Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph is an American actress and comedian best known for her work in television, film, and voice acting. She first gained wide public attention as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL), which she joined in 2000. Over her career, Rudolph has earned multiple Primetime Emmy Awards, including four for voicing Connie the Hormone Monstress on the animated series Big Mouth and one for her portrayal of Kamala Harris on SNL. In 2024, Time magazine included her on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Rudolph was born on July 27, 1972, in Gainesville, Florida. Her mother was singer Minnie Riperton and her father is composer Richard Rudolph. She grew up primarily in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Her family background includes African-American heritage on her mother's side and Jewish heritage on her father's side. After graduating from Crossroads School in Santa Monica in 1990, Rudolph attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in photography.

Before joining SNL, Rudolph pursued music and comedy. She was an original drummer for the band That Dog and later served as a backing vocalist and keyboardist for the Rentals from 1995 to 1999. She also formed a Prince cover band named Princess with Gretchen Lieberum. Rudolph honed her comedy skills with the improv troupe the Groundlings. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, she appeared in medical drama series such as City of Angels and Chicago Hope, as well as minor film roles in Gattaca, As Good as It Gets, Duets, and 50 First Dates.

Rudolph joined the cast of SNL as a featured player in 2000 and remained until 2007. During her tenure, she performed impersonations of figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Christina Aguilera, and Donatella Versace. She later returned for guest appearances, including recurring portrayals of Vice President Kamala Harris starting in the 45th season. Rudolph agreed to portray Harris on SNL through the 2024 presidential election, leading pre-production on season three of her television series Loot to be postponed.

Following her departure from SNL, Rudolph established a career in feature films and television. Her film credits include A Prairie Home Companion, Idiocracy, Away We Go, Grown Ups, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups 2, Inherent Vice, Sisters, Life of the Party, and Disenchanted. On television, she co-starred in Up All Night, co-hosted Maya & Marty, and received three Emmy nominations for playing The Judge in The Good Place. Since 2022, she has executive produced and starred in the comedy series Loot.

Rudolph has also built an extensive career as a voice actor, lending her voice to animated films such as Shrek the Third, Turbo, Big Hero 6, The Angry Birds Movie, The Emoji Movie, and Luca. In addition to acting, Rudolph co-founded the production company Animal Pictures with Natasha Lyonne, which produced projects like Russian Doll and Poker Face before Rudolph amicably separated from the company in 2023. In her personal life, Rudolph has been in a long-term relationship with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson since 2001, and they have four children.