The Versatile Career

of Tina Fey

By: Shannon O’Connor

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Tina Fey’s comedy career began at Chicago’s Second City, where she first worked with future SNL cast mates Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler.

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EDY WRITER &

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ACTRESS Other than being the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live, Fey also was a Weekend Update anchor and wrote and appeared in many sketches.

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NS Although Tina Fey left SNL, she returned to impersonate Sarah Palin when John McCain

chose her as his running mate. Although both her and Lorne Michael’s were skeptical about the casting decision, in the end it was the best decision (Fey, 2011, p. 202).

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Tina Fey’s first film she penned, “Mean Girls”, premiered in the U.S. in April 2004 and instantly became a cult hit. Fey adapted the screenplay for the film from the novel by Rosalind Wiseman “Queen Bees and Wannabes”, while still working as the Head Writer at Saturday Night Live .

ACTOR After performing on in sketches for her troupe in Second City, Fey went on to write for SNL.

Soon, she began anchoring the “Weekend Update” desk with Jimmy Fallon and starring in sketches. Fey then played a small role in the film she penned “Mean Girls,” before she went on to star in films such as “Baby Mama” and “Date Night (Tina Fey, n.d.).”

CREATOR After writing for “Saturday Night Live” for 9 years, Tina Fey left “SNL” and created

her own show mocking the life of SNL writers and performers called “30 Rock.” Although she continued to guest star on SNL for a while after (Gov. Sarah Palin), created a hit show that has been on the air for 6 years and has been nominated for 77 Emmy’s and won 14 and 6 Golden Globes (NBC Universal, n.d.).

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VELIST Tina Fey’s first novel “Bossypants” is a humorous look into the life of Tina Fey. She writes about her childhood, her time at Second City in Chicago, writing for Saturday Night Live, writing “Mean Girls”, creating and acting in “30 Rock”, acting in films, and her personal life. Tina Fey’s novel was published in April 2011 and topped the New York Times Best Seller List for 5 weeks in a row (Best Sellers, 2011).