Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig
Born Kristen Carroll Wiig
(1973-08-22) August 22, 1973
Canandaigua, New York, U.S.
Alma mater University of Arizona
Occupation
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
  • producer
Years active 2003–present
Spouse(s)
Hayes Hargrove
(m. 2005; div. 2009)
Comedy career
Medium Television, film
Genres Satire/political satire/news satire, improvisational comedy, sketch comedy
Subject(s) American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, mass media/news media
Notable works and roles Saturday Night Live
Bridesmaids
The Martian
Ghostbusters
Despicable Me (franchise)
How to Train Your Dragon (franchise)
Website kristenwiig.com

Kristen Carroll Wiig (/wɪɡ/; born August 22, 1973)[1] is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (2005–12), and films such as Bridesmaids, The Martian, and Ghostbusters.

Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York, and raised in both Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. Wiig attended the University of Arizona, where she majored in fine 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. Wiig joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2005, and the following year, she co-starred in the Christmas comedy film Unaccompanied Minors.[2] After appearing in a series of supporting roles in comedy films such as Adventureland, Whip It, and Paul, she starred in, and co-wrote, the screenplay for Bridesmaids, which was both critically and commercially successful.

Wiig has received eight Emmy Award 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 – 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.[3] She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role as Cynthia Morehouse in the miniseries The Spoils of Babylon. In 2019, she will play the villain Cheetah in the sequel to Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe.

Early life

Wiig was born on August 22, 1973, in Canandaigua, New York,[4] the daughter of Jon Wiig, who ran a lake marina in Western New York, and Laurie (Johnston), an artist.[5][6] Her father has Norwegian and Irish ancestry and her mother is of English and Scottish descent.[7] The name Wiig comes from the area Vik in Sogn og Fjordane in Norway.[8]

Wiig moved with her family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of three, and attended Nitrauer Elementary School and Manheim Township Middle School until eighth grade.[9] She then moved to Rochester, New York, with her family at the age of 13,[9] where she attended the prestigious Allendale Columbia School for ninth and tenth grades[10] and graduated from Brighton High School.[11]

She started her higher education by attending Roanoke College but soon returned to Rochester. She attended community college and did a three-month outdoor-living program. She had no performing ambitions at this time.[12] Wiig then 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.[13] She was expected to start out a job at a plastic surgery clinic drawing pictures of people's postsurgery bodies, but the day before the job began, she decided to move to Los Angeles and act.[14]

Career

Early career

Wiig relocated to Los Angeles to act while working odd jobs to support herself.[12][13] She performed with Empty Stage Comedy Theatre[15] and with The Groundlings.[16] She felt improvisation was a better fit than acting, and being a part of the comedy group improved her skills.[17] In 2003, she appeared in Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show, a spoof of reality television, in which she played Dr. Pat, a quack marriage counselor.

While at The Groundlings, Wiig's manager encouraged her to submit an audition tape to Saturday Night Live. Wiig played the Target Lady on part of her audition tape.[18]

Television

Wiig debuted on SNL shortly into season 31, on November 12, 2005.[2] She survived an SNL budget cut,[19] becoming a full member of the repertory cast at the beginning of season 32 in 2006 and until 2012.

Wiig was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series[20] for her work on Saturday Night Live (2009,[21] 2010, 2011, 2012).[22] 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[23] (December 2008) and in EW's list of the 25 Funniest Women in Hollywood (April 2009).[24] 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.[25] 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.[26] On February 19, 2014, 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. In what appeared to be an unscripted spoof, she played the role of ideal boy band One Direction member Harry Styles.[27] She returned to host SNL again on November 19, 2016.

For singer-songwriter Sia's performance of her 2014 single "Chandelier" at the 2015 Grammy Awards, Wiig danced alongside child dancer Maddie Ziegler.[28]

In January 2018, it was announced that Wiig would be starring and executive producing, along side Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter, in a new untitled 30 minute comedy series from Apple and production company, Hello Sunshine.[29]

Podcast

Gimlet Media's[30] scripted fiction podcast series Sandra stars Kristen Wiig and Alia Shawkat.[31][32][33][34][35] All episodes[36] premiered 18 April 2018.[37][38][39]

Film

Wiig made her film debut in the 2006 Christmas movie Unaccompanied Minors. The following year, she appeared in Judd Apatow's comedy Knocked Up as a passive-aggressive assistant, and performed in Jake Kasdan's Walk Hard, another Apatow-produced film. In 2008, she had small roles in several films, including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and David Koepp's Ghost Town. In 2009, Wiig had supporting roles in Greg Mottola's Adventureland, Mike Judge's Extract, and Whip It, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. From 2010-2011, she appeared in the films MacGruber, the animated comedies Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon, Andrew Jarecki's All Good Things and Greg Mottola's comedy Paul.

Later in 2011, she starred in the film Bridesmaids, which she co-wrote with fellow Groundlings performer Annie Mumolo. Universal Pictures released the film on May 13, 2011[40] and it became both a critical and box-office success. It was nominated for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy and Wiig was nominated for Best Actress-Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. The film also received two Academy Award nominations: Wiig and Mumolo for Best Original Screenplay and co-star, Melissa McCarthy, for Best Supporting Actress. The film grossed over $280 million worldwide.[41]

In 2014, Wiig starred with Saturday Night Live alumnus Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins. In 2015, she starred in Nasty Baby, as Polly, a family practitioner who is more interested in having a baby than having a boyfriend. The film was directed by Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva.[42] Wiig also starred in Welcome to Me, a comedy-drama directed by Shira Piven which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2014, news outlets reported that Wiig and Mumolo were writing a new comedy, making the film Wiig's debut as a director.[43] The name of the film and release date are yet to be confirmed.[44] In 2016, Wiig played one of the leading roles in the reboot Ghostbusters alongside Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon.[45]

In the autumn of 2016, she appeared in video as an onstage "stand-in" during the Nostalgia For the Present concert tour of Australian singer Sia Furler for her song, "One Million Bullets".[46]

In 2017, Wiig appeared in the films Mother!, directed by Darren Aronofsky,[47] and Downsizing starring Matt Damon, directed by Alexander Payne.[48] In February 2017, Variety reported that Wiig will star in an English-language remake of Toni Erdmann, opposite Jack Nicholson.[49]

In March 2018, it was announced that Wiig would be starring in the next Wonder Woman film, as the villain the Cheetah [50]

Personal life

Wiig was married to actor Hayes Hargrove from 2005 to 2009.[51][52] Wiig endorsed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 2016.[53][54][55]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2003Melvin Goes to Dinner Extra
2006Unaccompanied MinorsCarole Malone
2006The Enigma with a StigmaTux Shop Employee
2007Knocked UpJill
2007Meet BillJane Whitman
2007The Brothers SolomonJanine
2007Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryEdith Cox
2008Semi-ProBear Handler
2008Forgetting Sarah MarshallYoga Instructor
2008Pretty BirdMandy
2008Ghost TownSurgeon
2009AdventurelandPaulette
2009Ice Age: Dawn of the DinosaursPudgy Beaver Mom (voice)
2009Whip ItMaggie Mayhem
2009ExtractSuzie Reynolds
2010How to Train Your DragonRuffnut Thorston (voice)
2010Date NightHaley Sullivan
2010MacGruberVicki St. Elmo
2010Despicable MeMiss Hattie (voice)
2010All Good ThingsLauren Fleck
2011PaulRuth Buggs
2011BridesmaidsAnnie WalkerAlso writer
2011Friends with KidsMissy
2012Revenge for Jolly!Angela
2012Girl Most LikelyImogeneAlso executive producer
2013Despicable Me 2Agent Lucy Wilde (voice)
2013HerSexyKitten (voice)
2013The Secret Life of Walter MittyCheryl Melhoff
2013Anchorman 2: The Legend ContinuesChani
2013Hateship, LoveshipJohanna Parry
2014The Skeleton Twins Maggie
2014How to Train Your Dragon 2Ruffnut Thorston (voice)
2014Welcome to MeAlice KliegAlso producer
2015The Diary of a Teenage GirlCharlotte
2015Nasty BabyPolly
2015The MartianAnnie Montrose
2016Zoolander 2Alexanya Atoz / Katinka
2016GhostbustersDr. Erin Gilbert
2016Sausage PartyBrenda (voice)
2016MastermindsKelly
2016LightningfaceKatherine (voice)Short film
2017Despicable Me 3Agent Lucy Wilde (voice)
2017DownsizingAudrey Safranek
2017Mother!Herald
2019How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden WorldRuffnut Thorston (voice)In production
2019Where'd You Go, BernadetteAudreyPost-production
2019Wonder Woman 1984Barbara Minerva / CheetahFilming

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2003The Joe Schmo ShowDr. Pat9 episodes
2004I'm with HerKristyEpisode: "The Heartbreak Kid"
2004The Drew Carey ShowSandyEpisode: "House of the Rising Son-in-Law"
2005–2012Saturday Night LiveVarious135 episodes
200730 RockCandace Van der SharkEpisode: "Somebody to Love"
2009Flight of the ConchordsBrahbrahEpisode: "Love Is a Weapon of Choice"
2009–2010Bored to DeathJennifer Gladwell3 episodes[56]
2010Ugly AmericansTristan (voice)Episode: "So, You Want to Be a Vampire?"
2010The Cleveland ShowMrs. Stapleton (voice)Episode: "The Curious Case of Jr. Working at The Stool"
2011–2014The Looney Tunes ShowLola Bunny (voice)25 episodes
2011The SimpsonsCalliope Juniper (voice)Episode: "Flaming Moe"
2011SpongeBob SquarePantsMadame Hag Fish (voice)Episode: "The Curse of the Hex"
2012PortlandiaGathyEpisode: "Cat Nap"
2013The Simpsons Annie Crawford (voice)Episode: "Homerland"
2013Saturday Night LiveHerself (host)Episode: "Kristen Wiig/Vampire Weekend"
2013Arrested DevelopmentYoung Lucille Bluth7 episodes[57]
2013Drunk HistoryPatty HearstEpisode: "San Francisco"
2014The Spoils of BabylonCynthia Morehouse6 episodes
2015A Deadly AdoptionSarah BensonTelevision film
2015The Spoils Before DyingDelores O’Dell6 episodes
2015Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of CampCourtney3 episodes
2016Saturday Night LiveHerself (host)Episode: "Kristen Wiig/The xx"
2017The Last Man on EarthPamela Brinton5 episodes
2017NobodiesHerselfEpisode: "Not the Emmys"
2017Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years LaterCourtneyEpisode: "Tigerclaw"
2017Big MouthJessi's Genitals (voice)Episode: "Girls Are Horny Too"
2018The Royal Wedding Live with Cord & Tish!Sir Albert Langham-KingsleyHBO event coverage

Music collaborations

Year Artist Song Contribution Album
2013The Lonely Island (feat. Hugh Jackman)You've Got the Look / 100th Digital Short (DVD)duetThe Wack Album
2013David BowieSpace Oddity (Mitty Mix)vocalsThe Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture)
2014Fred Armisen (Taste Of New York)Can We Stay With You?duetDrag City split single
2014Rodrigo AmaranteI'm Ready / Tardeichoir backing vocalsCavalo
2016Sausage Party CastThe Great Beyond / The Great Beyond Around the WorldvocalsSausage Party (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Video games

Year Title Role
2014 Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes: Cartoon Universe Lola Bunny (voice)

Awards and nominations

  • She was named one of PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2011.[58]
  • She is part of Time's 2012 list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World.[59]

References

  1. ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (issue 1220/1221). August 17, 2012. p. 28.
  2. 1 2 "They're live on 'SNL'". USA Today. December 1, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  3. ↑ Awards for Kristen Wiig on IMDb
  4. ↑ "Kristen Wiig Biography". bio. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Kristen Wiig: 'My next movie – it's going to be a Porky's prequel' " November 18, 2011, The Guardian
  6. ↑ Margaret (Johnston) Harris Obituary at MPNow.com, August 6, 2010
  7. ↑ Always the bridesmaid – Film & Cinema, Entertainment. The Independent. (Ireland) Retrieved on August 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Komi-Kristen" Archived June 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. (in Norwegian), Film Magasinet
  9. 1 2 Botch, Don (July 17, 2016). "Kristen Wiig among the stars of 'Ghostbusters' reboot". Reading Eagle. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  10. ↑ 'Radar interviews SNL's Kristen Wiig'. Retrieved on February 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ "10 Rochester connections to Saturday Night Live". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  12. 1 2 "Kristin Wiig/Alec Baldwin Interview Transcript". WNYC, "Here's the Thing.". April 9, 2012. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Dominus, Susan (April 28, 2011). "Can Kristen Wiig Turn on the Charm?". The New York Times. New York City. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Kristen Wiig". Biography.com. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  15. ↑ "How Real Is Reality Programming? SPIKE TV'S 'The Joe Schmo Show' Puts New Twist on Reality Show Genre, Where Only One Contestant Is Real" (Press release). SpikeTV. August 12, 2003. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  16. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (August 22, 2013). "Extended Interview with Kristen Wiig". NYTimes. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  17. ↑ "50 interesting facts about Kristen Wiig: is a naturally shy person, her favorite people to make laugh are babies". BOOMSbeat.
  18. ↑ "The Volvo-ness". Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Season 9. Episode 1. January 5, 2017. Netflix.
  19. ↑ Sklar, Rachel (October 24, 2006). "That '70s Show". Village Voice.
  20. ↑ "Kristen Wiig". Television Academy.
  21. ↑ Bierly, Mandi. (July 15, 2009) Emmy Awards: the 2009 nominees | EW.com. Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.
  22. ↑ Ryan, Joal (July 8, 2010). "Emmys 2010 Comedy Acting: Matthew Morrison Leads Glee Choir". ca.eonline.com. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  23. ↑ "15 Great Performances In 2008" Entertainment Weekly, Photo 19 of 20,
  24. ↑ "The 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood". Entertainment Weekly Photo 6 of 26
  25. ↑ "Kristen Wiig gets an emotional send-off from 'SNL'". USATODAY.COM. May 20, 2012.
  26. ↑ Luippold, Ross (April 26, 2013). "Kristen Wiig To Host 'SNL' May 11 With Vampire Weekend". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  27. ↑ "It's Tuesday night live! Kristen Wiig does hilarious Harry Styles impression on fellow SNL alumnus' Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show". Daily Mail. London.
  28. ↑ Swift, Andy (February 8, 2015). "Sia Enlists Kristen Wiig for 'Chandelier' Performance at 2015 Grammy Awards". tvline.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  29. ↑ CNN, Sandra Gonzalez,. "Kristen Wiig to star in comedy series from Apple". CNN. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  30. ↑ "Sandra". Retrieved May 6, 2018 – via www.imdb.com.
  31. ↑ Locke, Charley. "Gimlet's New Show Is About the Human Side of AI". nymag.com. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  32. ↑ Slaney, Rowan (May 4, 2018). "Sandra: Gimlet's siri drama starring Alia Shawkat - podcasts of the week". the Guardian. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  33. ↑ "When Alexa met Sandra: Kristen Wiig stars in new podcast". cnet.com. April 18, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  34. ↑ Spangler, Todd (April 11, 2018). "Gimlet Announces Scripted Podcast Starring Kristen Wiig and Alia Shawkat, Renews 'StartUp' for Season 7". variety.com. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Gimlet Media Sets Scripted Podcast Starring Kristen Wiig, Alia Shawkat". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Sandra". listennotes.com. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  37. ↑ Petski, Denise (April 11, 2018). "Gimlet Media's Spring Slate Includes Scripted Series Toplined By Kristen Wiig & Alia Shawkat". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Sandra". feeds.gimletmedia.com. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Sandra - All Episodes". Gimlet Media. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  40. ↑ Jeremy Kay (July 21, 2009). "Mandate Pictures heads for the highway with female road movie". Screen Daily. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  41. ↑ Bridesmaids at Box Office Mojo
  42. ↑ Zach Hollwedel (September 5, 2014). "First Look: Kristen Wiig In Sebastian Silva's 'Nasty Baby - The Playlist". The Playlist.
  43. ↑ "'Bridesmaids' Team Kristen Wiig And Annie Mumolo Set Comedy At TriStar". Deadline. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Kristen Wiig to direct first film, written with 'Bridesmaids' partner". LA Times. June 11, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  45. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 20, 2014). "Female Ghostbusters Revealed". Dread Central. Retrieved October 21, 2014. .
  46. ↑ Stevenson, Jane. "Crowd eats up pop star Sia's minimalistic show". Torontosun.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  47. ↑ Busch, Anita (March 23, 2017). "Kristen Wiig In Negotiations To Star In 'Where'd You Go Bernadette?'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  48. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (March 26, 2016). "Kristen Wiig Replacing Reese Witherspoon in Alexander Payne's 'Downsizing'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  49. ↑ Kroll, Justin. "Jack Nicholson, Kristen Wiig to Star in 'Toni Erdmann' Remake (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  50. ↑ Betancourt, David (March 9, 2018). "Kristen Wiig will star in 'Wonder Woman' sequel as the Cheetah, Patty Jenkins confirms". The Washington Post.
  51. ↑ Ryzik, Melena (January 4, 2009). "She's Really Shy, but That's a Secret". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  52. ↑ "Kristen Wiig Rules Out Second Marriage". The San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco Chronicle. June 13, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  53. ↑ "Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, Miley Cyrus, and More Endorse Bernie in Video". April 11, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  54. ↑ http://flavorwire.com/570946/kristen-wiig-mark-ruffalo-miley-cyrus-and-more-endorse-bernie-in-video
  55. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4u4am5J4FU
  56. ↑ The Alanon Case – Yahoo! TV
  57. ↑ Chen, Joyce (February 19, 2013). "Arrested Development Season 4 Will Feature Guest Stars Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig – Us Weekly". Usmagazine.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  58. ↑ Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig named PETA's sexiest vegetarians of 2011 New York Daily News. June 28, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  59. ↑ The World's 100 Most Influential People: 2012 Time. Retrieved on May 7, 2012
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