Tina Fey – actress, writer, producer

Tina Fey is proof that a rare woman can, in fact, have it all. She is smart, sexy, funny, and on occasion, politically influential. With the third season of Fey’s comedy 30 Rock premiering later this month, many of us are anxious to see where this woman on top will go next.

Tina Fey was born in Upper Darby, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her parents loved comedy, and Fey recalls how they snuck her into the theater to see Young Frankenstein when she was only in elementary school. She and her brother also stayed up late to watch Saturday Night Live and The Honeymooners, and by the time she reached middle school, Fey knew she wanted to do comedy. Following her high school graduation, she attended the University of Virginia to study acting.

Fey considered doing graduate work in drama at DePaul University but instead joined Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe where she became immersed in studying improv and performing. After several years in Chicago, Fey got a call from SNL. Adam McKay, the show’s then head writer, saw Fey at Second City and encouraged her to submit some scripts to the producers. After a meeting with SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Fey moved to New York and joined the show as a writer. She later admitted, “I’d had my eye on the show forever, the way other kids have their eye on Derek Jeter.”

In 1999, she became the show’s first female head writer. A year later, she began performing in skits, pairing with Jimmy Fallon to co-anchor “The Weekend Update.” Under Fey’s leadership, the writing staff received an award from the Writer’s Guild of America in 2001 and an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in 2002.

As SNL continued to grow, Fey worked on a number of her own side projects. She made her big screen debut in Mean Girls, a film she wrote based partly on her experiences in high school. She also pitched her idea for a new comedy to NBC. 30 Rock, Fey’s show based on a show, debuted on the network in 2006. Despite getting a slow start in the ratings, her project received good reviews and gained a devoted following.

Then came Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

When Fey appeared on the SNL stage clad in a red business suit, high heels, and teacher glasses, she catapulted herself from funny girl writer to comedy icon. Within just a few minutes, all of America took notice of Tina Fey. Her Palin sketch became the most watched video ever on NBC.com. When she reprises the role a few weeks later, she helped SNL achieve its highest ratings in almost 15 years. The impersonation earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, and she was honored by the Associated Press for having the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008.

Plenty of things changed for Fey following her appearances as Palin. 30 Rock finished first in its timeslot as more people tuned in specifically to see Tina Fey as awkward comedy writer Liz Lemon. Fey and her husband started appearing in magazines devoted to celebrities, and the comedienne herself emerged as a new kind of sex symbol. Now, thanks to Fey (and her glasses), looking smart has become the new sexy. She made Maxim’s Hot 100 List and People magazine’s Most Beautiful People issue. Additionally, The New Yorker’s Michael Specter dubbed the 39-year old “the sex symbol for every man who reads without moving his lips.”

Despite being called the thinking man’s sex symbol, Tina Fey still sees herself as that awkward writer and comedienne-in-training. Of course, that may be part of her charm. Even with all of the media attention, Fey considers herself first and foremost a funny girl trying to write and make people laugh. For that, Tina Fey is this month’s woman on top.