Amy Poehler

Small, bleach-blonde and crackling with energy, Amy Poehler is an actress whose sketch comedy talents took her from Saturday Night Live to feature films like Baby Mama (2008). Poehler took her comedy experience after Boston College (1993) to Chicago, where she worked in comedy clubs doing improvisation. She and a few colleagues went to New York in 1996 and began the Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational comedy troupe and training ground for up-and-coming performers. The group had a cable TV show (1998-2000), after which Poehler landed a spot on NBC's Saturday Night Live. She became a regular cast member within the first year, and by 2004 she was one of the show's main performers, co-hosting the "Weekend Update" segment with Tina Fey. She left the show in 2009 to star in her own situation comedy, Parks and Recreation. Poehler's movie career, flavored by her SNL connections, has included the Will Ferrell comedies Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and Blades of Glory (2007), as well as the Tina Fey movies Mean Girls (2004) and Baby Mama (2008).

Extra credit: Poehler frequently co-stars with her husband, actor Will Arnett of TV's Arrested Development.