Tina Fey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tina Fey
|
|
|---|---|
Fey in 2022
|
|
| Born |
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
May 18, 1970 |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Jeff Richmond
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
|
| Genres |
|
| Subject(s) |
|
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (born May 18, 1970) is a famous American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is well-known for her work on the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL), where she was a cast member and even the head writer from 1997 to 2006.
After leaving SNL, Tina Fey created two popular sitcoms: 30 Rock (which ran from 2006 to 2013, and had a special in 2020) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (from 2015 to 2020). She also starred in 30 Rock. You might also know her from movies like Mean Girls (2004), Baby Mama (2008), Soul (2020), and the musical movie Mean Girls (2024).
Tina Fey started her comedy journey with an improv group called The Second City in Chicago. She joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and later became a performer. She was a co-anchor for the Weekend Update news segment. She also became famous for her funny impression of politician Sarah Palin. In 2004, she wrote and starred in the movie Mean Girls, which was a big hit.
After SNL, she created 30 Rock, a show based on her own experiences working on a sketch comedy show. She played Liz Lemon, the main writer of the fictional show. In 2011, she wrote a book called Bossypants, which became a bestseller. She also helped create the musical version of Mean Girls, which opened on Broadway in 2018.
Tina Fey has won many awards for her work. These include nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice. In 2010, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, becoming the youngest person ever to get this award.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tina Fey was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey on May 18, 1970. She grew up in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, a town near Philadelphia. Her mother, Zenovia, was a brokerage employee with Greek family roots. Her father, Donald, wrote grant proposals for a university and had German and Scottish family roots. Tina also has an older brother named Peter.
From a young age, Tina Fey loved comedy. She watched shows like Second City Television (SCTV) and looked up to comedians like Catherine O'Hara.
She went to Cardington Elementary School and Beverly Hills Middle School. By middle school, she knew she wanted to work in comedy. She even did a special project on comedy in eighth grade. Tina attended Upper Darby High School, where she was a good student. She was part of the choir, drama club, and tennis team. She also helped edit the school newspaper. After graduating in 1988, she went to the University of Virginia. She studied playwriting and acting and earned a degree in drama in 1992.
Starting Her Career
After college, Tina Fey moved to Chicago. During the day, she worked as a receptionist at the YMCA. At night, she took classes at The Second City, a famous comedy group known for improv. She started performing at Improv Olympic, where she met Jeff Richmond, who would later become her husband and a frequent collaborator. Both Tina and Jeff eventually got jobs at The Second City. Tina performed in a well-known show called "Paradigm Lost."
Saturday Night Live (1997–2006)
In 1997, while performing with The Second City, Tina Fey sent some of her comedy scripts to Saturday Night Live (SNL). The show's head writer, Adam McKay, had asked her to. After meeting with SNL creator Lorne Michaels, she was hired as a writer and moved to New York. Tina once said she had always wanted to be on the show, like other kids wanted to be like a famous athlete.
At first, Tina found it challenging to work at SNL. Her very first sketch that aired featured Chris Farley. She went on to write many funny parodies, including one of the talk show The View. She also co-wrote the "Sully and Denise" sketches with Rachel Dratch.
In 1999, Tina Fey became SNL's first female head writer. This was a big achievement! In 2000, she started performing in sketches herself. She became a co-anchor for the Weekend Update segment with Jimmy Fallon. Lorne Michaels felt they had great chemistry together. Critics really liked her on Weekend Update. One critic said she delivered "poison filled jokes" with a "bright, sunny countenance," making her "devilishly delightful."
In 2001, Tina and the SNL writing team won a Writers Guild of America Award. The next year, they won an Emmy Award for their writing.
When Jimmy Fallon left in 2004, Amy Poehler replaced him on Weekend Update. This was the first time two women co-anchored the segment. Their pairing was very popular, with critics saying they were "hilarious" and "pitch-perfect."
The 2005–2006 season was Tina Fey's last on SNL. She left to create her own show, 30 Rock. When she left, she had been the longest-serving Weekend Update anchor. Rolling Stone magazine later ranked her as one of the most important SNL cast members ever. They said she "salvaged" Weekend Update and "slapped SNL out of its late-nineties coma."
30 Rock (2006–2013, 2020)
In 2002, Tina Fey suggested a TV show idea to NBC, but it was rejected at first. She reworked the idea to be about a show like SNL, and NBC accepted it. In 2003, she signed a contract to develop a new show. The pilot episode, directed by Adam Bernstein, was about Liz Lemon (played by Tina Fey). Liz was the head writer of a variety show on NBC, and the show followed her as she managed the crazy stars and the network boss.
In October 2006, the show, called 30 Rock, aired on NBC. It received good reviews. In 2007, Tina Fey was nominated for an Emmy Award for her acting. The show itself won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for three years in a row! Tina also won Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Emmy awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2008 and 2009.
30 Rock became known as one of the greatest TV series of all time. It ended its run with 112 Emmy Award nominations. The show even had a special reunion episode in July 2020. Some episodes of 30 Rock were later removed from streaming services to be more inclusive. Tina Fey apologized for these episodes, saying they wanted to "do better in regards to race in America."
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020)
In 2015, Tina Fey created another TV comedy called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt with her friend Robert Carlock. The show stars Ellie Kemper as Kimmy, a young woman who escapes from a doomsday cult and starts a new life in New York City. It also features other actors from 30 Rock, like Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess.
The show was originally made for NBC but was later sold to Netflix. It premiered in March 2015 and was very popular with critics. In July 2015, the series was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Tina Fey was nominated for her work as a creator and for a guest role she played on the show.
Tina Fey also appeared in the second and third seasons as Kimmy's psychiatrist, Andrea Bayden. The show was nominated for many more awards and finished its fourth and final season in January 2019. In 2019, it was announced that the series would return with an interactive special, which came out in May 2020.
Feature Films
In 2004, Tina Fey made her debut as a writer and co-star in the teen comedy Mean Girls. The movie's characters and situations were inspired by Tina's own high school experiences and a book called Queen Bees and Wannabes. The film also starred other SNL cast members like Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. Mean Girls was a big success, earning over $129 million worldwide.
Tina Fey and her former SNL co-star Amy Poehler starred in the 2008 comedy Baby Mama. Tina played Kate, a businesswoman who wants a child and hires Angie (Amy Poehler) as a surrogate. Critics enjoyed Tina's performance in the movie, which earned over $64 million.
In 2010, Tina Fey starred with Steve Carell in the comedy Date Night. They played a married couple whose date goes completely wrong. In the same year, she voiced the character Roxanne Ritchi in the animated film Megamind. Megamind is Tina Fey's most successful movie financially, making over $321 million worldwide.
In 2013, Tina Fey starred in the romantic comedy-drama Admission. She also appeared in the 2014 comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You. While these films had mixed reviews, Tina's acting was often praised.
In 2015, Tina Fey narrated the Disneynature film Monkey Kingdom. She also reunited with Amy Poehler in the comedy film Sisters, where they played the main characters. In 2016, Tina starred in the war comedy-drama Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. She dedicated this film to her late father, who was a veteran.
Tina Fey had a supporting role in the comedy film Wine Country (2019), which was directed by Amy Poehler. In 2020, she voiced the character 22 in the Pixar animated film Soul. This film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
In 2023, Tina Fey appeared in the mystery film A Haunting in Venice, based on an Agatha Christie novel. In 2024, she wrote, produced, and starred in the musical comedy film Mean Girls. She played Ms. Sharon Norbury again, a role she had in the original 2004 film.
Later SNL Appearances
After leaving SNL, Tina Fey returned many times as a guest host. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her hosting in 2008 and 2010.
From September to November 2008, Tina Fey made several guest appearances on SNL to do her famous impression of Sarah Palin, who was running for Vice President at the time. Her imitation was incredibly popular. On one episode, the real Sarah Palin even appeared alongside Tina Fey! Her Palin impression was so good that Entertainment Weekly called it one of the "best-of" the decade. Rolling Stone called it "arguably the most brilliant move SNL ever made."
Tina Fey has continued to make guest appearances on SNL, sometimes bringing back her Sarah Palin impression. In December 2021, she even filled in on Weekend Update with Michael Che.
Other Work and Projects
In 1997, Tina Fey and other members of The Second City provided voices for a pinball game called Medieval Madness. In 1999, she and Amy Poehler also voiced characters in a video game.
In 2000, Tina Fey performed in an Off Broadway show called Dratch & Fey with Rachel Dratch. Critics praised their performance.
In 2001, Tina Fey started her own TV production company, Little Stranger. This company produces many of her projects, including 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Tina Fey has also appeared on children's shows like Sesame Street and had guest voice roles in SpongeBob SquarePants and Phineas and Ferb. She has done commercials for companies like American Express.
In April 2011, Tina Fey's autobiography, Bossypants, was released. It received very positive reviews and became a bestseller.
In 2013, Tina Fey began co-hosting the Golden Globe Awards with Amy Poehler. They hosted together in 2014 and 2015 too. Their hosting was a big hit and received lots of praise.
In 2017, Tina Fey adapted Mean Girls into a musical for Broadway. It opened in 2018 and was nominated for many Tony Awards. She also co-created and produced the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor, which premiered in 2021. In 2021, she co-hosted the 78th Golden Globe Awards with Amy Poehler again. She also executive produced the musical comedy series Girls5eva and had a recurring role in the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building.
In 2023, Tina Fey voiced a character in the animated sitcom Mulligan, which she also executive produced.
Comedy Style
Tina Fey is known for her "deadpan humor," which means she delivers funny lines with a straight face. Her "sardonic wit" is also a big part of her style. Critics often say she is very intelligent and confident in her comedy.
She often uses "self-deprecating humor," meaning she makes fun of herself. For example, her character Liz Lemon in 30 Rock often makes jokes about her own flaws. This makes her very relatable to many people. Some people have criticized her for being politically incorrect, but Tina Fey believes in her right to write jokes that might be on the edge.
As an actress, Tina Fey often plays "hilarious, self-deprecating unmarried career women." She chooses roles where she feels she can be believable. However, in the movie Sisters, she got to play a different kind of character, showing her range.
Tina Fey has said that artists like playwright Caryl Churchill, comedian Chris Rock, and composer Stephen Sondheim have inspired her career.
Charity Work
Tina Fey supports Mercy Corps, an organization that works to end world hunger. She narrated a video for them, explaining that hunger is connected to many other global problems. She also supports Love Our Children USA, which fights violence against children. In 2009, they named her one of their "Mothers Who Make a Difference." She was also a spokesperson for the Light the Night Walk, which helps the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Tina Fey has also helped the Make-A-Wish Foundation grant wishes for children. She hosted their "Power of a Wish Gala" in New York City in 2018.
Personal Life
In 1994, Tina Fey started dating Jeff Richmond. He was a pianist at The Second City, where she performed. He later became the musical director there and then a composer for her show 30 Rock. They got married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on June 3, 2001. They have two daughters together.
Filmography and Awards
Tina Fey has won many awards throughout her career. These include nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seven Writers Guild Awards. She has also been nominated for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award.
In 2008, she received the AP Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2010, she was given the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, making her the youngest person to receive it. In 2011, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2018, she received the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence from the Writers Guild of America with her frequent collaborator Robert Carlock.
Images for kids
-
Tina Fey presenting an award at the 2015 Peabody Awards.
-
Tina Fey holding a copy of her book Bossypants, published in April 2011.
_(cropped).jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Tina Fey para niños
