Heidi Gardner | |
|---|---|
 Gardner in 2016 | |
| Born | Heidi Lynn Gardner July 27, 1983 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | University of Kansas University of Missouri |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse | [1] |
Heidi Lynn Gardner (born July 27, 1983) 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.
Gardner was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. [2] She grew up with an older brother, Justin. [3]
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". [4] Gardner was not interested in acting as a child, only performing on stage as a flautist for the school band and doing comedy sketches in school talent shows. [5] Gardner graduated from the all-girls Catholic 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". [3] Upon graduation, Gardner followed in the footsteps of a friend and enrolled at the University of Kansas for two years, before transferring to the University of Missouri for a semester. Although she became uninterested in school and often skipped classes, Gardner discovered a fondness for haircutting. [5]
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. [6] Prior to the move, she saved up $600 over one summer. [7] She was encouraged by a friend to attend a performance at The Groundlings theatre, where she became inspired to become an actress. [6] Due to a 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. [5]
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. [5] During that time, she became a voice actress, [8] regularly appearing on animated series such as Bratz , SuperMansion , and Mike Tyson Mysteries . [9] In 2017, Gardner joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) along with Luke Null and Chris Redd for its forty-third season. [7]
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. [5] 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. [10] In 2019, Gardner made her stage debut in Michael Frayn's Noises Off at The Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts. [11]
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. [12] Vulture magazine described the moment as breaking in "spectacularly charming fashion". [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
Gardner is a fan of both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. [4] She was formerly married to Marvel Comics writer Zeb Wells, whom she met while she was a member of the Groundlings. [21] They were married from 2010 to 2023. [22]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dibs! | Erica | |
| 2018 | Life of the Party | Leonor | |
| Making Babies | Meg | ||
| 2019 | Otherhood | Erin | |
| 2022 | Hustle | Kat Merrick | |
| Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | Last Baker | Voice role | |
| 2023 | Leo | Eli's mom | Voice role [23] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Old Woman (voice) | Episode: "Love Letters" |
| 2017–present | Saturday Night Live | Various | |
| 2019 | The Other Two | Mona | Episode: "Chase Turns Fourteen" |
| Veep | Amanda White | Episode: "Discovery Weekend" | |
| Alien News Desk | Tuva Van Void (voice) | 12 episodes | |
| American Dad! | Various voices | Episode: "Lost Boys" | |
| Mike Tyson Mysteries | Jennifer (voice) | Episode: "The Yung and The Restless" | |
| Superstore | Colleen | Episode: "Forced Hire" | |
| 2020 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Jenny | Special: "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 | Cara | Episode: "Album Mode" | |
| That Damn Michael Che | Episode: "Higher Power" | ||
| 2023 | Shrinking | Grace | 3 episodes |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Adult Wednesday | Hairdresser | Episode: "The Haircut" |
| Bratz | Yasmin (voice) | 8 episodes | |
| 2015–19 | SuperMansion | Cooch, Various voices | 46 episodes |
| 2016 | CollegeHumor Originals | Patient | Episode: "Why Are My Nipples Pixelated?" |
Audio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Heads Will Roll | Various voices | 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Batman: The Audio Adventures | Harley Quinn, Miss Tuesday |
| Year | Title | Role | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Noises Off | Brooke Ashton/Vicki | The Cape Playhouse |
Web
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Bratz | 3 episodes |
| 2015–17 | SuperMansion | 11 episodes |
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