Tina Fey

Tina Fey in Date Night

Tina Fey in “Date Night”

By 1999, 29-year-old Tina Fey was the head writer of “Saturday Night Live” –
downplaying the position of being the first female to lead the writers of the long running show, claiming there weren’t that many head writers in the show’s history in the first place. Still, it was a job that reinforced her comedic talents and was only the beginning in a career that would open doors to film, her very own television show, and ultimately a Golden Globe award for her acting in “30 Rock.”

Born in Pennsylvania in 1970, Tina found she had an early talent for making people laugh, “to get people to like me” she said. She studied Drama at the University of Virginia, graduating in 1992. Tina caught the eye of “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels while working out of Chicago’s famed Second City improv troupe during the 1990s. By 1997, she was brought on as a writer and moved to New York.

Tina’s near-decade run while at “Saturday Night Live” was met with success both in the “SNL” studios and outside of it. She won a Writers Guild of America award in 2001 for the 25th anniversary special for “SNL,” and the next year, the writing staff picked up an Emmy for its work. Tina also proved herself a strong cast member on the show, particularly as anchoring “Weekend Update” – first with Jimmy Fallon, and later with Amy Poehler. She also found time to pen the much-praised Lindsay Lohan vehicle “Mean Girls” in 2004. The creation of her own sitcom, “30 Rock” (a reference to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NBC’s headquarters) launched in fall 2006 and marked Tina’s end with “SNL” and the beginning of a new chapter in comedy. While slow to gain a loyal audience following, “30 Rock” won an Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Comedy Series. With theme music composed by Tina’s husband Jeff Richmond, the show features an amazing ensemble including Tina, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and a host of special guests.

While managing “30 Rock,” Tina has emerged as one of pop culture’s most recognizable comedic faces. In 2007, Tina and her young daughter Alice were the faces on American Express advertisements, and Tina was voted number one on Time magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World.” Tina has grown as a fledgling skit writer to one of America’s treasured comedic talents.

Iconic Character – Liz Lemon on “30 Rock”

Tina is an incredible talent and is having a fantastic career. But for many fans, her role as Liz on “30 Rock” will always be a favorite (along with many of her SNL characters like Sarah Palin). We highlighted this character in our “TV Girlfriends” feature in the “Hot and Smart” catagory. Here’s what we said about the character:

“With her quirky sense of humor, social ineptness and those sexy librarian glasses, Liz Lemon may be the only true-blue nerd on our list. That, of course, is anything but an insult. As the head writer for NBC’s “TGS with Tracy Jordan,” Liz doesn’t have a whole lot of free time to date, and even when she does go out, chances are she’ll figure out a way to sabotage the whole thing. But Liz’s foibles merely make her that much more endearing, even if the incessant “tick-tick-tick” of her internal clock understandably makes us a little nervous. Then again, there are worse things in life than settling down with an attractive, intelligent and successful woman who loves junk food, “Star Wars” and a good joke. Her boss, Jack Donaghy, still suspects that Liz may be a lesbian, but we’re not ashamed to admit that the mere possibility only heightens our interest in her. Plus, she kind of looks like the beautiful (if slightly crazy) Sarah Palin.”

Tina’s Liz Lemon character ended up winning the Hot and Smart round of fan voting, and here’s what we said about what it would be like to date that character:

DATING PROS: She’ll definitely make you laugh, she loves “Star Wars” and, all things considered, she’s pretty low-maintenance. Plus, Liz brings home the bacon with her cushy NBC gig.

DATING CONS: She’s pretty much clueless when it comes to relationships, so you may have to do some heavy lifting. She also works a ton of hours and she’s a tad baby crazy. Oh, and don’t count on leaving dinner with any leftovers.

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon
Great one-liners from Liz.

Tina on Video

Tina Fey’s iconic impression of Sarah Palin will be played for generations to come as she hilariously captured Palin’s dazzling stupidity. In this viceo she’s joined by Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton.

Tina Says

On viewing herself:
“I have to say, I’m really not that attractive. Until I met my husband, I could not get a date.”

On humor:
“If you want to make an audience laugh, you dress a man up like an old lady and push her down the stairs. If you want to make comedy writers laugh, you push an actual old lady down the stairs.”

Tina Fey in “Baby Mama”

Tina Fey in Baby Mama

Tina Fey in Baby Mama