Kristen Wiig
| Kristen Wiig | |
|---|---|
 Kristen Wiig, 2009 |
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| Born | Kristen Carroll Wiig August 22, 1973 Canandaigua, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Occupation | Actress, comedienne |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | Hayes Hargrove (2005–2009)[2] |
| Website | |
| kristenwiig.com | |
Kristen Carroll Wiig (born August 22, 1973) is an American film and television actress, comedian, and writer who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings,[1][3] and has appeared in several films and television series, including MacGruber, Flight of the Conchords, Adventureland, and Paul. Her voice acting credits include "Ruffnut" in How to Train Your Dragon and "Lola Bunny" in the series The Looney Tunes Show.
In 2011, Wiig co-wrote and starred in Bridesmaids, which earned critical acclaim and grossed over $280 million dollars worldwide.[4] For the film, Wiig received nominations for the Golden Globe for Best Actress and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.[5]
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[edit] Early life
Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York, the daughter of Laurie J. (née Johnston), an artist, and Jon J. Wiig, who ran a lake marina in Upstate New York.[6][7] Her father is of Norwegian and Irish ancestry and her mother is of English and Scottish descent.[8] The name "Wiig" hails from the area of Sogn og Fjordane in Norway.[9] She moved with her family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of three. Wiig later moved to Rochester, New York, where she attended and graduated from Brighton High School.[10] Wiig went on to attend the University of Arizona with a major in art.[11] She took an acting class in university to fulfill a course requirement; her teacher suggested she continue to act.[11] She dropped out and relocated to Los Angeles, where she joined The Groundlings while working odd jobs to support herself.[11]
[edit] Career
[edit] Television
Wiig's work has mostly been in comedy, including performing at the Empty Stage Comedy Theatre.[12] In 2003, she appeared in the Spike TV show The Joe Schmo Show, a spoof of reality television, in which she played "Dr. Pat", the quack marriage counselor.[12]
Wiig debuted on Saturday Night Live shortly into its 31st season, on November 12, 2005.[3] She survived an SNL budget cut,[13] becoming a full member of the repertory cast at the beginning of the show's 32nd season in 2006. Her characters include Penelope, a neurotic attention-seeker; Kat, half of the musical duo Garth and Kat (frequently appearing on Weekend Update alongside Fred Armisen); Dooneese Merrill on the Lawrence Welk show; Mindy Grayson in the Secret Word sketches, Gilly, a highly mischievous schoolgirl; Sue, who can't control her excitement over surprises; The Target Lady, a clerk at the chain store and a kitsch collector; Shanna, a sexy woman whose actions and stories gross people out; Cheryl Brown, a TV host for shows that give away big prizes that is always more excited about the prize than the winners are; Judy Grimes, a nervous travel agent; Toni Ward, predatory host of the Cougar Den; and Aunt Linda, a hard-to-please movie critic, both frequently appearing on Weekend Update. She has also played real-life people such as Björk, Suze Orman, Kathie Lee Gifford, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Christine O'Donnell, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Wiig was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series[14] for her work on Saturday Night Live for 2009,[15] 2010 and 2011.[16]
In December 2009, she headlined in the Christmas special SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas, which featured new sketches with her character Gilly and highlights of older clips.[citation needed]
Following Amy Poehler's departure in the 34th season to work on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, Wiig was the only female regular cast member on SNL until Abby Elliott was promoted to a repertory player in the show's 36th season.[citation needed]
In December 2008, Wiig was featured in Entertainment Weekly's list of 15 Great Performances for her various impersonations on Saturday Night Live[17] and in April 2009, Wiig was featured in EW's list of the 25 Funniest Women in Hollywood.[18] She also has a role as the voice of Lola Bunny in the series The Looney Tunes Show, which premiered in 2011.
[edit] Film
Wiig made her big screen debut in Judd Apatow’s 2007 comedy Knocked Up as a passive-aggressive assistant. She also performed in Jake Kasdan's Walk Hard, another Apatow-produced film, and in David Koepp's Ghost Town. Wiig has also appeared in Greg Mottola's Adventureland, Mike Judge's Extract, and in Whip It, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. Wiig also had a lead role in Greg Mottola's Paul. Wiig also appeared as the yoga teacher in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".
In 2010, she appeared in the films MacGruber, the animated comedy Despicable Me, and Andrew Jarecki's All Good Things.
In 2011, she starred in the film Bridesmaids, which she co-wrote with fellow Groundlings performer Annie Mumolo for Universal Pictures, released on May 13, 2011.[19] The film became both a critical and box office success, receiving two nominations for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy and Wiig herself was nominated for Best Actress-Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. The film also received two Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay for which Wiig and Mumolo were nominated. The second nomination was for Best Supporting Actress for co-star Melissa McCarthy.
[edit] Personal life
Kristen Wiig was married to actor Hayes Hargrove from 2005 until 2009.[20]
[edit] Awards
Kristen Wiig won Best Female Comedy Actress at the 1st Annual Comedy Awards in 2011.[21] She was also named one of PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2011.[22]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] TV
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Joe Schmo Show | Dr. Pat | 9 Episodes |
| 2005–present | Saturday Night Live | Various | The Comedy Awards – Television Comedy Actress (2011) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Comedy Series (2009–11) |
| 2007 | 30 Rock | Candace Van der Shark | Episode: "Somebody to Love" |
| 2008 | Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Various | 6 Episodes |
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Brahbrah | Episode: "Love is a Weapon of Choice" |
| 2009–2010 | Bored to Death | Jennifer Gladwell | 3 Episodes[23] |
| 2010 | The Cleveland Show | Mrs. Stapleton | Episode: "The Curious Case of Jr. Working at The Stool" Voice Only |
| 2011–present | The Looney Tunes Show | Lola Bunny, Natural Lola Bunny | Voice Only |
| 2011 | The Simpsons | Calliope Juniper | Episode: "Flaming Moe" Voice Only |
| 2011 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Madame Hag | Episode: "The Curse of the Hex" Voice Only |
[edit] Film
[edit] References
- ^ a b Official website
- ^ Ryzik, Melena (January 4, 2009). "She's Really Shy, but That's a Secret". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/arts/television/04ryzi.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- ^ a b They're live on SNL, a December 2005 USA Today article[clarification needed]
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wiigapatow.htm
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1325419/awards
- ^ "Kristen Wiig: 'My next movie – it's going to be a Porky's prequel' " 18 November 2011, The Guardian
- ^ Margaret (Johnston) Harris Obituary at MPNow.com, August 6, 2010
- ^ Always the bridesmaid – Film & Cinema, Entertainment. The Independent. (Ireland) Retrieved on August 7, 2011.
- ^ "Komi-Kristen" (in Norwegian), Film Magasinet
- ^ Goldman, Dan (May 15, 2009). "Live from New York ... it’s Kristen Wiig". uticaod.com. http://www.uticaod.com/ghs/features/x342400657/Live-from-New-York-it-s-Kristen-Wiig. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c Dominus, Susan (April 28, 2011). "Can Kristen Wiig Turn on the Charm?". The New York Times (New York City). ISSN 0362-4331. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/magazine/mag-01wiig-t.html. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
- ^ a b "How Real Is Reality Programming? SPIKE TV'S 'The Joe Schmo Show' Puts New Twist on Reality Show Genre, Where Only One Contestant Is Real" (Press release). SpikeTV. August 12, 2003. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-real-is-reality-programming-70924162.html. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
- ^ Village Voice article
- ^ Kristen Wiig Emmy Award Winner
- ^ Bierly, Mandi. (July 15, 2009) Emmy Awards: the 2009 nominees | EW.com. Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Joal (July 8, 2010). "Emmys 2010 Comedy Acting: Matthew Morrison Leads Glee Choir". ca.eonline.com. http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b189226_emmys_2010_comedy_acting_matthew.html. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
- ^ "15 Great Performances In 2008" Entertainment Weekly, Photo 19 of 20,
- ^ "The 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood". Entertainment Weekly Photo 6 of 26
- ^ Jeremy Kay (July 21, 2009). "Mandate Pictures heads for the highway with female road movie". Screen Daily. http://www.screendaily.com/news/us-americas/mandate-pictures-heads-for-the-highway-with-female-road-movie/5003734.article. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
- ^ "Kristen Wiig Rules Out Second Marriage". The San Francisco Chronicle. June 13, 2011. http://blog.sfgate.com/dailydish/2011/06/13/kristen-wiig-rules-out-second-marriage/. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
- ^ Winners For The First Annual “The Comedy Awards” Include David Letterman, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell & More – Ratings. TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.
- ^ Russell Brand and Kristen Wiig Named Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2011 | PETA.org. Features.peta.org. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.
- ^ The Alanon Case – Yahoo! TV
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kristen Wiig |
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- 1973 births
- Actors from New York
- Actors from Pennsylvania
- American comedians
- American film actors
- American film producers
- American impressionists (entertainers)
- American people of English descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Norwegian descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American screenwriters
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- American vegetarians
- The Groundlings
- Living people
- People from Canandaigua, New York
- People from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- People from Rochester, New York
- Women comedians
- Women screenwriters
