Tina Fey was born on May 18, 1970 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. After being exposed to comedy early, she took up drama at the University of Virginia, and proceeded to train at The Second City, an improvisational theater in Chicago. By 1994, she was invited to join the theater’s cast, appearing in many improv productions.
Fey first gained prominence as a member of the late night comedy show Saturday Night Live. She joined the show as a writer in 1997, later becoming the show’s first female head writer in 1999. The program was undergoing many changes, and when Colin Quinn left the show, SNL producer Lorne Michaels scrambled to refresh the format of the long-running segment “Weekend Update.” Fey was later recruited as a featured player on the show, and was given “Weekend Update” co-hosting duties with Jimmy Fallon. The audience’s reaction was positive, and she was later promoted to full time cast member.
Fey’s tenure on Saturday Night Live was marked by many popular segments, including parodies of Live with Regis and Kelly and The View, and sketches she co-wrote with Rachel Dratch. She also co-hosted “Weekend Update” throughout her entire SNL stint; in 2004, her co-host Fallon left and was replaced by Amy Poehler, the first time two women were given co-anchoring duties on the segment.
Fey left the show in 2006 to develop the sitcom 30 Rock. Inspired by her experiences as a writer for SNL, she wrote the series for NBC’s 2006 season, and also stars in it. She played the role of Liz Lemon, the headwriter of a fictional variety show (hosted by Tracy Morgan’s character) who has to deal with her stars, staff and the new network executive (Alec Baldwin). The series won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series in 2007, and she also won acting awards for the show from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Fey has also dabbled in films, having written and starred in the film Mean Girls, which is topbilled by Lindsay Lohan. She also wrote and starred in the film Baby Mama, where she collaborated with Poehler. She also continues to perform on stage, notably in the critically acclaimed two-woman show Dratch & Fey, with Rachel Dratch, in 2000.