Tina Fey
Tina Fey is a highly acclaimed American comedian, writer, producer, and actress, known for her groundbreaking contributions to television and film. She made history in 1999 as the first female head writer for "Saturday Night Live" (SNL), where she also co-anchored the "Weekend Update" segment alongside Amy Poehler. Fey's notable works include the critically acclaimed sitcom "30 Rock," which she developed and starred in, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. She is also recognized for her role in the film "Mean Girls," which she wrote and starred in, and for her comedic portrayal of Sarah Palin on SNL, which garnered her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress.
In addition to her television success, Fey has ventured into film, appearing in various movies such as "Baby Mama," "Date Night," and "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot." She published a memoir titled "Bossypants" in 2011 and has co-hosted the Golden Globe Awards with Poehler, receiving positive acclaim for their chemistry and humor. More recently, Fey produced and contributed to the Netflix series "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and the NBC show "Great News." Her influence in comedy has paved the way for future female comedians, solidifying her status as one of the most prominent figures in the entertainment industry.
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Subject Terms
Tina Fey
- Born: May 18, 1970
- Place of Birth: Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
In 1999, Tina Fey made history when she became the first female head writer forSaturday Night Live. In the 2000s, Fey also appeared on the show’s main stage, becoming a coanchor of the show’s comedy news segment “Weekend Update.” In 2001, she won a Writer’s Guild of America Award for her work on the “SNL Twenty-fifth Anniversary Special.” The following year, Fey was awarded an Emmy Award for outstanding writing for a variety, music, or comedy program. In 2004, she was joined by Amy Poehler on “Weekend Update.” The pair was the first female duo in SNL’s history to star in the segment.
In 2002, Fey started to develop a sitcom about a head writer on a comedy show that loosely paralleled her own experiences at SNL. In 2006, she left her position as head writer for SNL to produce and star in the show, 30 Rock. Her work as the show’s executive producer earned her three Emmy Awards for outstanding comedy series, a Golden Globe Award for best television series—musical or comedy—and several other awards. She was also recognized for her part as head writer when she received the Emmy Award for writing for a comedy series in both 2008 and 2013. For her role as the show’s star, Liz Lemon, she won Emmy Awards in 2007 and 2008, Golden Globe Awards in 2008 and 2009, and Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2013. The show ended its run in 2013.
Fey returned to SNL in 2008 to appear in a recurring role as Republican Party vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Critics and audiences alike praised her comedic portrayal of Palin. She won an Emmy for Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series in 2009 for her performance. Additionally, she served as the sketch show's host in 2008 before cohosting with Poehler in 2015. Overall, she has made several guest appearances on the show that helped launch her career.
Fey wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed 2004 film Mean Girls, which was based in part on Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabees. She also appears in the films Baby Mama (2008), The Invention of Lying (2009), Date Night (2010), Admission (2013), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), This Is Where I Leave You (2014), Sisters (2015), and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016). In 2011, she published a memoir titled Bossypants. Additionally, from 2013 to 2015, she and Poehler shared the stage as hosts of the ceremony for the Golden Globe Awards, consistently earning positive reviews from critics.
Beginning in 2015, Fey stepped back into the role of producer for her new comedy series, featured on the streaming platform Netflix, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Creating the show along with fellow executive producer Robert Carlock (who had also worked with her on 30 Rock), Fey also served as a writer and appeared in a guest role. Unbreakable immediately received critical acclaim, earning her further Emmy Award nominations before ending after its fourth season in 2019. Meanwhile, Fey and Carlock launched yet another new show as executive producers, this time returning to network television. The comedy, titled Great News, premiered on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in April 2017. Though Fey also had a guest arc on the show, it proved to be a short-lived series, as it was canceled after its second season had finished airing in early 2018.
That same year, Fey and her husband, Jeff Richmond, turned Fey’s Mean Girls into a Broadway musical. The production was still touring as of 2024. In January of that year, a film version of the musical was released in theaters, with Fey appearing in a supporting role as a high school teacher.
Impact
In 2008, Fey was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Some have speculated that her success paved the way for other female comedy writers, such as Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, creators of the 2011 film Bridesmaids. Fey remains one of the most popular actors, producers, and writers in entertainment.
Bibliography
Fey, Tina. Bossypants. Little, 2011.
Flowers, Arhlene A., Cory L. Young. “Parodying Palin: How Tina Fey’s Visual and Verbal Impersonations Revived a Comedy Show and Impacted the 2008 Election.” Journal of Visual Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, 2010, pp. 47–67.
Schilling, Mary Kaye. "Tina Fey Goes to War." Town & Country, 1 Mar. 2016, www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a5146/tina-fey-interview/. Accessed 23 May 2024.
"Tina Fey." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0275486/. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Vine, Hannah. "Tina Fey and the Cast of Mean Girls on Broadway Meet the Press." Playbill, 22 Feb. 2018, playbill.com/article/tina-fey-and-the-cast-of-mean-girls-on-broadway-meet-the-press. Accessed 23 May 2024.
Whalley, Jim. Saturday Night Live, Hollywood Comedy, and American Culture: From Chevy Chase to Tina Fey. Palgrave, 2010.