Lauren Elizabeth Holt (born March 12, 1991) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She began her career with the

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Ri ...

, an improv and

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

troupe in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. In 2020, Holt, alongside

Andrew Dismukes Andrew Vincent Dismukes (; born June 21, 1995) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. Dismukes was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2017, ahead of its 43rd season. He was then hired to join the ...

and

Punkie Johnson Jessica Williams (born April 29, 1985), known professionally as Punkie Johnson, is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer based in New York City. Johnson began her career as a stand-up comedian at The Comedy Store in California, bef ...

, was hired to join the cast of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

series ''

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. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' as a featured player, appearing during the show's 46th season between 2020 and 2021.

Early life

Holt is from

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

and is the daughter of Lyn Holt and Harris Holt, an artist and business owner. Holt graduated from

Myers Park High School Myers Park High School is a public high school in Charlotte, North Carolina. It serves grades 9–12, and is a part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district. History Myers Park High School opened in 1951. The school has a 62-acre campus w ...

in 2009. She attended the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

, where she was a member of

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma (), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's sorority. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization encompassing 26 national sororities or women's fraterni ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in studio art in 2013.

Career

Holt began her career after joining the

. With the UCB, Holt was a founding member of a musical improv troupe The Pickup. In 2015, she appeared in the music video for the song "

Til It Happens to You "Til It Happens to You" is a song produced and performed by American singer Lady Gaga. She co-wrote the song with Diane Warren for the 2015 documentary film ''The Hunting Ground'', which deals with campus rape in the United States. The song had ...

" by

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

. In 2018, Holt starred in the short film ''Parent Teacher Conference'', for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Atlanta Comedy Film Festival. On December 1, 2020, Holt was listed in ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30.

''Saturday Night Live''

In 2020, Holt was cast as a featured player on ''

'' in its forty-sixth season.

Filmography

References

External links

*
SNL Adds UNCG Alumna Lauren Holt to Cast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Lauren 1991 births Living people 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians American sketch comedians American television actresses American women comedians Actresses from Charlotte, North Carolina Comedians from North Carolina University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni