Kristen Carroll Wiig (/ˈwɪɡ/; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer, well known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (2005â€"12), and such films as Knocked Up (2007), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Paul and Bridesmaids (both 2011), Girl Most Likely (2013), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), the animated Despicable Me film series, and The Skeleton Twins (2014).
Born in Canandaigua, New York, and brought up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York, Wiig attended the University of Arizona, majoring in Art. She later relocated to Los Angeles, where she broke into comedy as a member of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings and made her television debut in 2003. In 2005, Wiig joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and the following year, she co-starred in the Christmas comedy film Unaccompanied Minors. After appearing in a series of supporting roles in comedy films such as Knocked Up, Adventureland, Whip It, and Paul, she also starred in and wrote the screenplay for Bridesmaids, which was both critically and commercially successful.
Wiig has received seven consecutive Emmy Awards nominations and has been nominated for an Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production for her work on Despicable Me 2. In 2012, Bridesmaids earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress â€" Musical or Comedy, as well as nominations for the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay and a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.
Early life
Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York, the daughter of Laurie J. (née Johnston), an artist, and Jon J. Wiig, who ran a lake marina in Western New York. Her father is of Norwegian and Irish ancestry and her mother is of English and Scottish descent. The name Wiig comes from the area of Sogn og Fjordane in Norway. Wiig moved with her family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of three, and attended Nitrauer Elementary School. She later moved to Rochester, New York, where she attended and graduated from Brighton High School. Wiig attended the University of Arizona, majoring in Art. When she took an acting class in college to fulfill a course requirement, the teacher suggested she continue to act. She dropped out of school and relocated to Los Angeles, where she joined The Groundlings while working odd jobs to support herself.
Career
Television
Wiig's work has mostly been in comedy, including performing at the Empty Stage Comedy Theatre and with The Groundlings. In 2003, she appeared in the Spike TV show The Joe Schmo Show, a spoof of reality television, in which she played "Dr. Pat", the quack marriage counselor.
Wiig debuted on Saturday Night Live shortly into Season 31, on November 12, 2005. She survived an SNL budget cut, becoming a full member of the repertory cast at the beginning of Season 32 in 2006. Her characters include Penelope, a neurotic attention-seeker; Kat, half of the musical duo Garth and Kat (frequently appearing on Weekend Update alongside Fred Armisen); Dooneese Maharelle on the Lawrence Welk show; Mindy Grayson in the Secret Word sketches, Gilly, a mischievous schoolgirl; Sue, who can't control her excitement over surprises; The Target Lady, a clerk at the chain store and kitsch collector; Shanna, a sexy woman whose actions and stories gross people out; Cheryl Bryant, a TV game show host who gives away big prizes and is always more excited about the prize than the winners are; Judy Grimes, a nervous travel agent; Jacqueline Seka, predatory host of the Cougar Den; and Aunt Linda, a hard-to-please movie critic, both frequently appearing on Weekend Update. She has also played real-life people such as Björk, Suze Orman, Lana Del Rey, Kathie Lee Gifford, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Drew Barrymore, Taylor Swift, Liza Minnelli, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine O'Donnell, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and socialite Kris Jenner.
Wiig was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). In December 2009, she headlined in the Christmas special SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas, which featured new sketches with her character Gilly and highlights of older SNL clips. Wiig was featured in Entertainment Weekly's list of 15 Great Performances for her various impersonations on Saturday Night Live (December 2008) and in EW's list of the 25 Funniest Women in Hollywood (April 2009). As of 2011, she voiced Lola Bunny in the series The Looney Tunes Show.
Her final performance as a cast member on Saturday Night Live was Season 37, Episode 22, which aired on May 19, 2012. The show was hosted by Mick Jagger. The closing celebration of her time on the show included SNL alumni Amy Poehler, Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Will Forte and Rachel Dratch, as well as Steve Martin and Jon Hamm. She returned to host the program on May 11, 2013. Wiig appeared on the second episode of fellow SNL alumnus Jimmy Fallon's run on The Tonight Show from 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City (February 19, 2014). In what appeared to be an unscripted spoof, she played the role of ideal boy band One Direction member Harry Styles. She returned as a special guest to appear in the monologue and several sketches of SNL again alongside host Bill Hader on October 14, 2014.
Film
Wiig appeared in Judd Apatow's 2007 comedy Knocked Up as a passive-aggressive assistant. She also performed in Jake Kasdan's Walk Hard, another Apatow-produced film, and in David Koepp's Ghost Town. Wiig has also appeared in Greg Mottola's Adventureland, Mike Judge's Extract, and in Whip It, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. Wiig also had a lead role as Ruth Buggs in Greg Mottola's comedy Paul. Wiig also appeared as the yoga teacher in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. In 2010, she appeared in the films MacGruber, the animated comedies Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, and Andrew Jarecki's All Good Things.
In 2011, she starred in the film Bridesmaids, which she co-wrote with fellow Groundlings performer Annie Mumolo for Universal Pictures, released on May 13, 2011. The film became both a critical and box office success, receiving two nominations for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy and Wiig herself was nominated for Best Actress-Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. The film also received two Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay for which Wiig and Mumolo were nominated. The second nomination was for Best Supporting Actress for co-star Melissa McCarthy. The film grossed over $280 million worldwide.
In 2014, Wiig also starred with Saturday Night Live alumnus Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins.
Wiig and Mumolo are currently writing a new comedy, which will see Wiig making her debut as a director. The name of the film and release date are yet to be confirmed.
Personal life
Wiig was married to actor Hayes Hargrove from 2005 to 2009. Wiig is a vegetarian.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
- She was named one of PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2011.
- She is part of Time '​s 2012 list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World.
References
External links
- Official website
- Kristen Wiig at AllMovie
- Kristen Wiig at AllMusic
- Kristen Wiig at the Internet Movie Database
- Kristen Wiig at the TCM Movie Database
- Works by or about Kristen Wiig in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
