Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig | |
|---|---|
 Wiig in 2009 | |
| Born | Kristen Carroll Wiig |
| Occupation | Actress/Comedienne |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website | http://www.kristenwiig.com |
Kristen Carroll Wiig (Template:Pron-en;[3] born August 22, 1973) is an American comic actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.
She is a member of the Groundlings,[2][4] and also appeared in the first season of Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show.
Personal life
Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York. At the age of three she and her family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and later on to Rochester, New York, where she remained until she graduated from Brighton High School in 1991. She went on to attend the University of Arizona with a major in art. She was hired as a graphic artist by a plastic surgery clinic to show clientele what they would look like after surgery, but left for Los Angeles before ever starting the job to pursue an acting career. In Los Angeles she joined The Groundlings, working "odd jobs".
She was married to comedian Hayes Hargrove from 2005 to 2009.[5]
Career
Wiig's work was mainly on the comedy circuit, including as a regular performer in The Perks, a featured show at the Empty Stage Comedy Theatre whose run ended in 2000. In 2003 she starred on the Spike TV spoof show The Joe Schmo Show, a satire of reality television in which she played "Dr. Pat", the Quack Marriage Counselor.
Wiig debuted on Saturday Night Live shortly into its 31st season, on November 12, 2005.[4] In Wiig's first sketch, she played the wife of Jason Sudeikis; the two accidentally pick up an escaped murderer (Jason Lee), unwittingly giving the murderer carte blanche to break into their home and violate their blind niece. Wiig survived an SNL budget cut[6], becoming a full member of the repertory cast at the beginning of the show's 32nd season in 2006. Wiig has become famous for her characters Penelope, the one-upper; Gilly, a highly mischievous schoolgirl; The Target Lady, a clerk at the chain store and a kitsch collector; and Judy Grimes, a nervous travel agent frequently appearing on Weekend Update. She has also played real-life people such as Suze Orman, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
According to New York magazine, Wiig appeared in more sketches on Saturday Night Live Season 34 than any other cast member, appearing in 124 sketches and averaging 5.8 appearances per episode.[7] She was also the only female regular cast member on SNL during the 34th season, following Amy Poehler's departure to work on the NBC sitcom, Parks and Recreation.
Wiig made her big screen debut to high praise in Judd Apatow’s 2007 smash-hit comedy Knocked Up as Katherine Heigl’s passive-aggressive boss. She also played opposite John C. Reilly in Jake Kasdan’s Walk Hard, another Apatow-produced film, and opposite Ricky Gervais in David Koepp’s Ghost Town. Most recently, Wiig appeared opposite Ryan Reynolds in Greg Mottola’s Adventureland, Mike Judge’s Extract, co-starring Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Clifton Collins Jr., and Mila Kunis; and in Whip It!, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut with the aforementioned star, Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden and Juliette Lewis.
She recently co-wrote a script with her Groundlings co-worker Annie Mumolo for Universal Pictures. Judd Apatow will produce the film.[8] Upcoming work also includes Greg Mottola’s Paul, co-starring Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch, and Bill Hader; “MacGruber” opposite SNL castmate Will Forte; and her first purely dramatic role opposite Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella in Andrew Jarecki’s “All Good Things”. Most recently, Wiig has signed on to appear in SNL castmate Casey Wilson’s upcoming "lady buddy-comedy" film Ass Backwards, which is set to start filming in November 2009.
In December 2008, Wiig was featured in Entertainment Weekly's list of 15 Great Performances for her various impersonations on Saturday Night Live[9] and in April 2009, Wiig was featured in EW's list of the 25 Funniest Women in Hollywood.[10]
On July 16, 2009, Wiig was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live.[11]
On December 8, 2009, it was announced that Kristen will headline the upcoming SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas as her impish character on the late-night sketch series. Airing Thursday, Dec. 17 (8/7c), the two-hour show will feature new sketches with Gilly and highlights of old popular clips. [12]
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Joe Schmo Show (TV) | Dr. Pat | |
| 2004 | Life, Death, and Mini-Golf | Debbie | |
| 2005 - present | Saturday Night Live (TV) | Various | Emmy Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, 2009[13] |
| 2006 | The Enigma with a Stigma | Tux Shop Employee | |
| Unaccompanied Minors | Carole Malone | ||
| 2007 | Knocked Up | Jill | |
| 30 Rock (TV) | Candace Van der Shark | Episode: Somebody to Love | |
| Meet Bill | Jane Whitman | ||
| The Brothers Solomon | Janine | ||
| Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Edith Cox | ||
| 2008 | Semi-Pro | Bear Handler | |
| Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Yoga Instructor | ||
| Pretty Bird | Mandy | ||
| Ghost Town | Surgeon | ||
| Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Various | ||
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Brahbrah | Love is a Weapon of Choice |
| Adventureland | Paulette | ||
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Pudgy Beaver Mom (voice) | ||
| Whip It! | Maggie Mayhem | ||
| Extract | Suzie | ||
| Bored to Death | Jennifer | Episode: The Alanon Case [14] | |
| 2010 | All Good Things | Lauren Fleck | completed |
| Ass Backwards | TBA | filming | |
| Despicable Me | Miss Hattie (voice) | completed | |
| Date Night | TBA | completed | |
| How to Train Your Dragon | Ruffnut (voice) | completed | |
| The Monkey Factory | Various Voices | FOX Animated Series (currently in pilot stage) | |
| MacGruber: The Movie | Vicki | completed | |
| Paul | Ruth Buggs | completed |
References
- ^ Kristen Wiig at IMDb
- ^ a b Official Website
- ^ Kristen Wiig pronunciation
- ^ a b They're live on SNL, a December 2005 USA Today article
- ^ http://www.superiorpics.com/kristen_wiig/
- ^ Village Voice article
- ^ New York Magazine excerpt
- ^ Jeremy Kay (July 21, 2009). "Mandate Pictures heads for the highway with female road movie". Screen Daily. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly mention
- ^ Entertainment Weekly mention
- ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20045108_20045123_20291534,00.html
- ^ Kate Stanhope. TVGuide.com http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kristen-Wiigs-Gilly-1012924.aspx.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Text "titleKristen Wiig's Gilly to Host SNL Christmas Special" ignored (help) - ^ Kristen Wiig at TV Guide.com - 2009 Emmy nominees
- ^ The Alanon Case - Yahoo! TV
External links
- Kristen Wiig at IMDb