Kate McKinnon
| Kate McKinnon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Kathryn McKinnon Berthold[1][2][3] January 6, 1984 Sea Cliff, New York, United States |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Actress, comedian, singer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Kathryn McKinnon Berthold[1][2][3] (born January 6, 1984), known professionally as Kate McKinnon, is an American comedian and actress. She is best known for her sketch comedy work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and The Big Gay Sketch Show.[4] She played Dr. Jillian Holtzmann in the Ghostbusters reboot.
McKinnon is known for her character work[5] and celebrity impressions.[6] She is known for her impressions of pop singer Justin Bieber, comedian television host Ellen DeGeneres,[7] and politician Hillary Clinton.[7][8] She has been nominated for four Primetime Emmys, three for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning one in 2016, and one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
Childhood
Kate McKinnon Berthold was born and raised in Sea Cliff, New York.[1][9] She is the daughter of Laura Campbell, a parent educator, and Michael Thomas Berthold, an architect.[10][11][12] She has a younger sister, Emily.[1][12] Her father died when she was 18 years old.[1][11]
As a child, McKinnon played the piano, cello, and guitar. She graduated from North Shore High School in 2002[13] and from Columbia University in 2006 with a theater major, where she co-founded a comedy group, Tea Party, which focused on musical improv comedy.[1][2] She was also a member of Prangstgrüp, a similar student comedy group who set up and recorded elaborate college pranks.[14]
Career
In 2007, McKinnon joined the original cast of Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show, where she was a cast member for all three seasons.[5]
Since 2008, she has performed live sketch comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.[5][15] She has also worked as a voice-over actress, and has voiced characters for series such as The Venture Bros., Robotomy, and Ugly Americans.[15][16] In 2009, McKinnon won a Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic.[17] She was nominated for an ECNY Emerging Comic Award in 2010.[5] In 2016, she starred in the reboot Ghostbusters, alongside Melissa McCarthy, and fellow SNL cast members Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones.[18]
Saturday Night Live
McKinnon debuted as a featured player on Saturday Night Live on April 7, 2012. She is SNL's first openly lesbian cast member,[19][20][21] as well as the series' third known gay cast member (after Terry Sweeney and Danitra Vance, the latter of whose sexual orientation was not made public until after her death).[22] She was promoted to repertory status in season 39.
In 2013, McKinnon was nominated for an EWwy for Best Supporting Actress, Comedy.[23] McKinnon won the 2014 American Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress, TV for her work on SNL.[24] In 2014, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series,[25] as well as for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics along with four of her colleagues for the song "(Do It On My) Twin Bed".[26] She was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the second time in 2015.[27] She eventually won the very next year, becoming the first actor from SNL to win the award in many years.
She began appearing as Hillary Clinton on the series leading up to the 2016 presidential election. The real Clinton appeared alongside her in a sketch during the show's season 41 premiere.[28] McKinnon has said that her impression of Hillary Clinton comes from a place of deep admiration, and that "I unequivocally want her to win" the 2016 US presidential election.[29] On the Saturday following the election she reprised her role as Hillary Clinton to open the show with a solo performance of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, whose death was announced two days before her performance.[30][31]
Characters
- Olya Povlatsky, a Russian woman who appears on "Weekend Update", the SNL sketch, and voices her opinions on current events, comparing them to the outrageous struggles she faces in her village.
- Sheila Sovage, a heavily intoxicated woman at a bar who meets and hooks up with a heavily intoxicated man, played by the host, at closing time.
- Deenie, aka "Somebody's Mom", a middle-aged woman who appears on "Weekend Update" and attempts to recap soap operas she's been watching, but only knows the characters by self-applied nicknames, such as "Big Boobs" and "Mustache". She is always (actually) eating some foul concoction out of Tupperware, such as brussels sprouts and imitation crab, which generally both revolts and breaks up anchor Colin Jost.
- Jodi Cork, one of the hosts of Women in the Workplace.
- Barbara DeDrew, a lesbian volunteer at a cat shelter called Whiskers R We.
- Mrs. Santini, an apartment dweller who writes passive-aggressive notes to her neighbors. Originally performed as Effie Villalopolus on Comedy Bang! Bang!.
- Helga Lately, A Swedish TV presenter who speaks only in exaggeratedly Swedish-sounding gibberish, occasionally saying crude English words.
- Mrs. Rafferty, a middle-aged woman who recounts miraculous events that she experiences in an honest and realistic way, as opposed to the other participants in the sketch who describe the same event using flowery and vague language.
- Les Dykawitz, a lesbian cop from the 1970s who works for Chicago PD along with her partner, Chubina Fatzarelli, played by Aidy Bryant.
- Debette Goldry, a septuagenerian actress who appears in different round table panels.
Celebrity impressions
- Iggy Azalea
- Ingrid Bergman
- Mary Berry
- Justin Bieber[7]
- Cate Blanchett (as Carol in Carol)
- Kate Bolduan
- Susan Boyle
- Millie Bobby Brown (as Eleven in Stranger Things)
- Theresa Caputo
- Emilia Clarke
- Hillary Clinton[7][8]
- Tabatha Coffey
- Lauren Cohan (as Maggie Greene in The Walking Dead)
- Kellyanne Conway
- Barbara Corcoran
- Penelope Cruz
- Ellen DeGeneres[7]
- Robert Durst
- Edie Falco
- Jodie Foster
- Cecilia Giménez
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Lindsey Graham
- Kaci Hickox
- Hozier
- Janet Huckabee
- Kris Jenner
- Billie Jean King
- Jemima Kirke (as Jessa Johansson in Girls)
- Evangeline Lilly (as Tauriel in The Hobbit Trilogy)
- Lorde
- Jane Lynch
- Angela Merkel
- Diana Nyad
- Ann Romney
- Kathleen Sebelius
- Shakira
- Ed Sheeran
- Dame Maggie Smith
- Martha Stewart
- Tilda Swinton
- Keith Urban
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz
- Carice van Houten (as Melisandre in Game of Thrones)
- Greta Van Susteren
Other work
Aside from SNL, she also co-created and co-stars in the web series Notary Publix with her sister Emily Lynne.[32][33] In addition to Aidy Bryant, who stars in the series, McKinnon's SNL co-stars Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah and SNL writer Paula Pell all guest-starred in the six-episode first season of the web series.[32]
In 2015, she appeared in a number of commercials for the Ford Focus.[34]
In 2016, she co-hosted 31st Independent Spirit Awards with Kumail Nanjiani.[35]
She has made appearances as a voice actress in series like The Simpsons (as Hettie in season 27 episode 14 "Gal of Constant Sorrow") and Family Guy (a voice in season 14 episode 15 "An App a Day" and as Karen / Heavy Flo in season 14 episode 6 "Peter's Sister"), and films such as Finding Dory (as Stan's fish wife) and The Angry Birds Movie (as Stella / Eva the Birthday Mom).
Personal life
McKinnon is openly gay.[36] McKinnon has a pet cat, Nino Positano,[29] whom she jokingly refers to as her son. She does not currently participate publicly on any social media platform, citing a fear that she will "misrepresent her true feelings".[37]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mr. Ross | Debby | Short film |
| 2011 | Elizabeth Taylor's Video Will | Elizabeth Taylor | Short film |
| 2011 | Pudding Face | Amy | Short film |
| 2012 | My Best Day | Heather | |
| 2012 | Hannah Has a Ho-Phase | Nicky | |
| 2014 | Life Partners | Trace | |
| 2014 | Balls Out | Vicky | |
| 2015 | Giant Sloth | Nina | Voice role Short film |
| 2015 | Ted 2 | Herself | Cameo |
| 2015 | Staten Island Summer | Mrs. Bandini Jr. | |
| 2015 | Sisters | Sam | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Stella / Eva | Voice roles |
| 2016 | Finding Dory[38] | Wife Fish | Voice role |
| 2016 | Ghostbusters | Dr. Jillian Holtzmann | |
| 2016 | Masterminds | Jandice | |
| 2016 | Office Christmas Party | Mary Winetoss | |
| 2017 | Rock That Body | In post-production | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–10 | The Big Gay Sketch Show | Various | 23 episodes |
| 2008 | Mayne Street | Olga Svenson | Episode: "Parking Tickets" |
| 2010 | We Have to Stop Now | Angela | Episode: "Celesbianism" |
| 2010 | Concierge: The Series | Mary | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Vag Magazine | Bethany | 6 episodes |
| 2010–11 | Robotomy | Additional voices | 5 episodes |
| 2010–16 | The Venture Bros. | Nikki and Margaret Fictel / Additional voices | 10 episodes |
| 2011 | The Back Room | Susan Boyle | Episode: "Todd Barry" |
| 2011 | The 40 Year-Old 20 Year-Old | Kate | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2012–present | Saturday Night Live | Various | Main cast |
| 2013 | Toy Story of Terror! | PEZ Cat (voice) | Television special |
| 2013 | Hudson Valley Ballers | Just Jamie | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Effie Villalopolus | Episode: "Nick Offerman Wears a Green Flannel Shirt & Brown Boots" |
| 2014–15 | The Awesomes | Lola Gold / Additional voices | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | China, IL | Sunshine (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | The Spoils Before Dying | Dallas Boudreaux[39] | Episode: "That's Jazz" |
| 2015 | Difficult People | Abra Cadouglas[40] | Episode: "Pledge Week"[41] |
| 2015 | Moonbeam City | Panache Miller (voice) | Episode: "Lasers and Liars" |
| 2015–16 | Family Guy | Karen Griffin / Additional voices | 2 episodes |
| 2015–present | Nature Cat | Squeeks (voice) | 19 episodes |
| 2016 | The Simpsons | Hettie (voice) | Episode: "Gal of Constant Sorrow" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | LEGO Dimensions | Dr. Jillian Holtzmann |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | NewNowNext Awards[42] | Brink of Fame: Comic | Won | |
| 2010 | ECNY Awards[5] | Emerging Comic Award | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Ashland Independent Film Festival Award | Special Jury Mention for Acting Ensemble: Feature | My Best Day | Won |
| 2013 | EWwy Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Saturday Night Live | Nominated |
| Gold Derby Awards | Breakthrough Performer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Female Performance in a Fiction Program | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | American Comedy Award[43] | Comedy Supporting Actress – TV | Won | |
| Behind The Voice Actors Awards | Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Theatrical Short | Toy Story of Terror! | Nominated | |
| Dorian Award[44] | Wilde Wit of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Gold Derby Awards | Best Variety Performer | Saturday Night Live | Nominated | |
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Female Performance in a Fiction Program | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Award[45] | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Saturday Night Live for "Home For The Holiday (Twin Bed)" | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Gold Derby Awards | Best Variety Performer | Saturday Night Live | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Female Performance in a Fiction Program | Nominated | ||
| Best Ensemble in a Fiction Program | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Gold Derby Awards | Best Variety Performer | Nominated | |
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Female Performance in a Variety Program | Nominated | ||
| Best Ensemble in a Variety, Reality or Non-Fiction Program | Won | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Actress in a Comedy | Ghostbusters | Pending | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Comedic Collaboration | Saturday Night Live (shared with Alec Baldwin) | Pending | |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shuster, Yelena (March–April 2007). "One Funny Voice at a Time". Columbia College Today. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- 1 2 3 Gay, Verne (March 29, 2012). "Kate McKinnon joining 'SNL' cast". Newsday. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- 1 2 "Long Island celebrity yearbook pictures: The 2000s". Newsday. July 19, 2014. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Cast Bios: Kate McKinnon". NBC.com. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 McGlynn, Katla (March 29, 2012). "Kate McKinnon Joining 'SNL' As Featured Player". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ "Kate McKinnon: Who is SNL's first open lesbian cast member?". The Week. March 30, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lal, Kanika (August 25, 2016). "Kate McKinnon reveals she was 'destitute' and 'unemployed' before landing her job on Saturday Night Live". Daily Mail.
- 1 2 Hanks, Henry (March 9, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' takes on Hillary Clinton email controversy". CNN.
- ↑ "Kate McKinnon Bio Repertory Player Saturday Night Live NBC". Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Columbia College Today". College.columbia.edu. June 18, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- 1 2 "Obituaries". Antonnews.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- 1 2 Marcelle S. Fischler (May 14, 2000). "LONG ISLAND JOURNAL; Impossibly Appealing Views of Main Street - New York Times". Long Island (Ny): Nytimes.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Kate McKinnon returning to North Shore High School for fundraiser". Newsday. May 29, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ Matlow, Orli (19 November 2014). "Spectrum investigates: The club graveyard". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
Also a former fixture of the comedy scene is the dearly departed Prangstgrüp, which staged pranks and performances, kind of like Improv Everywhere. Kate 'McKinnon' Berthold of SNL was a member.
- 1 2 "Kate Mckinnon". Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ Vary, Adam B. (March 30, 2012). "Kate McKinnon to join 'Saturday Night Live'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ Warn, Sarah (May 21, 2009). "2009 NewNowNext Awards". AfterEllen. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ Warn, Sarah (May 21, 2009). ""GHOSTBUSTERS" Reboot Adds Cast, Release Date". Fangoria. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ Gilchrist, Tracy E. (April 8, 2012). "SNL's First Out Lesbian Featured Player Kate McKinnon Makes Splash with Penelope Cruz Pantene Sketch". SheWired. Here Media. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Kate McKinnon: Who is SNL's first openly lesbian cast member?".
- ↑ "Kate McKinnon: Who is SNL's first openly lesbian cast member?". The Week.
- ↑ Brantley, Ben (August 23, 1994). "Danitra Vance, 35, an Actress; Worked at Shakespeare Festival - New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ↑ Bierly, Mandi (September 13, 2013). "EWwy Awards 2013: Meet Your 10 Winners!". EW.com. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ Bendix, Trish (May 9, 2014). "Watch now! Kate McKinnon wins American Comedy Award - AfterEllen.com". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ↑ Jacobs, Matthew (July 10, 2014). "Emmy Nominations 2014: 'Breaking Bad,' 'Orange Is The New Black' Among Top Nominees". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Kate McKinnon". Emmys.com.
- ↑ "67th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ↑ Rosen, Christopher (October 4, 2015). "Hillary Clinton mocks Donald Trump during SNL appearance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- 1 2 Dowd, Maureen. "Kate McKinnon Hates Letting Her Hair Down". New York Times.
- ↑ "Election Week Cold Open - SNL, Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon) performs Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah.". YouTube, November 12, 2016.
- ↑ "SNL's Kate McKinnon opens show singing 'Hallelujah'". CNN, November 13, 2016.
- 1 2 Kumari Upadhyaya, Kayla (April 8, 2015). "Kate McKinnon's new web series is about notaries, because why not". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ Schroeder, Audra (April 16, 2015). "The best webseries from 'SNL' cast members". The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ Salandra, Adam (September 27, 2015). "Kate McKinnon Is Hilarious In The New Ford Focus Ads". New Now Next. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Spirit Awards: Kumail Nanjiani, Kate McKinnon Parody 'Room,' Mock #OscarsSoWhite in Opening". The Hollywood Reporter. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ↑ Piccoli, Dana (July 18, 2016). "10 Reasons Why Kate McKinnon is Hollywood's New Queer Heartthrob". After Ellen. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Amy Schumer, Lena Dunham, Gina Rodriguez and More Actresses on THR's Roundtables". Youtube.
- ↑ Pixar Post. "Additional 'Finding Dory' Vocal Cast Details - Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Bob Peterson & More".
- ↑ Stephens, Emily L. (July 9, 2015). "The Spoils Before Dying: "That's Jazz"/"Fear Steps In"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- ↑ Wiegand, David (August 1, 2015). "It's not 'Difficult' to love Hulu's new comedy". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ↑ Planje, Alexa (August 13, 2015). "Difficult People: "Devil's Three-way"/"Pledge Week"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ "The 2009 NewNowNext Awards". Logo. May 21, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen win American Comedy Awards". Entertainment Weekly. May 9, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter, January 9, 2013, by Gregg Kilday, "Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Announce Dorian Award Nominees"
- ↑ "2014 Emmy Nominations: 'Breaking Bad,' 'True Detective' Among the Honored". New York Times. July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.