Ana Gasteyer

Ana Kristina Gasteyer was born on May 4, 1967, in Washington, D.C. She initially enrolled at Northwestern University as a voice major before switching to theater studies, where she became involved with the campus’ improv comedy group. She further honed her comedic skills with the Los Angeles improv group, The Groundlings, before joining the cast of *Saturday Night Live* in 1996. During her six-year tenure on *SNL* until 2002, Gasteyer created notable characters such as middle school music teacher “Bobbie Moughan-Culp” and NPR radio host “Margaret Jo,” in addition to performing impressions of figures like Martha Stewart, Celine Dion, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her film roles during this period included projects like *What Women Want* (2000) and *Mean Girls* (2004), where she played Cady Heron’s mother alongside former *SNL* colleagues.

Following her time on *SNL*, Gasteyer expanded her career into musical theater, originating the role of Elphaba in the Chicago production of *Wicked* in 2005, a role she later reprised on Broadway in 2006. Her stage credits also include *The Threepenny Opera* (2006) and the Tony-nominated play *The Royal Family* (2009). On television, Gasteyer has held recurring roles on *The Goldbergs* and its spin-off *Schooled*, and starred in series such as ABC’s *Suburgatory* (2011-2014) and NBC’s *American Auto* (2021-2023). She has also appeared in various other shows, including HBO’s *Curb Your Enthusiasm* and Netflix’s *Lady Dynamite*.

In addition to her acting career, Gasteyer is an accomplished singer-songwriter. She released her debut album, *I’m Hip*, in 2014, followed by the acclaimed holiday album *Sugar & Booze* in 2019, which topped several “Best Holiday Album” lists and inspired an 8-episode original series for Audible. Gasteyer has also showcased her vocal talents in live television musicals like *Grease Live!* (2016) and *A Christmas Story Live!* (2017), and as a contestant on *The Masked Singer*, where she was known as The Tree.