As the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards draw near, we look back at the careers of the lead acting nominees.

A Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade alum, Poehler joined SNL in 2001, where she impersonated such figures as Hillary Clinton, was half of the show's first all-female Weekend Update anchor team with Tina Fey, and performed her famous Sarah Palin rap while nine months pregnant. Poehler, who earned two Emmy nominations for her work, left in 2008.

Poehler recurred on the Fox comedy as the wife of Gob, played by her real-life husband, Will Arnett. Her character remained nameless throughout the series' run.

Poehler co-starred in Fey's teen comedy as Mrs. George, the "cool" — not "regular" — mom of Queen Bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Fun fact: Poehler is only seven years older than McAdams in real life.

Poehler and Arnett hit the ice in this 2007 comedy as the devious and quasi-incestuous brother/sister skating team of Fairchild and Stranz van Waldenberg. Our favorite routine of theirs: John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe's "Forbidden Romance."

Poehler re-teamed with Fey in this 2008 comedy, playing an obnoxious surrogate — who pees in the sink — for Fey's straight-laced businesswoman.

Poehler earned her third career Emmy nomination for turn as the naive and perennially cheerful parks and recreation deputy director Leslie Knope. "If Leslie were to learn that she was nominated, I think she would pretend like she didn't care but be pretty psyched if she won," Poehler said. "She probably wouldn't do well with time management though. She probably would start thanking the guy who walked her to her chair as time was running out."