Kate McKinnon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate McKinnon
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McKinnon in 2018
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Kate McKinnon Berthold
January 6, 1984 Sea Cliff, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Columbia University (BA) |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
Kate McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is a super talented American actress and comedian. She was a main cast member on the funny TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 2012 to 2022. On SNL, she became famous for playing many different characters and doing amazing impressions of celebrities and famous people.
For her work on SNL, Kate was nominated for many awards, including ten Primetime Emmy Awards. She won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016 and 2017.
Kate also starred in the sketch comedy show The Big Gay Sketch Show (2007–2010). She lent her voice to main characters in the animated series Nature Cat (2015–2024) and The Magic School Bus Rides Again (2017–2021). You might also have seen her as Carole Baskin in the miniseries Joe vs. Carole (2022).
She has been in many movies too! Some of her films include Sisters (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), Yesterday (2019), and Barbie (2023).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kate McKinnon was born and grew up in Sea Cliff, New York, on Long Island. Her mom, Laura Campbell, taught parents, and her dad, Michael Thomas Berthold, was an architect. Kate has a younger sister named Emily Lynne, who is also a comedian. They have worked together on projects like the audio series Heads Will Roll. Sadly, their father passed away when Kate was 18 years old.
As a kid, Kate loved music and played several instruments. She started playing the piano at age five, the cello at 12, and taught herself to play the guitar when she was 15.
Kate discovered her talent for doing different accents when she was in fifth grade. She tried out to be "the queen of reading week" and used an English accent. She once said that the smiles she got from doing that accent made her want to keep performing.
She finished high school at North Shore High School in 2002. Then, she went to Columbia University and graduated in 2006 with a degree in theatre. At Columbia, she helped start a comedy group called Tea Party, which focused on musical improv comedy. She also performed in three college shows and was part of a student comedy group called Prangstgrüp, which created funny pranks.
Kate's Amazing Career
In 2007, Kate joined the first cast of Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show. She was a cast member for all three seasons of the show.
Since 2008, she has performed live sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. Kate is also a talented voice actress. She has voiced characters in shows like The Venture Bros., Robotomy, and Ugly Americans. In 2009, she won a Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic.
In 2016, Kate starred in the movie Ghostbusters alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Leslie Jones. In 2023, she played the unique character Weird Barbie in the hit Barbie movie.
She has also done voice work for many animated films and TV shows. She was in The Simpsons and Family Guy. She voiced characters in movies like Finding Dory, The Angry Birds Movie, Ferdinand, and DC League of Super-Pets. From 2017 to 2020, she voiced Fiona Frizzle in The Magic School Bus Rides Again. Since 2015, she has voiced Squeeks in the PBS Kids series Nature Cat.
In the future, Kate will be in the film The Roses (2025) and do voice work for the upcoming Minecraft Movie.
Her Time on Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) on April 7, 2012. She quickly became a fan favorite and was promoted to a main cast member in 2013.
She was nominated for many Emmy Awards for her work on SNL. She won the 2014 American Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress on TV. In 2016 and 2017, she won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She was the first SNL actor to win this award since 1993!
Kate became well-known for her impressions of famous people and politicians. She played Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election. The real Hillary Clinton even appeared with her in a sketch! Kate said she really admired Hillary Clinton. After Clinton lost the election, Kate opened an SNL show by singing "Hallelujah" as Hillary Clinton, which was a very touching moment.
She also did impressions of Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump (with Alec Baldwin). Other famous impressions include pop singer Justin Bieber, TV host Ellen DeGeneres, and political figures like US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Senator Lindsey Graham, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Kate was on SNL for ten seasons, making her one of the longest-serving female cast members. She left the show in 2022.
Some of Kate's SNL Characters
- Olya Povlatsky: A Russian woman who shares her funny and often wild opinions on current events.
- Jodi Cork: A co-host of "The Art of the Encounter" and "Women in the Workplace" segments.
- Barbara DeDrew: A kind volunteer at a cat shelter called Whiskers R We.
- Colleen Rafferty: A woman who always has a crazy and traumatic experience when her friends have a normal one, often losing her pants!
- Les Dykawitz: A 1970s lesbian cop from Chicago, working with her partner Chubina Fatzarelli in "Dyke & Fats" sketches.
- Dr. Wayne Wenowdis: A doctor with a strange accent who shares medical advice on "Weekend Update."
Work as a Creator
Kate McKinnon and her sister Emily Lynne created a web series called Notary Publix. Kate also co-stars in it. Many of her SNL co-stars, like Aidy Bryant, Beck Bennett, and Jay Pharoah, have appeared in the show.
They also created an audio series called Heads Will Roll, which came out in 2019. It's a fantasy-comedy show with guest voices from famous people like Meryl Streep and Peter Dinklage.
Other Projects
In 2015, Kate appeared in commercials for the Ford Focus car.
In 2016, she helped host the 31st Independent Spirit Awards with Kumail Nanjiani.
In 2024, Kate announced she is writing a young adult novel for middle schoolers. It will be called The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science and is set to be released in October 2024.
In November 2024, Kate hosted the National Book Awards in New York City.
Kate's Personal Life
Kate McKinnon has a cat named Nino Positano, who she jokingly calls her son. Nino even appeared in an SNL sketch filmed from Kate's home during the COVID-19 pandemic!
Kate does not have any social media accounts. She has said she worries about misrepresenting her real feelings online.
While accepting an award for Ellen DeGeneres at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, Kate shared that she is a lesbian. She thanked Ellen for making it easier for her to accept her sexual orientation by watching Ellen's TV show Ellen. This was a very meaningful moment for many people.
Images for kids
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McKinnon in 2018
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McKinnon at the National Book Awards ceremony in 2024
See also
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of LGBT people from New York City
- NYC Pride March
- Saturday Night Live parodies of Hillary Clinton
