Biography of Kristen Wiig | Career and Filmography
Kristen Wiig: Kristen Carroll Wiig was born on August 22, 1973 in Canandaigua, New York, to Laurie J. (Johnston), an artist, and Jon J. Wiig, a lake marina manager. She is of Norwegian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, English, and Scottish descent. The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before settling in Rochester, New York. When Kristen Wiig was 9 years old, her parents divorced and she lived with her mother and older brother Erik.
Stay with this section of makeup and beauty in the health and beauty section of Eternal Pen magazine.
Also Read: Kaia Gerber Spring Jacket: Perfect for skinny girls
Biography of Kristen Wiig
Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and later Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings and made her television debut as Dr. Pat on The Joe Schmo Show (2003). During her stint at Saturday Night Live, she received four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Kristen Wiig also took on supporting roles in comedy films such as Knocked Up (2007) and Paul (2011). She co-wrote and starred in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011), which was critically and commercially successful. It earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012.
Her other film credits include The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), The Skeleton Twins (2014), The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), The Martian (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), Downsizing (2017), Mother! (2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). She has also lent her voice to the animated franchises How to Train Your Dragon (2010–2019) and Despicable Me (2010–2024). She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role in the comedy miniseries The Spoils of Babylon (2014).
Education
After graduating from Brighton High School in Rochester, Kristen Wiig attended the University of Arizona as an art student. She took her first acting class, as an elective, and was soon encouraged by her teacher to pursue acting. Years later, she moved to Los Angeles and Kristen Wiig worked as a main company member of the Los Angeles-based improv and sketch-comedy troupe The Groundlings. As a Groundlings alumna, she joins the ranks of such SNL cast mates as Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman, and Jon Lovitz.
Also Read: Who Is Sarah Rose Hanbury? All About The Marchioness of Cholmondeley
Kristen Wiig Career
Kristen Wiig made her big-screen debut to universal high praise as Katherine Heigl’s passive-aggressive boss in Judd Apatow’s smash-hit comedy Knocked Up (2007). Additional film credits include Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It (2009), starring Elliot Page; Greg Mottola’s Adventureland (2009), with Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg; David Koepp’s Ghost Town (2008), with Ricky Gervais; and Jake Kasdan’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), another Apatow-produced film, in which she starred opposite John C. Reilly. She has also guest-starred on the Emmy-winning NBC series 30 Rock (2006), the HBO series Bored to Death (2009), with Jason Schwartzman, and Flight of the Conchords (2007).
Kristen Wiig joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975) in 2005, and was known for playing such memorable characters as the excitable Target clerk, Lawrence Welk singer Doonese, the hilarious one-upper Penelope, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Suze Orman, among others. Kristen Wiig earned four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the show. She left the show in the spring of 2012.
In 2011, Kristen Wiig co-wrote and starred in Bridesmaids (2011), along with Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne. The film was a box office hit and won several awards, plus earned two Oscar nominations (Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay), and two Golden Globes nominations (Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Actress).
Kristen Wiig also appeared in such notable films as Greg Mottola’s Paul (2011), opposite Simon Pegg and Nick Frost; Andrew Jarecki’s All Good Things (2010), opposite Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella; DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon (2010), with Gerard Butler and Jay Baruchel; the Universal Pictures‘ animated feature film Despicable Me (2010), starring Steve Carell and Jason Segel; and Jennifer Westfeldt’s Friends with Kids (2011), opposite Jon Hamm, Megan Fox, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph and Westfeldt.
Filmography of Kristen Wiig
Year | Title | Role |
2000 | Carnata | Party Parent |
2003 | Melvin Goes to Dinner | Extra |
2006 | Unaccompanied Minors | Carole Malone |
The Enigma with a Stigma | Tux Shop Employee | |
2007 | Knocked Up | Jill |
Meet Bill | Jane Whitman | |
The Brothers Solomon | Janine | |
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Edith Cox | |
2008 | Semi-Pro | Bear Handler |
Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Yoga Instructor | |
Pretty Bird | Mandy | |
Ghost Town | Surgeon | |
2009 | Adventureland | Paulette |
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Pudgy Beaver Mom | |
Whip It | Maggie Mayhem | |
Extract | Suzie Reynolds | |
2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Ruffnut Thorston |
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon | Ruffnut Thorston | |
Date Night | Haley Sullivan | |
MacGruber | Vicki St. Elmo | |
Despicable Me | Miss Hattie | |
All Good Things | Lauren Fleck | |
2011 | Paul | Ruth Buggs |
Bridesmaids | Annie Walker | |
Friends with Kids | Missy | |
Gift of the Night Fury | Ruffnut Thorston | |
2012 | Revenge for Jolly! | Angela |
Girl Most Likely | Imogene Duncan | |
2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Agent Lucy Wilde |
Her | SexyKitten | |
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Cheryl Melhoff | |
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | Chani | |
Hateship, Loveship | Johanna Parry | |
2014 | The Skeleton Twins | Maggie |
How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Ruffnut Thorston | |
Welcome to Me | Alice Klieg | |
2015 | The Diary of a Teenage Girl | Charlotte |
Nasty Baby | Polly | |
The Martian | Annie Montrose | |
2016 | Zoolander 2 | Alexanya Atoz / Katinka |
Ghostbusters | Dr. Erin Gilbert | |
Sausage Party | Brenda | |
Masterminds | Kelly Campbell | |
Lightningface | Katherine | |
2017 | Despicable Me 3 | Agent Lucy Wilde |
Downsizing | Audrey Safranek | |
Mother! | Herald | |
2019 | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Ruffnut Thorston |
Where’d You Go, Bernadette | Audrey Griffin | |
2020 | Wonder Woman 1984 | Barbara Ann Minerva / Cheetah |
2021 | Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar | Star / Sharon Gordon Fisherman |
A Boy Called Christmas | Aunt Carlotta | |
2024 | Despicable Me 4 † | Agent Lucy Wilde |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2003 | The Joe Schmo Show | Dr. Pat | 9 episodes |
2004 | I’m with Her | Kristy | Episode: “The Heartbreak Kid” |
2004 | The Drew Carey Show | Sandy | Episode: “House of the Rising Son-in-Law” |
2005–12 | Saturday Night Live | Various | 135 episodes |
2007 | 30 Rock | Candace Van der Shark | Episode: “Somebody to Love” |
2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Brahbrah | Episode: “Love Is a Weapon of Choice” |
2009–10 | Bored to Death | Jennifer Gladwell | 3 episodes[65] |
2010 | Ugly Americans | Tristan | Voice, episode: “So, You Want to Be a Vampire?” |
2010 | The Cleveland Show | Mrs. Stapleton | Voice, episode: “The Curious Case of Jr. Working at The Stool” |
2011–14 | The Looney Tunes Show | Lola Bunny | Voice, 25 episodes[63] |
2011 | The Simpsons | Calliope Juniper | Voice, episode: “Flaming Moe” |
2011 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Madame Hag Fish | Voice, episode: “The Curse of the Hex” |
2012 | Portlandia | Gathy | Episode: “Cat Nap” |
2013 | The Simpsons | Annie Crawford | Voice, episode: “Homerland” |
2013–20 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | 4 episodes |
2013 | Arrested Development | Young Lucille Bluth | 7 episodes[66] |
2013 | Drunk History | Patty Hearst | Episode: “San Francisco” |
2014 | The Spoils of Babylon | Cynthia Morehouse | 6 episodes |
2015 | A Deadly Adoption | Sarah Benson | Television film |
2015 | The Spoils Before Dying | Delores O’Dell | 6 episodes |
2015 | Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | Courtney | 3 episodes |
2017 | The Last Man on Earth | Pamela Brinton | 5 episodes |
2017–18 | Nobodies | Herself | 2 episodes |
2017 | Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later | Courtney | Episode: “Tigerclaw” |
2017–22 | Big Mouth | Jessi’s vulva / Beatrice | Voice, 5 episodes |
2018 | The Royal Wedding Live with Cord & Tish! | Sir Albert Langham-Kingsley | HBO event coverage |
2019–21 | Bless the Harts | Jenny Hart, Maykay Bueller | Voice, 34 episodes |
2021 | MacGruber | Vicki St. Elmo | 8 episodes |
2024 | Palm Royale | Maxine Simmons | Main role, upcoming miniseries |