Tina Fey was born on May 18, 1970 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. After being exposed to comedy early, she took up drama at the University of Virginia, and proceeded to train at The Second City, an improvisational theater in Chicago. By 1994, she was invited to join the theater’s cast, appearing in many improv productions.
Fey first gained prominence as a member of the late night comedy show Saturday Night Live. She joined the show as a writer in 1997, later becoming the show’s first female head writer in 1999. The program was undergoing many changes, and when Colin Quinn left the show, SNL producer Lorne Michaels scrambled to refresh the format of the long-running segment “Weekend Update.” Fey was later recruited as a featured player on the show, and was given “Weekend Update” co-hosting duties with Jimmy Fallon. The audience’s reaction was positive, and she was later promoted to full time cast member.
Fey’s tenure on Saturday Night Live was marked by many popular segments, including parodies of Live with Regis and Kelly and The View, and sketches she co-wrote with Rachel Dratch. She also co-hosted “Weekend Update” throughout her entire SNL stint; in 2004, her co-host Fallon left and was replaced by Amy Poehler, the first time two women were given co-anchoring duties on the segment.
Fey left the show in 2006 to develop the sitcom 30 Rock. Inspired by her experiences as a writer for SNL, she wrote the series for NBC’s 2006 season, and also stars in it. She played the role of Liz Lemon, the headwriter of a fictional variety show (hosted by Tracy Morgan’s character) who has to deal with her stars, staff and the new network executive (Alec Baldwin). The series won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series in 2007, and she also won acting awards for the show from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Fey has also dabbled in films, having written and starred in the film Mean Girls, which is topbilled by Lindsay Lohan. She also wrote and starred in the film Baby Mama, where she collaborated with Poehler. She also continues to perform on stage, notably in the critically acclaimed two-woman show Dratch & Fey, with Rachel Dratch, in 2000.
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
• Is left handed.
• Her father is of German and Irish descent, and her mother is Greek.
• Graduated from Upper Darby High School.
• Admits was a mean girl in high school.
• Considered herself a supernerd during her high school days.
• Attended the University of Virginia, graduating in 1992. She majored in Drama.
• Came out of Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe where she was a writer-performer.
• Is Saturday Night Live's first ever female head writer.
• As a writer for SNL she has written: Old French !$#!#, The View parodies, Boston Teens, Monica Lewinsky, Colonel Angus and Mom Jeans sketches among others.
• Was chosen by Entertainment Weekly as the #8 entertainer of the year in 2001.
• Was voted one of People's 50 Most Beautiful in the World.
• Made screenwriting debut with "Mean Girls" (2004).
• Likes to sew and bake cookies.
• Her husband, Jeff Richmond, is a Second City director. He is ten years older than her.
. Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing - Variety Program
2002 Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Comedy Series
2007 30 Rock
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy Series
2008 30 Rock
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
2008 30 Rock
I honestly think I'm not working any harder than any working mom anywhere else, I'm at least getting to work on things that are exciting and fun.
I had to get back to work, NBC has me under contract. The baby and I only have a verbal agreement."
It's just so gratifying to see her poop! You never thought your whole day would be hinged on someone else pooping. The other day I got a booger out of her nose with a Q-tip, and it was so satisfying. It was the best thing I had done all day!
Never punch a girl in the boob, or she will kick you in the nards.
It's an honor to be anywhere, actually, and a deep, deep privilege to be wearing a bra and shoes.
We're out of cereal? What are we going to do? Do you think there's some kind of cereal fairy who we can pay $1,500 a week to buy us more cereal?
I've built a man's life for myself.
I wanted to stop doing 'Saturday Night Live' so I could spend more time with Star Jones.
I became immersed in the cult of improvisation. I was like one of those athletes trying to get into the Olympics. It was all about blind focus. I was so sure that I was doing exactly what I'd been put on this earth to do, and I would have done anything to make it onto that stage.
I think if you ask any of us here, we all dreamed of ending up on Saturday Night Live. I remember thinking, 'I'll just keep doing this as long as I can get away with it.'
I was a mostly happy child, though I had a pretty rough puberty. Growing up as a girl is always traumatizing, especially when you have the deadly combination of greasy skin and getting your boobs at ten. But I think it's good to grow up that way. It builds character.
If you want to make an audience laugh, you dress a man up like an old lady and push her down the stairs. If you want to make comedy writers laugh, you push an actual old lady down the stairs.
Yeah, it's tough being smart and sexy, too. I have to say, I'm really not that attractive. Until I met my husband, I could not get a date. I promise you it's true. My husband saw a diamond in the rough and took me in.
I have a very high standard that I place on myself. Nobody's going to be harder on me than I am.
I'm a registered Independent and my dad is a Republican. Whenever we argue about politics I always lose because he's just more informed.
If it turns out I'm the worst [actor] ever, then I'll have that distinction of being the worst actor ever. I don't think Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser and Ray Romano worried about it, so I'm gonna choose not to worry about it either.
Some actors are brilliant when they are deep in character. I am never brilliant, and that makes it easy for me.
Sweaty is one of my favorite terms when a joke is not built quite right. I was going to call my production company "Sweaty And Familiar".
I'm always surprised when I hear someone is scared of me. But I would prefer for them to be falsely intimidated than to actually have conflict.
Yeah, I'm eating cream cheese out of a bowl - because I ran out of pretzels. You won't see that on the set of Desperate Housewifes.
Food. My only vice. Oh, also I steal.