Amy Poehler

Biography

Under her pretty, girl-next-door exterior lies a quick-witted comic actress with impeccable impersonation skills. Poehler began flexing her funny bone while at Boston College as part of the comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag and continued her quest for laughs in Chicago as a student at Second City and the ImprovOlympic Theatre. After helping to bring the irreverent sketch improv outfit Upright Citizens Brigade from Chicago to New York City in 1996, Poehler starred on its eponymous Comedy Central series from 1998 to 2000. The next year she signed on to Saturday Night Live as a featured player and was quickly promoted to a full cast member known for her broad impressions of Kelly Ripa and Sharon Osbourne. Film and TV parts followed, notably a guest spot on Arrested Development as the wife of Gob, played by her real-life husband Will Arnett. Poehler left SNL soon after the birth of her first child, Archie, in 2008, but found plenty to keep her busy, producing and writing an animated series, The Mighty B, for Nickelodeon, and starring in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.

Fast Facts

• Got her start while a student at Boston College in the comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag.
• Trained at Second City and ImprovOlympic, both in Chicago.
• Appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Stacey, Andy Richter's little sister.
• Made Saturday Night Live history when she joined Tina Fey as Weekend Update co-anchor and they became the first all-female news team during the show's run.
• Had a recurring role on Arrested Development as the wife of Gob, a character played by her then-husband Will Arnett.
• Co-created, produced and provided voice-over work in the Nickelodeon series The Mighty B.
• Her 2016 Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy series was shared with Fey (for when they hosted a 2015 episode of SNL together) marked the first time an acting Emmy had been shared.

Awards

• 2015, Screen Actors Guild Awards — Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2013, Emmy — Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special: Nominee
• 2012, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2014, Emmy — Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special: Nominee
• 2010, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2013, Emmy — Outstanding Special Class Program: Nominee
• 2012, Emmy — Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2014, Critics' Choice Television Awards — Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2013, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2020, Emmy — Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Nominee
• 2012, Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical: Nominee
• 2014, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2015, Emmy — Outstanding Special Class Program: Nominee
• 2014, Screen Actors Guild Awards — Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2015, Emmy — Outstanding Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2015, Emmy — Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special: Nominee
• 2019, Emmy — Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Nominee
• 2016, Emmy — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Winner
• 2019, Emmy — Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2009, Emmy — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2020, Writers Guild Awards — New Series: Nominee
• 2020, Writers Guild Awards — Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2012, Screen Actors Guild Awards — Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2019, Emmy — Outstanding Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2013, Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical: Nominee
• 2014, Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical: Winner
• 2011, Emmy — Outstanding Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2011, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2014, Emmy — Outstanding Special Class Program: Nominee
• 2015, Writers Guild Awards — Comedy/Variety - Music, Awards, Tributes - Specials: Winner
• 2008, Emmy — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
• 2015, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee

Relationships

• Bill Poehler — Father
• Eileen Poehler — Mother
• Gregory Poehler — Brother
• Archibald William Emerson Arnett — Son
• Abel James Arnett — Son
• Will Arnett — Husband (separated)
• Nick Kroll — Ex-significant Other

College

• Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, United States (BA in Communications, 1993)