Kristen Wiig

Kristen Carroll Wiig (born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, producer, and singer. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved nationwide stardom during her seven-season tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy and variety series Saturday Night Live from 2005 until 2012.

Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and later Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings and made her television debut as Dr. Pat on The Joe Schmo Show (2003). During her stint at Saturday Night Live, she received four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Wiig also took on supporting roles in comedy films such as Knocked Up (2007) and Paul (2011). She co-wrote and starred in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011), which was critically and commercially successful. It earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012.

Her other film credits include The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), The Skeleton Twins (2014), The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), The Martian (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), Downsizing (2017), Mother! (2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). She has also lent her voice to the animated franchises How to Train Your Dragon (2010–2019) and Despicable Me (2010–2024). She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role in the comedy miniseries The Spoils of Babylon (2014).

She returned to Saturday Night Live to host for the first time on May 11, 2013, the twentieth (and penultimate) episode and Mother's Day show of Saturday Night Live's 38th season, with musical guests Vampire Weekend.

Wiig returned to Saturday Night Live to host for the second time and (her first appearance in 3 years, 6 months and 8 days), hosting them seventh episode and Thanksgiving-themed show of Saturday Night Live's 42nd season on November 19, 2016, with musical guests The xx.

Wiig returned to Saturday Night Live again to host for the third time, on May 9, 2020, the eighteenth episode and Mother's Day show, which it's also the season finale of Season 45 of Saturday Night Live and the final episode of Saturday Night Live At Home, with musical guest Boyz II Men featuring Babyface.

She is then the sixth and latest former cast member to have hosted the season finale, after Dan Aykroyd (Season 28), Will Ferrell (Season 34), Andy Samberg (Season 39), Fred Armisen (Season 41), and Tina Fey (season 43). Also, Wiig is the second former female cast member to host a season finale, after Fey.

Wiig returned Saturday Night Live again to host for the fourth time on December 19, 2020, the ninth episode and the Christmas show of Saturday Night Live's 46th season, as well as the final episode of 2020, with musical guest Dua Lipa, just 7 months and 10 days after she hosted the Season 45 finale.

Wiig is also the seventh former cast member to host a Christmas show, after Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Jimmy Fallon, Martin Short and Tina Fey & Amy Poehler.

Wiig returned to Saturday Night Live once again to host for the fifth time, thus making her a five-time host and she also becomes the fifth former cast member, after Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell, as well as the second former female cast member to enter the Five-Timers Club on April 6, 2024, the sixteenth episode of Saturday Night Live's 49th season, with musical guest Raye.

Wiig is formally inducted into the Saturday Night Live's Five-Timers Club in her opening monologue and Paul Rudd welcome her to the Five-Timers Club, as well as former writer Paula Pell, Matt Damon, Fred Armisen, Martin Short, Will Forte, Jon Hamm and Ryan Gosling and she received her very own five-timers jacket.

Personal life[]

Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York. At the age of three, 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 dated Brazilian drummer Fabrizio Moretti from 2011 to 2013.

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 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 cuts becoming a full member of the repertory cast at the beginning of the show's 32nd season in 2006, along with Bill Hader, Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis. Wiig is known for her SNL portrayal of Penelope, a serial one-upper and exaggerator. More recently, she has become famous for her characters Gilly, a highly mischievous schoolgirl, and The Target Lady, a kitsch collector with an obsession for Target products.

Wiig had acting roles in the 2007 films The Brothers Solomon, Meet Bill, Knocked Up, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In all four of those films, she co-starred with SNL cast members: In The Brothers Solomon, she teamed up with Will Forte, joined Bill Hader in Knocked Up, joined Chris Parnell in Walk Hard and worked with Jason Sudeikis in Meet Bill. Several more film appearances followed in 2008, including Semi-Pro, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Ghost Town.

In December 2008, Wiig was featured in Entertainment Weekly's list of 15 Great Performances for her various impersonations on Saturday Night Live. Her most popular and impressive impressions Kathie Lee Gifford, Bjork, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

In February 2009, Wiig appeared on Flight of the Conchords (2nd season, 6th episode), as Brahbrah, the owner of a missing epileptic dog. In April 2009, Wiig was featured in Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 Funniest Women in Hollywood.

According to New York Magazine, Wiig has 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.