Ellie Kemper

Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress and comedian, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom The Office (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019). She has also appeared in films, notably Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street (2012), Sex Tape (2014), and Home Sweet Home Alone (2021). In 2018, she released her debut book, My Squirrel Days.

She earned two consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and has also been nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, three Satellite Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Early life Kemper was born on May 2, 1980, in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father is the executive chairman of Commerce Bancshares, a bank holding company founded by the Kemper family. She is the granddaughter of Mildred Lane Kemper, namesake of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis and the great-great-granddaughter of banker William Thornton Kemper Sr.

She is the elder sister of television writer Carrie Kemper. Kemper's ancestry is Italian (from her maternal grandfather), English, French, and German. She was raised and remains a practicing Roman Catholic.

In 1999, at age 19, she was presented as a debutante at the Veiled Prophet Ball, and was named the Veiled Prophet's Queen of Love and Beauty. Her participation sparked controversy in 2021 due to the Ball's background, which was described as "racist and elitist". The backlash prompted Kemper to release a statement denouncing white supremacy and apologizing for participating in the event.

Education Kemper's family moved to St. Louis when she was five. She attended Conway Elementary School in the affluent suburb of Ladue and high school at John Burroughs School, where she developed an interest in theater and improvisational comedy. One of her teachers was actor Jon Hamm, with whom she appeared in a school play. At Princeton, she was a member of the improv comedy troupe Quipfire, which was known for its elaborate pranks. She was also a member of the Ivy Club.

As a freshman, she played on Princeton's 1998 national championship field hockey team, maintaining she sat on the bench "roughly 97 percent" of the time, before moving on the following year to focus on theater. where she studied towards a master's degree in English literature.

Career Early comedic career I'm the most comfortable when I'm playing a naturalistic character. I auditioned for Saturday Night Live, and when I was doing the biggest characters, I felt the least comfortable. I'm just more comfortable when it's some version of myself. source = Ellie Kemper and the Princeton Triangle Club, a touring musical comedy theater troupe. It featured her camping with an onscreen husband, and a shot where a tarantula crawled across her face. She regularly appeared in comedy sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the late 2000s, and made guest appearances on Important Things with Demetri Martin, which has been described as her "breakout role". Though the series was reality TV, her role was scripted. She has appeared on Fuse TV's The P.A. In October 2008, she appeared on The Colbert Report in a PSA for Teen Voter Abstinence. She has written several sketch comedy shows, many with her comedy partner Scott Eckert, and for McSweeney's. She is also a contributor to HuffPost.

Upon moving to New York City, Kemper participated in the People's Improv Theater In August 2008, she auditioned for a spot on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, but was not cast. In July 2009, Kemper was named one of Variety magazine's "10 Comics To Watch".

Kemper gained Internet interest in August 2007 for her part in "Blowjob Girl," a humor video on the sketch comedy site Derrick Comedy, in which she shows her enthusiasm for her hobby with rough hands and a lot of gnashing teeth. Kemper said of the video in an April 2010 interview with The A.V. Club: "I really don't like that video, and I wish that I hadn't done it, even though I know that it's a joke. I hate that it got sort of big, because I don't think that it's that funny and I don't want that to be the epitome of my work. It's just one video in a sea of many, but it has made me conscious of not wanting to do a video like that again." Kemper has also contributed an article to CollegeHumor entitled "Regarding Our Decision Never to See Me Again". She also had a minor role in the 2009 film Mystery Team. Kemper starred in a fake iPhone commercial on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in January 2007, six months before the first iPhone was released. Kemper appeared in the Sofia Coppola comedy-drama Somewhere in 2010. On April 3, 2013, it was announced that Kemper would be voicing a character in an episode of the animated sitcom American Dad!

Kemper auditioned for a role in Parks and Recreation, an NBC comedy series started in 2009 by Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, creator of the series The Office. She was not cast in the role, but received a call back to audition for a supporting role in The Office as Erin Hannon, a secretary filling in for the regular secretary Pam Beesly when she briefly left the job at the end of the fifth season. Kemper was cast in the role, and started appearing in the show in April 2009. The character was originally written to be more sarcastic and dry, but the writers changed her to be more perky and optimistic to more closely resemble Kemper herself. Kemper described the character as "an exaggerated version of myself".

Television work

Kemper received positive reviews for her role in The Office. Alan Sepinwall, television columnist with The Star-Ledger, praised the "infectious joy and sweetness" she brought to the show. Andy Shaw of TV Fodder said she "adds some freshness to the cast" and Josh McAuliffe of The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said he liked Erin's "cheerful, appealingly goofy personality". Many critics have singled her out as a highlight of the show's eighth season following Steve Carell's departure.

In October 2009, Kemper appeared in Subtle Sexuality, a set of three The Office webisodes about efforts by Erin and Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) to start a girl group. Her performance on the show has been widely acclaimed, and she received multiple nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

In summer 2015, Kemper served as a temporary co-host of Today alongside Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Tamron Hall, and Willie Geist.

In 2019, Kemper appeared as a guest judge on season 14 of America's Got Talent where she pushed the Golden Buzzer for light-up dance group Light Balance Kids.

Other work In 2018, Kemper recorded for the audiobook A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. She also recorded the audiobook for 2019's The Legends of Greemulax, a novel attributed to her character Kimmy Schmidt.

That same year she published her first book, My Squirrel Days.

In 2023, she joined the cast of the Broadway play Peter Pan Goes Wrong making her Broadway debut as Francis for a limited engagement.

In 2025, she became a spokesperson for Kohl's Department Stores playing the role of "Kohl's Mom".

Personal life In 2012, Kemper became engaged to comedy writer Michael Koman. They married on July 7, 2012. They have two sons, born in August 2016 and September 2019. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kemper said that her Jewish husband had told her priest that he agreed to raise their children Roman Catholic.

In 2022, Kemper ran the NYC Marathon, finishing in 5:17:39.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2009 Mystery Team Jamie Cayman Went Girl in Bar 2010 Get Him to the Greek Pinnacle Executive Somewhere Claire 2011 Bridesmaids Becca 2012 21 Jump Street Ms. Griggs Rich Girl Problems Lucretia Short film 2013 Identity Thief Flo Uncredited 2014 Laggies Allison Sex Tape Tess They Came Together Karen The Nobodies Julie Short film 2016 The Secret Life of Pets Katie Voice 2017 The Lego Batman Movie Phyllis Smurfs: The Lost Village Smurf Blossom 2019 The Secret Life of Pets 2 Katie 2020 We Bare Bears: The Movie Produce Lucy The Stand In Jenna Jones 2021 Home Sweet Home Alone Pam McKenzie 2023 Happiness for Beginners Helen

Television Year Title Role Notes 1999 Neutrino Various 2006 Sexual Intercourse: American Style Cindy 2007 Redeeming Rainbow Shelly Television film 2007–2008 Mister Glasses Kitty 5 episodes 2009–2010 Important Things with Demetri Martin Allison / Felicia 2 episodes 2009–2013 The Office Erin Hannon Recurring: Season 5Main role: Seasons 6–9(107 episodes) 2010 The Office: The 3rd Floor Erin Hannon 3 episodes 2012 NTSF:SD:SUV:: Fitzpatrick Episode: "Whack-a-Mole" Robot Chicken Bella Swan / Tracy / Female Passenger Voice, episode: "Crushed by a Steamroller on My 53rd Birthday" 2012–2013 The Mindy Project Heather 3 episodes 2013 Brenda Forever Brenda Miller Unaired TV pilot 2013–2014 Hollywood Game Night Herself 2 episodes 2013–2018 Sofia the First Crackle Voice; 10 episodes Bridesmaids Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble MTV Movie Awards Best Jaw Dropping Moment Best Cast New York Film Critics Online Best Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Ensemble 2013 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Office 2015 Webby Awards Best Actress Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series