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Tina Fey is an American comedian who is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live, particularly her portrayal of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, and as the creator, head writer, executive producer and star of 30 Rock.
Personal life[]
Tina Fey is married to Jeff Richmond, composer for 30 Rock. She is the daughter of Donald and Zenovia "Jeannie" Fey and her older brother is Peter.
Her parents introduced her to comedy at an early age:
| “ | I remember my parents sneaking me in to see Young Frankenstein. We would also watch Saturday Night Live, or Monty Python, or old Marx Brothers movies. My dad would let us stay up late to watch The Honeymooners. We were not allowed to watch The Flintstones though: my dad hated it because it ripped off The Honeymooners. I actually have a very low level of Flintstones knowledge for someone my age. | ” |
She also grew up watching Second City Television and cites Catherine O'Hara as a role model. [2]
Career[]
Tina joined The Second City around 1992. She immersed herself in improvisation similar to the way that an athlete may train to get into the Olympics, and "would have been perfectly happy to stay at Second City forever".[3] After joining The Second City cast in 1994, she performed eight shows a week, for two years.
In 1997, Adam McKay requested that she submit scripts for Saturday Night Live (SNL) and she was hired as a writer. Her first sketch to air starred Chris Farley in a Sally Jessy Raphael satire. Two years later when McKay stepped down, Lorne Michaels approached her to take over the position of SNL head writer. The next year lead to performing in sketches and becoming the co-anchor of the Weekend Update segment with Jimy Fallon. After Fallon left SNL, Amy Poehler became her co-anchor for the segment. Tina's first industry award came in 2001 from the Writers Guild of America for her work on the SNL 25th anniversary special.
While on SNL, Tina suggested a sitcom about a cable news network to NBC, but it was rejected and was reworked to revolve around an SNL-style series. The show premiered in October 2006 as 30 Rock, based on experiences she had as SNL head writer. Fey is the creator, head writer and part of the ensemble cast. She has received many awards for her work on the show as an actor, writer and producer and the show received 22 Emmy Award nominations in 2009, the most in a single year for a comedy series.[4] (See Awards below for the list of awards that Fey has won.)
In 2008, Tina guested on SNL in a series of pariodies of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. On October 18, 2008, she appeared beside Palin for another SNL skit. Her impersonation of Palin won her an Emmy for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" and a place on the Entertainment Weekly end-of-the-decade "best of" list.[5]
Notable roles[]
- Writer, head writer, cast member: Saturday Night Live
- Writer for several SNL specials
- Creator, head writer, cast member, producer: 30 Rock
- Kate Holbrook, Baby Mama
- Bookaneer Captain, Sesame Street
- Claire Foster, Date Night
- Cousin of Jeremy Johnson, Phineas and Ferb (future episode) [1]
Awards[]
- Emmy Awards:
- 2002: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program, Saturday Night Live, shared with the SNL writers
- 2007, 2008, 2009: Outstanding Comedy Series, 30 Rock
- 2008: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock
- 2008: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, 30 Rock
- 2009: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Saturday Night Live
- Golden Globes:
- 2008, 2009: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical, 30 Rock
- Gracie Allen Awards:
- 2007, 2008: Outstanding Female Lead in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock
- People's Choice Awards, Favorite Funny Female Star, 2009
- Producers Guild Awards:
- 2008, 2009, 2010: Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic, Comedy, 30 Rock
- Television Critics Association Awards, Individual Achievement in Comedy, 30 Rock, 2008
- Screen Actors Guild Awards:
- 2008, 2009, 2010: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock
- 2009: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock (shared with 9 cast members)
- Writers Guild of America Awards (TV):
- 2001: Comedy/Variety - Music, Awards, Tributes - Specials - Any Length, Saturday Night Live
- 2007: Comedy/Variety - (Including Talk) Series, Saturday Night Live
- 2008, 2009, 2010: Comedy Series, 30 Rock
Background information[]
- Recorded dialogue on January 15, 2010 for a character that will appear in an upcoming episode of Phineas and Ferb.[1]
- Charity work:
- Supports Autism Speaks.
- Supports Mercy Corps.
- Supports Love Our Children USA.
- National spokesperson for the 2009 Light The Night Walk, organized by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1,0 1,1 1,2 Tweet from Dan Povenmire
- ↑ Variety interview, July 30, 2007: SNL vet pilots 30 Rock
- ↑ Interview with Tina Fey, The Believer magazine
- ↑ USA Today: '30 Rock' leads Emmy nominations with 22 bids
- ↑ "The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, And Trends That Entertained Us Over The Past 10 Years", Entertainment Weekly, December 12, 2009
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