MELISSA MCCARTHY

Born: August 27, 1970 in Plainfield, Illinois
Height: 5’2

Personal Quote:

“I grew up with funny and interesting women, and my friends are funny, interesting women. So I can’t think of any story where those women don’t come into play. It’s the same as how I can’t imagine writing a story with no men. It’s just not real.”

Did You Know?

Alumna of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, where she was a member for nearly 10 years.

Melissa made her on-screen debut in 1997 on her cousin’s TV show, The Jenny McCarthy Show.

SUMMARY:

I was originally introduced to Melissa McCarthy as “Sookie St. James” on the fan-favorite television show Gilmore Girls (if anyone asks, mind you, I tell them my wife forced me to watch the show). All joking aside, I didn’t really take notice of the actress until her breakout role on the silver screen in Bridesmaids. In other words, I was late to the party because the uber-talented McCarthy had already scored another successful TV show with Mike & Molly, and was well on her way to becoming one of the most recognized and highly paid actors of this decade.

McCarthy, known for her witty characters and physical comedy, can go a little extreme for my tastes (The Hangover Part III, Tammy). However, many A-list comedians push the edge of their comedic limits in order to find success along the way (Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey all come to mind), and it usually yields some hilarious moments when the actor nails a role like McCarthy did in the aforementioned Bridesmaids, Spy, and her numerous guest performances on Saturday Night Live.

Next up for McCarthy is The Happytime Murders, which based on the previews, will be pushing the comedic boundaries again. The film has stirred quite a bit of controversy thanks to its marketing campaign (Google “sesame street lawsuit happytime murders”), but I personally believe it’s going to be a big hit at the theaters this coming weekend:

HIGHLIGHTS:

Best Known For:  Gilmore Girls TV Series (“Sookie St. James”), Mike & Molly TV Series (“Molly Flynn”), Bridesmaids (“Megan”), The Heat (“Mullins”), Spy (“Susan Cooper”), Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (“Abby Yates”)

Breakout Role: Bridesmaids

Next Project to Look Out for: The Happytime Murders (In theaters August 24)

Most Famous Role: McCarthy has scored a lot of memorable roles and moments in her thriving career, but I feel it’s still her breakout role as Megan that truly takes the cake:

AWARDS:

Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Primetime Emmy Awards) in 2017 for Saturday Night Live (also nominated for the same show and category in both 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2016)

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Golden Globe Awards) in 2016 for Spy

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Academy Awards) in 2012 for Bridesmaids

Won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Primetime Emmy Awards) in 2011 for Mike & Molly (also nominated for the same role and category in both 2012 & 2014)

STREAMING OPTIONS:

Wanna catch up with a few Melissa McCarthy flicks on your favorite streaming services?

Netflix
• Gilmore Girls

Amazon Prime
• Pretty Ugly People
• Cook Off!
• The Nines

Hulu
• Samantha Who? 

ONE LAST THING:

Hopefully you were fortunate enough to catch McCarthy’s multiple guest appearances on Saturday Night Live as she imitated former Press Secretary Sean Spicer, but just in case…here’s a clip to trigger your funny bone!