachelorette, which led to Variety naming her one of their "Top Ten Comics to Watch for 2013". She played the role of Fat Amy in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017), which earned her several award nominations and wins, including the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress. In 2016, she appeared in the films How to Be Single and Grimsby.
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Amy Schumer, born June 1, 1981
Amy Beth Schumer is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. Schumer ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series Last Comic Standing in 2007. From 2013 to 2016, she was the creator, co-producer, co-writer, and star of the Comedy Central sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, for which she received a Peabody Award and was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2015.
Inside Amy Schumer 2013-16
Inside Amy Schumer 2013-16
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Ali wong, Born April 19, 1982
Alexandra Dawn Wong is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials Baby Cobra (2016), Hard Knock Wife (2018), and Don Wong (2022). She has also starred in the romantic comedy film Always Be My Maybe (2019), on which she also served as a writer and producer, and in the Netflix dark comedy series Beef (2023). She was included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020 and 2023.
Wong was also a cast member on the ABC show American Housewife and has previously appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Black Box, and Are You There, Chelsea? She was a writer for the first three seasons of the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. She also voices the title character Roberta "Bertie" Songthrush on the animated series Tuca & Bertie and Ali on the animated series Big Mouth.
Wong was also a cast member on the ABC show American Housewife and has previously appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Black Box, and Are You There, Chelsea? She was a writer for the first three seasons of the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. She also voices the title character Roberta "Bertie" Songthrush on the animated series Tuca & Bertie and Ali on the animated series Big Mouth.
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Iliza Shlesinger, born on February 22, 1983
Iliza Vie Shlesinger is an American comedienne, actress, television host, executive producer, and screenwriter. Iliza Vie Shlesinger was in New York City, NY to a Jewish family. She was raised in Dallas, Texas, where her family moved when she was a baby. She attended the private Greenhill School in Addison, Texas, where she studied Spanish and participated in the school's improvisation team. She was the 2008 winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing and went on to host the syndicated dating show Excused from 2011 to 2013. In 2017, Shlesinger hosted her own late-night talk show called Truth & Iliza on Freeform. As of 2022, she has released six comedy specials on Netflix. Her sketch comedy show The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show premiered on Netflix in April 2020.
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Dulce sloan Born July 4, 1983
Dulcé Lazaria Sloan is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is a correspondent for The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Sloan was born in Miami, Florida, and spent most of her childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, and Miami. She graduated from Meadowcreek High School in 2001. Sloan attended Brenau University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance. She minored in Spanish. She is a member of Alpha Psi Omega.
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Kate McKinnon, born January 6, 1984
SNL 2012-22
Kate McKinnon Berthold is an American actress, comedian, impressionist, writer, and singer. McKinnon is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022, where she became known for her character work and celebrity impressions. Prior to SNL, she also starred on the Logo sketch program The Big Gay Sketch Show from 2007 to 2010.[3][1] She has appeared in films such as Balls Out (2014), Ghostbusters (2016), Office Christmas Party (2016), Rough Night (2017), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), Yesterday (2019), and Bombshell (2019). In 2022, she played the role of Tiger King subject Carole Baskin in the miniseries Joe vs. Carole. McKinnon has been nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and nine for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2016 and 2017.
Kate McKinnon Berthold is an American actress, comedian, impressionist, writer, and singer. McKinnon is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022, where she became known for her character work and celebrity impressions. Prior to SNL, she also starred on the Logo sketch program The Big Gay Sketch Show from 2007 to 2010.[3][1] She has appeared in films such as Balls Out (2014), Ghostbusters (2016), Office Christmas Party (2016), Rough Night (2017), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), Yesterday (2019), and Bombshell (2019). In 2022, she played the role of Tiger King subject Carole Baskin in the miniseries Joe vs. Carole. McKinnon has been nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and nine for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2016 and 2017.
Cecily Strong, born February 8, 1984
Cecily Legler Strong is an American actress, comedian, producer, author, and singer. Strong is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022.[4] She is also the longest-tenured female cast member in the show's history. She has a starring role in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021–present), which she also co-produces. Her other roles include voice work on The Awesomes (2013–2015), supporting roles in films like Ghostbusters, The Meddler, and The Female Brain. She hosted the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2015. Her first book, the memoir This Will All Be Over Soon, was published in 2021. For her work on Saturday Night Live, she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 72nd and 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
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Michelle Wolf, born June 21, 1985
Michelle Wolf is an American comedian, writer, producer, and television host. She worked as a contributor and writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. She spoke as the featured performer at the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner. She hosted the Netflix comedy talk show series The Break with Michelle Wolf and performed in the 2019 stand-up comedy special Joke Show.
Rachel Bloom, born April 3, 1987
Rachel Leah Bloom is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She is best known for co-creating and starring as Rebecca Bunch in The CW musical comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019), for which she received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a TCA Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Bloom first became known for her YouTube comedy music videos, including the Hugo Award-nominated video "Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury". She has also appeared in films, including Most Likely to Murder (2018), The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), Trolls World Tour (2020), Bar Fight! (2022), and The School for Good and Evil (2022).
Aidy bRyant, born May 7, 1987
Aidan Mackenzy Bryant is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. Bryant is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for ten seasons, joining the show for its 38th season in 2012,[1] and leaving at the end of its 47th season in 2022.[2] For her work on the series, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, including two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[3] Her other work includes a voice role in the animated series Danger & Eggs (2017) and the Netflix adult animated series Human Resources. She played a starring role in the sitcom Shrill (2019–2021); for the latter, she also served as writer and executive producer and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Mae Martin, born 2 May 1987
Mae Pearl Martin is a Canadian comedian, actor, and screenwriter. Martin wrote and starred in the Netflix comedy series Feel Good. Martin received a nomination for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for their work on Feel Good.
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Awkwafina, born June 2, 1988
Nora Lum, known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper, and comedian. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, Yellow Ranger (2014), and appeared on the MTV comedy series Girl Code (2014–2015). She expanded to films with supporting roles in the comedies Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Ocean's 8 (2018), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). For her starring role as a grieving young woman in The Farewell (2019), Awkwafina won a Golden Globe Award. Since 2020, Awkwafina has served as co-creator, writer, and executive producer of the Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, in which she also plays a fictionalized version of herself. In 2021, she portrayed Katy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[3] She has also performed voice roles in the animated films The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), The Bad Guys (2022), and in the musical The Little Mermaid (2023).
Hilly and Hannah Hindi Born March 2, 1990 and April1, 1986
The Hillywood Show® is the brainchild of internet celebrities, comedy sister duo Hilly & Hannah Hindi. Each parody features song & dance parodies of blockbuster films such as The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, and Twilight along with popular TV shows & celebrities such as Supernatural, Doctor Who, & Lady Gaga! Their incredible costumes & makeup would impress even the most seasoned Saturday Night Live cast member! With nearly 170,000,000 views The Hillywood Show® continues to grow! The Hillywood Show® has been recognized and approved by the CAST OF SUPERNATURAL, BBC AMERICA, THE CAST OF DOCTOR WHO, LADY GAGA, SEAN ASTIN, BILLY BOYD, CHRIS HARDWICK, PSY, IAN SOMERHALDER, NINA DOBREV, PAUL WESLEY, TERESA PALMER, THE CAST OF THE TWILIGHT SAGA, MTV, RYAN SEACREST and more!
Taylor Tomlinson born November 4, 1993
Taylor Elyse Tomlinson is an American comedian. She has released two Netflix stand-up specials called Quarter-Life Crisis (2020) and Look At You (2022).
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