Actress Ellie Kemper first got exposed to improvisational comedy in high school. She continued to pursue her main interest when she attended Princeton, which led her to join various comedy groups such as Quipfire! and the Princeton Triangle Club. After graduating college with a degree in English, she went to the University of Oxford for a year and then became more active in numerous comedy sketches like Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Important Things with Demetri Martin, and The Gastineau Girls.
In 2007, Kemper made her TV movie debut in Redeeming Rainbow . Two years later, she landed the role of receptionist Erin Hannon on The Office. Though she was initially cast for only four episodes, her performance garnered positive reviews that she was offered to be a series regular in season 6. On the big screen, Kemper has also appeared in Get Him to the Greek, Somewhere and Bridesmaids.
Aside from working as an actress, Kemper is also a contributing writer for The Onion and literary journal McSweeney's.