Tina Fey

Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer born on May 18, 1970. Known for her work in sketch comedy, television, and film, Fey has earned ten Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with nominations for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. She was included on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2009, and she was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010.

Fey was raised in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. Her father, Donald Henry Fey, was a Korean War veteran, university administrator, and grant proposal writer, and her mother, Zenobia "Jeanne" Fey, was a brokerage employee. After attending Cardington-Stonehurst Elementary School and Beverly Hills Middle School, she attended Upper Darby High School, where she participated in choir, drama club, tennis, and co-edited the student newspaper. In 1992, Fey graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in drama.

Following college, Fey moved to Chicago, working as a YMCA receptionist while taking classes at the improvisational comedy troupe The Second City. She began performing at Improv Olympic in 1993 before joining Second City's cast. In 1997, she was hired as a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live. She was promoted to the show's first female head writer in 1999 and began co-anchoring the Weekend Update segment in 2000, performing first alongside Jimmy Fallon and later with Amy Poehler. Fey left the series in 2006, later returning for guest appearances portraying politician Sarah Palin.

Fey achieved further prominence as the creator and lead actor of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, portraying head writer Liz Lemon from 2006 to 2013. Her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The cast later reunited for a remotely produced television special in July 2020.

Expanding her work as a creator and executive producer, Fey co-created the comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which ran from 2015 to 2020 on Netflix and garnered multiple Primetime Emmy nominations. She also created or executive produced Mr. Mayor, Girls5eva, and The Four Seasons. Alongside Amy Poehler, Fey co-hosted the Golden Globe Awards in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2021.

On film, Fey wrote and co-starred in the 2004 comedy Mean Girls, after making her film debut in Martin & Orloff in 2002. Her film acting career includes roles in Baby Mama, Date Night, Megamind, Admission, Muppets Most Wanted, Sisters, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Wine Country, and Soul.

Fey released her memoir, Bossypants, in 2011, which spent five weeks atop The New York Times Best Seller list and earned her a Grammy nomination. She also wrote the book for the 2018 Broadway musical adaptation of Mean Girls, receiving a Tony Award nomination, and subsequently adapted the stage production into a 2024 musical movie.