Melissa McCarthy

Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, screenwriter, producer, and fashion designer.

She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

Melissa Ann McCarthy was born on August 26, 1970, in Plainfield, Illinois to Sandra and Michael McCarthy.

She is a cousin of actress and model Jenny McCarthy.

McCarthy was raised on a farm in a large Catholic family.

Her father is of Irish descent, while her mother is of English, German, and Irish ancestry.

Some of her forebears were from County Cork.

She graduated from St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy) in Joliet, Illinois, and attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Her career started with stand-up comedy in Los Angeles, and later in New York City.

McCarthy is an alumna of The Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California.

She also performed in New York City as a drag queen under the moniker Miss Y, including at the Wigstock festival.

McCarthy made her first television appearance in an episode of the NBC comedy series Jenny, opposite her cousin Jenny McCarthy.

McCarthy began appearing in television and film in the late 1990s and first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000–2007).

She made her feature film debut in a minor role in the 1999 comedy Go, and later had roles in the films Drowning Mona, Disney's The Kid, Charlie's Angels, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Third Wheel and The Life of David Gale.

She also worked in three episodes of Kim Possible, voicing DNAmy.

In 2000, McCarthy was cast as Sookie St. James, the upbeat and klutzy best friend of Lorelai Gilmore, on The WB television series Gilmore Girls.

Throughout the series, Sookie is Lorelai's business partner and cheerleader.

She played Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? (2007–2009) before starring as Molly Flynn on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly (2010–2016), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011.

In 2007, she starred opposite Ryan Reynolds in the science fantasy psychological thriller The Nines, written and directed by John August.

She later starred in the independent comedies The Captain, Just Add Water, and Pretty Ugly People.

Also in 2007, McCarthy starred as Dena Stevens on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.

McCarthy played Samantha's socially awkward childhood best friend, whom Samantha hasn't seen since seventh grade.

When Samantha wakes from her coma, Dena convinces Samantha that they have always been best friends.

While Andrea eventually forces her to reveal the truth, Samantha still remains friends with Dena.

She guest starred in Rita Rocks and on Private Practice.

In 2010, McCarthy played supporting roles in films The Back-up Plan and Life as We Know It.

In 2010, McCarthy was cast in a leading role on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly.

Television critic Lucy Mangan from the Guardian commended McCarthy and her co-star Billy Gardell on some “unfeasibly delicate and charming work”, while decrying the show itself for hanging every one of its gags on the subject of their weight.

McCarthy's appearances as a host on Saturday Night Live (2011–2017) led to a win for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017.

McCarthy gained critical acclaim for her performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2011, McCarthy had a breakout performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids alongside Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper.

She went on to star in several commercially successful comedies, including Identity Thief (2013), The Heat (2013), Tammy (2014), St. Vincent (2014), Spy (2015), and The Boss (2016).

In 2015, she launched her own clothing line for plus-sized women, named Melissa McCarthy Seven7, and she received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

McCarthy was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, and she has been featured multiple times in annual rankings of the highest-paid actresses in the world.

On April 7, 2016, McCarthy announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she would be returning for the show's revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, on Netflix.

The series was released November 25, 2016 and McCarthy appeared in one of its four episodes.

In 2018, McCarthy received critical acclaim for her portrayal of writer Lee Israel in the biographical film Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

She has since starred in the drama miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers (2021) and played Ursula in the musical fantasy film The Little Mermaid (2023).

McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone are the founders of the production company On the Day Productions, under which they have collaborated on several comedy films including Life of the Party (2018), Super Intelligence (2020), and Thunder Force (2021).

In 2020, The New York Times ranked her #22 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.