Melissa McCarthy

Actor

• Born: August 26, 1970
• Place of Birth: Plainfield, Illinois

Contribution: Melissa McCarthy is an Emmy Award–winning and Academy Award–nominated actor best known for her roles in the films Bridesmaids (2011), Ghostbusters (2016), and Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) as well as the television shows Gilmore Girls (2000–2007) and Mike and Molly (2010–16). In 2023, she voiced villain Ursula in Disney's live-action version of A Little Mermaid.

Background

Melissa Ann McCarthy was born on August 26, 1970, in Plainfield, Illinois. She grew up on a corn-and-soybean farm outside of town and was thus geographically removed from her school friends. McCarthy has commented that her isolation contributed to her wild imagination and fostered her early interest in performing. McCarthy attended St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy) and later studied textiles and fashion at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She designed costumes for theater and delighted in adding details unique to each character she dressed.

When McCarthy was twenty, a friend convinced her to move to New York City. She tried stand-up comedy on a whim and ended up performing comedy for nine years while taking classes at the famed Actor’s Studio. After moving to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, McCarthy joined the Groundlings, a comedy troupe that has produced a number of well-known comedians since its formation in the 1970s.

Career

McCarthy made her television debut in 1997, appearing in an episode of the sketch-comedy show Jenny, hosted by her cousin Jenny McCarthy. She went on to obtain small roles in various films, including Go (1999) and Charlie’s Angels (2000). In 2000, McCarthy made her first appearance as chef Sookie St. James in the popular television show Gilmore Girls. She ultimately appeared in more than 150 episodes of the show over the course of seven seasons. After Gilmore Girls came to an end in 2007, McCarthy landed a major role in the sitcom Samantha Who? (2007–9). Her character, Dena, is the childhood best friend of the amnesiac Samantha, played by Christina Applegate.

Following the cancelation of Samantha Who?, McCarthy was offered one of the titular roles in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, about a police officer and a teacher who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. McCarthy loved the script. In September 2010, she made her debut as Molly alongside actor Billy Gardell’s Mike. The series became a hit, and in 2011, McCarthy won the Emmy Award for best lead actress in a comedy series.

In addition to her award-winning performance as Molly, McCarthy received significant attention for her role as Megan, the bride’s future sister-in-law, in the comedy Bridesmaids (2011). When McCarthy auditioned for the role, she was sure that director Paul Feig would be horrified by her interpretation of the character. According to Feig, the character was originally written to be nervous and high-strung, but McCarthy's take on Megan was more raunchy. Feig and the film’s cowriter and star, Kristen Wiig, loved McCarthy’s performance, which ultimately earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

After the success of Bridesmaids, McCarthy appeared in the comedies This Is 40 (2012) and The Hangover Part III (2013) and starred in Identity Thief (2013) alongside Jason Bateman. Her role in the latter was originally intended for a male actor, but the script was revised when McCarthy signed on to play the part.

In 2013, McCarthy starred with Sandra Bullock in The Heat. Directed by Feig, the action comedy is about an FBI agent (Bullock) and a foul-mouthed Boston detective (McCarthy) who team up to catch a drug kingpin. The film, which was released during the competitive summer season, performed well in theaters. Not slowing down from there, she further juggled shooting episodes of Mike & Molly with starring in feature films that included Tammy (2014), St. Vincent (2014), Spy (2015), and The Boss (2016). Though Mike & Molly came to an end in 2016 following its cancellation, she had earned additional Emmy nominations in 2012 and 2014 for her portrayal of Molly.

After being chosen to star alongside Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones in the anticipated all-female rebooted version of Ghostbusters in 2016, she played a mother attending college in the comedy Life of the Party and a detective in the comedy The Happytime Murders in 2018. In a bit of a departure for McCarthy, she took on the role of playing the real-life figure Lee Israel, a writer known for forgery, in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). Critics were so impressed with her performance that she earned her second Academy Award nomination, this time for best actress. In 2019, she starred with Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss in the crime thriller The Kitchen. She starred with Octavia Spencer and Jason Bateman in the 2021 superhero Netflix movie Thunder Force, in which the women acquire superpowers and attempt to make use of them. That year, she also starred in the David E. Kelley series Nine Perfect Strangers with Nicole Kidman. In 2023, she portrayed villain Ursula in The Little Mermaid, a highly anticipated Disney live-action film. The following year, she appeared with Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, and other Hollywood luminaries in the Netflix biopic Unfrosted, about the invention of the Pop-Tart toaster pastry.

McCarthy was slated to star with Clive Owen in a limited series about the investigation of the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. The series was to air on the Paramount+ streaming service. McCarthy and Owen were cast as Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey, parents of the child beauty pageant star.

Impact

Although the bulk of McCarthy’s initial acting work was in television, she has become best known for her memorable performances in comedy films such as Bridesmaids and The Heat. She also performed in skits on Saturday Night Live that delighted audiences, such as portraying White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in 2017, when she was host and in cameo appearances. She won the 2017 Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. It was her fifth Emmy nomination for her work on Saturday Night Live.

Her ability to push the boundaries of comedy without sacrificing her characters’ humanity, particularly when portraying types of characters that have traditionally been the domain of male actors, has made her an influential figure in the field. The multiple nominations and several wins in the People's Choice, Teen Choice, and Kids' Choice awards testify to her popularity with fans. In 2015, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Personal Life

McCarthy owns a production company called On the Day with her writing partner and husband, Ben Falcone. McCarthy and Falcone married in 2005. They have two daughters, Georgette and Vivian, and live in Los Angeles.

Bibliography

Chaney, Jen. “TV’s Molly Makes Weird Work in Bridesmaids.” Washington Post 8 May 2011, Sunday Style sec.: 3. Print.

Cox, Ted. “Melissa McCarthy, from Plainfield to Primetime.” Daily Herald [Arlington Heights]. Paddock, 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 25 July 2013.

Itzkoff, Dave. “Melissa McCarthy Goes Over the Top.” New York Times. New York Times, 13 June 2013. Web. 25 July 2013.

Keeps, David A. “Funny Girl: Exclusive Interview with Melissa McCarthy.” Good Housekeeping. Hearst Communications, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 July 2013.

Lundquist, Janet. “From JCA to CBS: Emmy Winner Got Acting Bug at Joliet School.” Herald-News [Joliet]. Sun-Times Media, 10 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 July 2013.

"Melissa McCarthy (I)." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0565250/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

Otterson, Joe. "Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen to Star in JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series at Paramount+." Variety, 5 Sept. 2024, variety.com/2024/tv/news/melissa-mccarthy-clive-owen-jonbenet-ramsey-series-paramount-plus-1236131846/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.

Vincenty, Samantha. "March Madness: SNL's 'Outside the Lines' Sketch Is Melissa McCarthy at Her Funniest." NBC, 18 Mar. 2024, www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/snl-outside-the-lines-sketch-melissa-mcarthy-bill-hader-watch. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.