Tina Fey

Tina Fey, born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey on May 18, 1970, in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer whose work spans sketch comedy, television, film, and Broadway. She has received ten Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with nominations for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. In both 2007 and 2009 she appeared on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2010 she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Fey grew up in Upper Darby, where she attended Cardington-Stonehurst Elementary School, Beverly Hills Middle School, and Upper Darby High School. At Upper Darby High School she was an honors student and participated in choir, the drama club, and the tennis team, serving as co-editor of the school newspaper, The Acorn, and anonymously authoring its satirical column, The Colonel. She graduated in 1988 and enrolled at the University of Virginia, where she studied playwriting and acting, received the Pettway Prize, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama in 1992.

After college, Fey relocated to Chicago, working days as a receptionist at a YMCA in Evanston, Illinois, while taking performance classes at the improvisational comedy troupe The Second City. She began performing at Improv Olympic in 1993, where she first worked alongside pianist Jeff Richmond, who became her husband, and comedian Amy Poehler. Fey went on to appear in Second City's revue Paradigm Lost alongside Rachel Dratch, Kevin Dorff, Scott Adsit, Jenna Jolovitz, and Jim Zulevic.

In 1997, at the request of Saturday Night Live head writer Adam McKay, Fey submitted scripts to the NBC sketch comedy series and was subsequently hired as a writer following a meeting with SNL creator Lorne Michaels. She became the show's first female head writer in 1999. Beginning in 2000, she transitioned to performing on camera, joining Jimmy Fallon as co-anchor of the Weekend Update segment. Fey remained with SNL through 2006 and later returned to the program in guest appearances portraying a satirical version of 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She and Amy Poehler co-hosted SNL together in 2015, an appearance that earned them a Primetime Emmy Award.

Fey created and starred as Liz Lemon in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, which ran from 2006 to 2013. The role brought her a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She subsequently created the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which ran from 2015 to 2020, the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor, which ran from 2021 to 2022, and the Netflix comedy-drama series The Four Seasons, premiering in 2025. She also executive produced the Peacock series Girls5eva, which ran from 2021 to 2024. Fey and Poehler co-hosted the Golden Globe Awards four times, in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2021.

Her film acting credits include Mean Girls (2004), Baby Mama (2008), Date Night (2010), Megamind (2010), Admission (2013), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Sisters (2015), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016), Wine Country (2019), and Soul (2020). In 2011 she published her memoir Bossypants, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks and earned her a Grammy Award nomination.

On Broadway, Fey appeared in both Mean Girls and Freestyle Love Supreme. She also wrote the book for the stage musical Mean Girls, which premiered on Broadway in 2018 and earned her a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical that same year, as well as a Tony Award nomination. She later adapted the stage production into a 2024 musical film of the same name. Her Broadway appearances took place in 2021.

Fey's father, Donald Henry Fey, was a Korean War veteran and university administrator who raised $500 million for schools, hospitals, and public service agencies through grant proposals and direct mail appeals. Following his death in 2015, Fey established a scholarship fund in his name at his alma mater, Temple University, to support war veterans studying journalism. Her mother, Zenobia Fey, was born in Piraeus, Greece, and worked as a brokerage employee. Fey has one brother, Peter, who is eight years her senior.