Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (/ˈpoʊlər/ POH-lər; born September 16, 1971)[1] is an American actress and comedian. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. The group moved to New York City in 1996, where their act became a half-hour sketch-comedy series on Comedy Central in 1998. Along with other members of the comedy group, Poehler is a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
Amy Poehler
September 16, 1971
- Actress
- comedian
- writer
- producer
- director
1996–present
2
Greg Poehler (brother)
- Television
- film
- theatre
- books
In 2001, Poehler joined the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a cast member. From 2004 until 2008, she served as co-anchor of the show's news parody segment, Weekend Update. Poehler left SNL halfway through her eighth season to star as Leslie Knope in the sitcom Parks and Recreation, which she produced and starred in until 2015.
Poehler is an executive producer on the television series Welcome to Sweden, Broad City, Difficult People, Duncanville, Three Busy Debras and Russian Doll. Poehler frequently collaborated with Tina Fey on SNL and later acted with her in the feature films Mean Girls (2004), Baby Mama (2008), Sisters (2015) and Wine Country (2019). Fey and Poehler hosted the Golden Globe Awards four times in the years 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2021. Poehler also provided voice acting roles for the animated films Shrek the Third (2007), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011), Free Birds (2013) and Inside Out (2015).
In 2015, Poehler received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to television. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Musical or Comedy Series in 2014 and a Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2012. She and Fey won the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for co-hosting SNL.
Early life, family and education[edit]
Poehler was born in Newton, Massachusetts[2][3] to school teachers Eileen and William Poehler.[1][4] Poehler credits her father with encouraging her to break social protocols and take risks.[5] She has one younger brother, Greg, who is also a producer and actor.[6][5] Poehler's ancestry is Irish, along with German, Portuguese, and English; her Irish roots originate from County Sligo and County Cork.[4] Her great-grandmother immigrated from Nova Scotia, Canada to Boston in the late 1800s.[7] She was raised as a Catholic.[8]
Poehler grew up in nearby Burlington, Massachusetts, which she describes as a blue-collar town.[1][5] Her favorite performers and influences included sketch comedians Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner and Catherine O'Hara.[9] When she was ten years old, Poehler played Dorothy Gale in her school's production of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz.[10] The experience inspired Poehler's love of performing.[10][11] Poehler continued acting in school plays at Burlington High School. She also participated in other activities during her time in high school including student council, soccer, and softball.
After graduating from high school in 1989, she enrolled at Boston College.[12] During college, Poehler became a member of the improv comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag.[1] She graduated from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in media and communications in 1993.[13]
Career[edit]
Improv and Upright Citizens Brigade[edit]
Poehler's time studying improv in college inspired her to pursue comedy professionally.[14] After graduating from college, she moved to Chicago, where she took her first improv class, taught by Charna Halpern at ImprovOlympic.[15] Early on, Poehler worked as a waitress and at other jobs to earn money.[14] Through ImprovOlympic, Poehler learned from Del Close and she was introduced to friend and frequent collaborator Tina Fey.[15][16] Poehler and Fey joined a Second City touring company at the same time, and Poehler went on to join one of Second City's main companies where Fey was her eventual replacement.[16]
Personal life[edit]
Poehler married Canadian actor Will Arnett on August 29, 2003.[155] They met in 1996 when he saw one of her performances and they started dating four years later.[14] During their relationship, Poehler and Arnett worked together on several projects, including the series Arrested Development, the 2007 film Blades of Glory, Horton Hears a Who!, and The Secret World of Arrietty. Poehler and Arnett announced their separation in September 2012;[156] and Arnett filed for divorce in April 2014.[157]
She is an active feminist.[158]
Poehler and Arnett have two sons: Archie Arnett, born October 25, 2008[159] and Abel Arnett, born August 6, 2010.[160] Poehler lives with her children in Los Angeles.[5] She praised her children's nannies as part of her Time 100 speech for helping to take care of them and allowing her to balance her career and family.[161]
From 2013 to 2015, Poehler dated fellow comedian Nick Kroll.[162]
In 2016, Poehler received a letter from the city of Beverly Hills for her excessive water usage during the state of California's drought that year. Poehler's property used approximately 3,000 gallons per day.[163]