Heidi Lynn Gardner (born July 27, 1983) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She has been a cast member on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' since 2017, beginning in
season 43.
Early life
Gardner was born and raised in
Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up with an older brother, Justin.
Growing up, Gardner worked part-time at the Tivoli Theater, where she did everything "from selling tickets to making popcorn." She later credited the theater as "setting the tone in her life." Gardner was not interested in acting as a child, only performing on stage as a flutist for the school band and doing comedy sketches in school talent shows.
Gardner graduated from the all-girls
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
high school
Notre Dame de Sion in 2001. In her senior year, she was voted by her classmates as "Most likely to be a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live''."
Upon graduation, Gardner followed in the footsteps of a friend and enrolled at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
for two years, before transferring to the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
. Although she became uninterested in school and often skipped classes, Gardner discovered a fondness for haircutting.
Career
At the age of 21, Gardner dropped out of college and left Missouri to move to Los Angeles, where she worked at a hair salon for nine years.
Prior to the move, she saved up $600 over one summer.
She was encouraged by a friend to attend a performance at
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniqu ...
theatre, where she became inspired to become an actress.
Due to her lack of acting experience, Gardner enrolled in community workshops to learn the basics of improvising. Once she was comfortable, Gardner auditioned into the Groundlings basic class and was accepted.
In 2014, Gardner joined the Sunday Company, and a year later, after a promotion to the Main Company, she quit her job as a hairstylist to focus on acting.
During that time, she became a voice actress,
regularly appearing on animated series such as ''
Bratz
Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment which debuted in 2001.
The four original 10-inch (25 cm) dolls were released on May 21, 2001 — Yasmin, Cloe, Jade ...
'', ''
SuperMansion
''SuperMansion'' is an American adult animated stop-motion animated sitcom, sitcom created by Matthew Senreich and Zeb Wells. The series stars Bryan Cranston, Heidi Gardner, Tucker Gilmore, Keegan-Michael Key, Tom Root, Yvette Nicole Brown, Zeb Wel ...
'', and ''
Mike Tyson Mysteries
''Mike Tyson Mysteries'' is an American adult animated television series, and is the first collaboration between Warner Bros. Animation and Williams Street. It premiered October 27, 2014 on Adult Swim. The series features Mike Tyson solving myster ...
''.
In 2017, Gardner joined the cast of ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' (''SNL'') for its
forty-third season.
Following her first year on ''SNL'', Gardner was hired to play the supporting role of Leonor in the
Ben Falcone-directed film ''
Life of the Party'', alongside
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, producer, writer, and fashion designer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and tw ...
.
On August 28, 2019, ''
TVLine
''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs.
History
In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...
'' reported that Gardner would have a guest role on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
comedy series ''
Superstore'' playing Dina Fox's nemesis Colleen who is transferred to Store 1217 after Cloud 9’s Bel-Ridge location gets shut down. In 2019, Gardner made her stage debut in
Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce '' Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy''. His novels, such as '' Towards the End of the M ...
's ''
Noises Off
''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of '' The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funnier ...
'' at The Cape Playhouse in
Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, located near the center of Cape Cod. The population was 14,674 at the 2020 census.
The town encompasses five distinct villages, each of which has its own post office. These con ...
.
;
; Recurring characters on ''Saturday Night Live''
* Angel (Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever), a distressed woman who tries to give "
Weekend Update
''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typic ...
's Good News Report," but inevitably derails into melodramatic rants about her boyfriend's dangerous boxing career.
* Bailey Gismert, a teen film critic who gives awkward reviews.
* Brie Bacardi, one half of a shallow couple always on the brink of an argument, who runs a relationship-themed
Instagram account with her boyfriend Nico Slobkin (
Mikey Day
Michael William Day (born March 20, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host of the Netflix show '' Is It Cake?'' He joined ''Saturday Night Live'' as a writer in its 39th season, became a featured player in i ...
).
* Baskin Johns, a woman who works for
Goop
Goop may refer to:
*Alfons Goop (1910–1993), Liechtenstein Nazi leader
*'' Goops'', a 1900 book series by Gelett Burgess
* Shoe Goo or Sportsman's Goop, a brand of waterproof seam-sealer
*''Goop'', a brand of liquid hand cleaner containing finely ...
and gets worried
Gwyneth Paltrow will fire her.
* Mandy, a cousin of a celebrity that shames their movie careers
* Sandy, a joyful cook of a baking
reality competition show that is qualified and skilled though she often gets passed over as a winner for more poorly-constructed and eccentric cakes
* Tamra, an intern who pitches Instagram captions for
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
's
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...
account
* Deidre, one half of a couple who describe their vacation to their friends, naïvely misinterpreting poor experiences as prestigious culture
;
Personal life
Gardner met her husband,
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
writer
Zeb Wells
Zeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, a television writer/director known for his work on the animated TV series ''Robot Chicken'', and the co-creator/showrunner of '' SuperMansion''.
Career
Wells is an ...
, while she was a member of the Groundlings.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web
Audio
Stage
Writing credits
Web
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Heidi
1983 births
Living people
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American comedians
American film actresses
American impressionists (entertainers)
American sketch comedians
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American women comedians
Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri
Comedians from Missouri