Heidi Gardner

Last updated
Heidi Gardner
Heidi Gardner (NYCC Interview 2016) 01.png
Gardner in 2016
Born
Heidi Lynn Gardner [1]

(1983-07-27) July 27, 1983 (age 41)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Education University of Kansas
University of Missouri
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active2011–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2010;div. 2023)​
[2]

Heidi Lynn Gardner [3] (born July 27, 1983 [4] ) [5] is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Gardner has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since season 43 in 2017, when she debuted as a featured player. She was promoted to repertory status on the show in 2019.

Contents

Early life

Gardner was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. [6] She grew up with an older brother, Justin. [7]

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". [8] 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. [9] Gardner graduated from the all-girls Catholic high school Notre Dame de Sion in 2001. In her senior year, her classmates voted her "most likely to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live". [7] Upon graduation, Gardner followed a friend's footsteps and enrolled at the University of Kansas for two years before transferring to the University of Missouri for a semester. She became uninterested in school and often skipped classes, but discovered a fondness for haircutting. [9]

Career

At age 21, Gardner dropped out of college and left Missouri for Los Angeles, where she worked at a hair salon for nine years. [10] Before moving, she saved up $600 over one summer. [11] A friend encouraged her to attend a performance at The Groundlings theatre, where she became inspired to become an actress. [10] Lacking acting experience, Gardner enrolled in community workshops to learn the basics of improvisation. Once she was comfortable, Gardner auditioned for the Groundlings basic class and was accepted. [9]

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. [9] During that time, she became a voice actress, [12] regularly appearing on animated series such as Bratz , SuperMansion , and Mike Tyson Mysteries . [13] In 2017, Gardner joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) along with Luke Null and Chris Redd for its forty-third season. [11]

After her first year on SNL, Gardner was hired to play Leonor in the Ben Falcone-directed film Life of the Party , alongside Melissa McCarthy. [9] On August 28, 2019, TVLine reported that Gardner would have a guest role on the NBC 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. [14] In 2019, Gardner made her stage debut in Michael Frayn's Noises Off at The Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts. [15]

Gardner, who had never broken character in seven seasons on SNL, cracked while playing NewsNation host Bobbi Moore in a Beavis and Butt-Head -centered sketch on April 13, 2024. [16] Vulture magazine described the moment as breaking in "spectacularly charming fashion". [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

Recurring characters on Saturday Night Live [24]

Personal life

Gardner is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. [8] From 2010 to 2023, she was married to Marvel Comics writer Zeb Wells, whom she met while she was a member of the Groundlings. [25] [26]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014Dibs!Erica
2018 Life of the Party Leonor
Making Babies Meg
2019 Otherhood Erin
2022 Hustle Kat Merrick
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Last BakerVoice role
2023 Leo Eli's momVoice role [27]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017, 2019 Mike Tyson Mysteries Old Woman, Jennifer2 episodes
2017–present Saturday Night Live Various
2019 The Other Two MonaEpisode: "Chase Turns Fourteen"
Veep Amanda WhiteEpisode: "Discovery Weekend"
Alien News Desk Tuva Van Void (voice)12 episodes
American Dad! Various voicesEpisode: "Lost Boys"
Superstore ColleenEpisode: "Forced Hire"
2020 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt JennySpecial: "Kimmy vs the Reverend"
2021 Close Enough Becca (voice)Episode: "Houseguest From Hell"
Crank Yankers Herself (voice)Episode: "Chelsea Peretti, Heidi Gardner & J.B. Smoove"
2022 Is It Cake? Herself (Judge)Episode: "Toying Around"
Girls5eva CaraEpisode: "Album Mode"
That Damn Michael Che Episode: "Higher Power"
2023 Shrinking Grace3 episodes

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015Adult WednesdayHairdresserEpisode: "The Haircut"
Bratz Yasmin (voice)8 episodes
2015–19 SuperMansion Cooch, Various voices46 episodes
2016 CollegeHumor Originals PatientEpisode: "Why Are My Nipples Pixelated?"

Audio

YearTitleRoleNotes
2020 Heads Will Roll Various voices10 episodes
2021 Batman: The Audio Adventures Harley Quinn, Miss Tuesday

Stage

YearTitleRoleLocations
2019 Noises Off Brooke Ashton/VickiThe Cape Playhouse

Writing credits

Web

YearTitleNotes
2015 Bratz 3 episodes
2015–17 SuperMansion 11 episodes

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References

  1. ↑ "43 for 43: Heidi Gardner - SNL". YouTube . 18 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Advice Ep! SNL's Heidi Gardner on Getting Through Breakups, How to Love Sports, Overcoming Public Speaking Fears, Figuring Out the Best Career & More". 29 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "43 for 43: Heidi Gardner - SNL". YouTube . 18 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Almanac: Today's Birthdays". Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. July 27, 2024. p. A3. ProQuest   3085732594. Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 49. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 47. Actor/comedian Heidi Gardner is 41. Actor Taylor Schilling is 40. Golfer Jordan Spieth is 31. See also:
    • "Today in History: Today's Birthdays". Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. July 27, 2018. p. A2. ProQuest   2077225829. Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 43. Actor Seamus Dever is 42. Actor Jonathan Rhys (rees) Meyers is 41. Actress/comedian Heidi Gardner is 35. Actor Blair Redford is 35. Actress Taylor Schilling is 34. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 28. Golfer Jordan Spieth is 25.
  5. ↑ https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/credits/repertoryplayer/heidi-gardner [ bare URL ]
  6. ↑ "Heidi Gardner". nbc.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Gutierrez, Lisa (September 27, 2017). "This KC native is being hailed as the next household name on 'Saturday Night Live'". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "My Kansas City: Interview With SNL's Heidi Gardner". visitkc.com (Interview). Interviewed by Lambdin Meyer, Diana. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Cizmar, Martin (August 21, 2019). "How Heidi Gardner went from a hairstylist taking improv classes to Saturday Night Live star". kansascitymag.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Coy Dugger. "How Kansas City Native Heidi Gardner Ended Up On Saturday Night Live". kcur.org. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Steinberg, Brian (November 22, 2019). "'SNL': Heidi Gardner's Kooky 'Weekend Update' Characters Make News". Variety. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Bradley, Nina (September 26, 2017). "Who Is Heidi Gardner? The New 'SNL' Cast Member Is Someone You Should Get To Know ASAP". Bustle .
  13. ↑ Hatchett, Keisha (October 13, 2016). "TMS Interviews the SuperMansion Cast About Santa's Existential Crisis and Jordan Peele's Get Out". The Mary Sue . Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  14. ↑ Schwartz, Ryan (28 August 2019). "Superstore Season 5: Justina Machado to Recur, SNL's Heidi Gardner Also Cast". TVLine. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Gans, Andrew (August 7, 2019). "Jeremy Webb, Janine LaManna, Jennifer Cody Join SNL's Heidi Gardner in Noises Off at Cape Playhouse". Playbill . Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  16. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (4 May 2024). "Heidi Gardner Says She Was Afraid To Break Character On 'SNL': "I Thought I'd Get Fired"". Deadline. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Ivie, Devon (2024-04-15). "Heidi Gardner Couldn't Prepare for What She Saw". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  18. ↑ Perez, Lexy (2024-04-16). "Heidi Gardner Reacts to Breaking Character During 'SNL' 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch: "I Lost It"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  19. ↑ Sharf, Zack (2024-04-16). "'SNL' Star Heidi Gardner Says 'Anxiety Set in' After Breaking So Hard During 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch: 'I'll Never Be Able to Shake' What I Saw". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  20. ↑ "'SNL' Star Heidi Gardner Feels Terrible She Broke Character During 'Beavis And Butt-Head' Skit". HuffPost. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  21. ↑ Ortiz, Andi (2024-04-16). "SNL: Heidi Gardner Explains Why She Lost It in 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  22. ↑ "'SNL' shows behind-the-scenes footage of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' skit that broke Heidi Gardner". TODAY.com. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  23. ↑ Evans, Greg (2024-04-16). "Heidi Gardner Explains Butt-Head Crack-Up On Last Saturday's 'SNL'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  24. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2019-11-22). "'SNL': Heidi Gardner's Kooky 'Weekend Update' Characters Make News". Variety. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  25. ↑ Hoedel, Cindy (August 1, 2019). "IN Conversation with Heidi Gardner". inkansascity.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Advice Ep! SNL's Heidi Gardner on Getting Through Breakups, How to Love Sports, Overcoming Public Speaking Fears, Figuring Out the Best Career & More". 29 January 2024.
  27. ↑ "Everything You Need to Know About Leo". Tudum . August 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
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