Tina Fey Biography
Second City veteran Tina Fey became the first female head writer in the history of “Saturday Night Live” in 1999, only two years after joining the staff of the famed NBC sketch comedy series. As one of the minds behind such hit recurring bits as the merciless satire of “The View” and the Boston videocamera-toting teen parody “Sully and Denise” (starring Jimmy Fallon and Fey’s frequent comedy collaborator and fellow Second City alum Rachel Dratch), Fey set herself apart as one of “SNL”’s more consistent and contemporary writers.
A pretty, petite brown-haired performer with a sharp wit and feisty demeanor, the fashionably bespectacled Fey quickly won over fans when she went in front of the camera, joining Jimmy Fallon behind the “Weekend Update” anchor desk beginning in the 2000-2001 season. Her assured and skillful delivery of the news was appreciated by fans, while her mixture of sparkle and sophistication balanced out Fallon’s boyish energy. Editorial comments like her passionate and honestly funny rant against Hugh Hefner’s harem were a welcome addition to the show, offering a fresh perspective on a series and in a genre known for being overwhelmingly male dominated.
A University of Virginia graduate who majored in drama and hailed from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Fey joined Chicago’s Second City and quickly developed a comedic partnership with troupe member Rachel Dratch. The pair’s show “Dratch & Fey” garnered rave reviews in its 1999 debut at Second City and its 2000 run at New York’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater while the two were also enjoying success on “Saturday Night Live”.
As her “SNL” career flourished, Fey also broke out into films with an assist from producer Lorne Michael: not only did she pen the screenplay for “Mean Girls” (2004), a funny if somewhat familiar exploration of in-fighting amid a clique of supposedly popular high school girls, she also had a role as one of the teachers.
- Born:
on 05/18/1970 in Pennsylvania - Job Titles:
Comedian, Comedy writer, Actor
Family
- Brother: Peter Fey. born c. 1962
- Father: Donald Fey.
- Mother: Jeanne Fey.
Significant Others
- Husband: Jeff Richmond. married in 2001
Education
- Upper Darby High School, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, 1988
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, drama, BA, 1992
- Second City Training Center, Chicago, Illinois
Milestones
- 1997 Interviewed for position as a staff writer at “Saturday Night Live” (NBC); hired by Lorne Michaels
- 1999 Elevated to position of head writer at “SNL” — the first female to ever hold the post
- 1999 Was head writer of “Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary”
- 1999 With “SNL” player Rachel Dratch, performed in Chicago in the sketch comedy “Dratch & Fey”
- 2000 Appeared on camera as co-host (with Jimmy Fallon) of the “Weekend Update” segment of “SNL”
- 2000 Reprised appearances in “Dratch & Fey” in NYC
- 2004 Wrote and starred in her first feature film “Mean Girls,” starring Lindsay Lohan
- 2005 Set to star as the head writer of a variety show, which will air on NBC; will write the pilot and serve as executive producer with “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels
- After college, moved to Chicago to study at the Second City
- Raised in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Next:Stacy Ferguson Biography
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