Ana Gasteyer Biography

Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known as a cast member on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002. She currently stars on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory, playing the character Sheila Shay.

Early life

Gasteyer was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Mariana Roumell-Gasteyer, an artist, and Phil Gasteyer, the mayor of Corrales, New Mexico. Her maternal grandparents were Romanian and Greek. She graduated from Sidwell Friends School and Northwestern University. Her freshman year she lived on the fourth floor of Willard Residential College on campus, and majored in voice. She later became a theater major.

Career

Gasteyer developed comedy experience with the famed Los Angeles improv " sketch comedy group The Groundlings. She played small roles on Seinfeld (as a doomed customer of The Soup Nazi), as well as on the shows Party of Five, Frasier, Hope & Gloria and NYPD Blue. In 1996 Gasteyer joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. Among her most popular characters were high school music teacher Bobbie Mohan-Culp, National Public Radio Delicious Dish host Margaret Jo McCullen, Lilith Festival feminist singer Cinder Calhoun, and her impression of Martha Stewart.

After six seasons, Gasteyer left SNL in 2002. Since then, she has appeared in various television programs and films as well as in stage productions. In 2004, Gasteyer played the mother of the main character Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) in the feature film Mean Girls, written by SNL castmate Tina Fey. The film also featured other former SNL castmates, including Fey, Tim Meadows, and Amy Poehler. She also appeared in the 2005 Showtime movie musical Reefer Madness as Mae, the doomed girlfriend of Jack and owner of the Reefer Den.

Gasteyer starred in a revival of The Threepenny Opera on Broadway as Mrs. Peachum, along with Jim Dale, Alan Cumming, and Cyndi Lauper. The production ran from March 24 through June 25, 2006.

On June 24, 2005, Gasteyer originated the role of Elphaba in the Chicago sit-down production of the musical Wicked. The production opened July 13, 2005. Gasteyer was nominated for a Jefferson Award for her performance. She played her final performance on January 22, 2006, replaced by her standby Kristy Cates. She later reprised the role in the Broadway production from October 10, 2006, through January 7, 2007.

On April 12, 2007, it was announced that Gasteyer has joined the cast of the new musical, Writing Arthur, for the 2007 New Works Festival for TheatreWorks in California which ran from April 14"22. Gasteyer performed in Chicago in the Stephen Sondheim musical Passion at Chicago Shakespeare Theater from October 2, 2007 to November 11, 2007.

She was originally cast as Gloria in the Encores! Summer Series production of Damn Yankees, but due to injury during rehearsals, she was replaced by Megan Lawrence. Gasteyer took part in the reading of the Broadway musical version of "The First Wives Club."

She starred as Kitty Dean in the Broadway play, The Royal Family which began performances at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on September 15, 2009 and officially opened on October 8, 2009. The show concluded its run on December 13, 2009. Gasteyer also starred as Frisco Kate Fothergill in the City Centers Encores! production of Girl Crazy, running from November 19"22, 2009.

She returned to Saturday Night Live for a special Mother's Day episode on May 8, 2010, and for another Mother's Day episode on May 11, 2012

Gasteyer appeared in season eight of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Larry David's girlfriend.

She currently stars as Sheila Shay on the ABC comedy, Suburgatory. In November 2011, she became a series regular on the show.

As of March 2013, she is currently a spokeswoman of the Weight Watchers diet plan.

Personal life

Gasteyer and her husband, Charlie, have two children, a daughter, Frances, born in June 2002, and a son, Ulysses, born in March 2008.

Saturday Night Live characters

Original characters

• Bobbie Mohan-Culp, the operatic-voiced high school music teacher (with Will Ferrell)
• Margaret Jo McCullen, co-host of the NPR radio show Delicious Dish (with Molly Shannon)
• Gemini's Twin singer Jonette (with Maya Rudolph)
• Cinder Calhoun, a politically correct Lilith Fair singer
• Fast-talking MTV VJ Kincaid
• Daytime talk show hostess of Pretty Living, Gayle Gleeson

Celebrity impressions

• Martha Stewart (sometimes performed topless)
• Céline Dion (on The Celine Dion Show)
• Katherine Harris
• Joy Behar
• Joan Rivers
• Sally Jesse Raphael
• Elizabeth Dole
• Kathy Griffin
• Carrie Donovan (Vogue style editor featured in the Old Navy commercials)
• Bea Arthur
• Barbra Streisand (auditioning for Star Wars)
• Helen Thomas
• Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Lisa Kudrow (as Phoebe Buffay)

Filmography

• Seinfeld (TV series) ... Woman (1 episode, 1995)
• Saturday Night Live (TV series) ... Various (1996-2002)
• A Small Domain (1996) ... Mother
• Hope and Gloria (TV series) ... Girl (1 episode, 1996)
• Party of Five (TV series) ... Emcee (1 episode, 1996)
• NYPD Blue (TV series) ... Angie (1 episode, 1996)
• Courting Courtney (1997) ... Rosemary Colletti
• Meet the Deedles (1998) ... Mel
• Law & Order (TV series) ... Monica's Social Worker (1 episode, 1998)
• Just Shoot Me! (TV series) ... April (1 episode, 1998)
• Mad About You (TV series) ... Yoga Woman (1 episode, 1998)
• Dick (1999) ... Rose Mary Woods
• 3rd Rock from the Sun (TV series) ... Dr. Brand (1 episode, 2000)
• Geppetto (2000) ... Sra. Giovanni
• Woman on Top (2000) ... Claudia Hunter
• TV Funhouse (TV series) ... Various (2000-2001)
• What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) ... Ann Marie
• Frasier (TV series) ... Trish Haney (1 episode, 2002)
• I'm with Her (TV series) ... Bonnie (1 episode, 2003)
• Mean Girls (2004) ... Cady's Mom
• Reefer Madness: The Musical (2005) ... Mae Coleman
• The Procedure (2007) ... Denise
• Finn on the Fly (2008) ... Dr. Madsen
• The Women (2008) ... Pat
• Dare (2009) ... Ruth Bergeer
• Valentine (TV series) ... Mona McAllister (1 episode, 2009)
• The Electric Company (TV series) ... Sandy Scrambler (1 episode, 2009)
• Chuck (TV series) ... Dasha (1 episode, 2010)
• Running Wilde (TV series) ... Anna Lowry (1 episode, 2010)
• The Good Wife (TV series) ... Judge Patrice Lessner (3 episodes, 2010-2011)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (TV series) ... Jennifer (2 episodes, 2011)
• Suburgatory (TV series) ... Sheila Shay (series regular, 2011)
• Fun Size (2012) ... Jackie Leroux
• Rapture-Palooza (2013) ... Mrs. Lewis