Elizabeth Tina Fey was born on May 18, 1970, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Coming from a diverse background (her mother is Greek, her father German-Irish) she grew up with multiple influences, humor among them. Her mother's biting wit pushed Tina to start making snappy remarks when she was just a kid. But both parents loved comedy and they watched funny movies and TV shows with Tina all the time.
A self-described "supernerd," Tina Fey wrote a humor column for her high school newspaper while taking part in the drama club and the choir. She reserved her smart-ass remarks for the popular crowd, the kids who glorified their own boozing and sleeping around.
tina fey joins second city
Tina Fey studied drama at the University of Virginia, graduated in 1992 and moved to Chicago. Her goal was to join the elite Second City comedy troupe, which had been the breeding ground for such past Saturday Night Live greats as John Belushi, Chris Farley and Bill Murray. She failed her first audition for the selective Second City Training Center in 1994 and took a job at the YMCA until, eight weeks later, she tried again and got it.
Second City honed Tina Fey's talents as a writer and performer for several years, sharpening her improvisational skills in particular. In 1995, scouts for NBC, who were looking for fresh talent for SNL, called upon Second City and were impressed by Tina Fey. Her friend Adam McKay was a writer himself and he invited Tina to send in some sketches for review. Shortly thereafter, she went to New York and met SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels, who was instantly smitten and gave her a job the following week.
tina fey on saturday night live
After a few years writing for the show, including the recurring parodies of Live with Regis and Kelly and The View, Tina Fey was named head writer for SNL, becoming the first woman to occupy that position.
Not long after that, she made her debut in front of the camera, cohosting "Weekend Update" with Jimmy Fallon. It became their permanent gig and many lauded it as the best incarnation of "Update" ever.
tina fey writes mean girls
One of Tina Fey's most successful independent undertakings was writing a screenplay based on a book that had been receiving a lot of attention. Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends & Other Realities of Adolescence by Rosalind Wiseman reminded Tina Fey of the backstabbing and conniving girls of her high school. Adding some of her comedic spins, she wrote the screenplay for the hit movie Mean Girls (2004), which starred Lindsay Lohan.
tina fey on 30 rock, wins emmys
After writing for SNL for nine years, Tina Fey left her post at the variety show in 2006 and went on to create her own television show, 30 Rock. As creator, writer and one of the leads, Tina Fey acted alongside Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Judah Friedlander. In both 2007 and 2008, 30 Rock took the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and in '08, Tina Fey won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 2008, Tina Fey also starred alongside fellow SNL comic Amy Poehler in the comedy Baby Mama.
tina fey's sarah palin imitation
During the 2008 presidential election, Tina Fey made several popular guest appearances on SNL playing the role of Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate. The resemblance between Fey and Palin was remarkable and Fey nailed her imitation of the Alaska governor-turned-international celebrity.
tina fey wins golden globe, is no. 97 on 2009 top 99
In 2009, Tina Fey received a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy for her work on the hit show 30 Rock. She also came in at No. 97 on AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2009.