Jenny Slate
Introduction '''Jenny Slate''' (born March 25, 1982) is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and writer. Following early acting and stand-up roles on television, Slate gained recognition for her live variety shows in New York City and for co-creating, writing, and producing the children's short film and book series ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' (2010–present). She became more widely known as a cast member on the 35th season of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' between 2009 and 2010, followed by subsequent roles in the comedic series ''Bob's Burgers'' (2012–present), ''Parks and Recreation'' (2013–2015), ''House of Lies'' (2013–2015), and ''Kroll Show'' (2013–2015).Slate's breakout role came with her leading performance in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film ''Obvious Child'' (2014), for which she won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Independent Film Award. She lent voice performances to the animated films ''''The Lorax'''' (2012), ''Zootopia'' (2016), ''The Secret Life of Pets'' film franchise (2016–2019), ''The Lego Batman Movie'', and ''Despicable Me 3'' (both 2017), and she ventured into dramatic roles with her supporting performance as Bonnie in ''Gifted'' (2017). She also appeared in the critically acclaimed science-fiction film ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'', winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.Starting in 2017, Slate, who is Jewish, appeared on the animated Netflix series ''Big Mouth'' as the biracial Black–Jewish character Missy Foreman-Greenwald. She exited the role in 2020 because she felt it should be played by a Black actress; Slate has continued to voice other various characters on the show.
Early life and education Slate was born on March 25, 1982 in Massachusetts to Ron Slate, a businessman and poet who worked as vice president of global communications for the EMC Corporation and later as CEO of a biotech startup, and Nancy (née Gilson), a housewife who also made pottery. She is the middle child of three, with an older sister, Abigail, and younger sister, Stacey. She and her family are Jewish. One of her grandmothers was born in Cuba and was raised in France. After graduating from Milton Academy as valedictorian, Slate attended Columbia University as a literature major, where she helped form the improv group Fruit Paunch, starred in the Varsity Show and met Gabe Liedman, who would become her comedy partner. Slate graduated from Columbia in 2004.
Career She and Gabe Liedman formed the comedy duo Gabe & Jenny. Their stand-up shows with Max Silvestri, "''Big Terrific,"'' were named best new variety show of 2008 by ''Time Out New York''. In 2015, Slate, Liedman, and Silvestri ended the show, citing their busy schedules, though they have since occasionally performed together.Slate first met Liedman in 2000 while attending Columbia University. They describe their relationship as a "nonsexual romance"; Slate says, "I like to think of us as kind of like ''Seinfeld'' characters Elaine Benes and George Costanza, but we like each other." Throughout 2008 and 2009, Slate regularly performed her one-woman show ''Jenny Slate: Dead Millionaire'' at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCBT) in New York City.Slate with comedy partner Gabe Liedman in 2007Slate was a regular commentator on many VH1 "talking head" commentary programs. In early 2009, she had made several appearances on the ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' recurring sketch "7th Floor West", where she played an NBC page also named Jenny, who was later promoted to Fallon's assistant. She had a recurring role in ''Bored to Death''. Slate's guest appearances on television programs include ''Bob's Burgers'', ''Girls'', ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'', ''Important Things with Demetri Martin'' and ''Raising Hope''.Slate joined the cast of ''Saturday Night Live'' for the 2009–10 season. In her first episode, she accidentally said "fucking" during her debut sketch "Biker Chick Chat", which was heard on the live broadcast, but removed from reruns. In various sketches, she impersonated Hoda Kotb, Lady Gaga, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Olsen, and Olympia Snowe. She was best known for Tina-Tina Cheneuse, an infomercial pitchwoman who advertises personalized doorbells, car horns, and alarm clocks. Slate's contract was not renewed for another season. Despite rumors to the contrary, Slate has insisted that her ''SNL'' termination was not due to cursing but rather simply because "I didn't click. "In August 2010, she co-wrote and voiced the animated short film ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'', which garnered viral success. This led to ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, Two''. Slate also wrote a "Marcel"-themed children's book that was released on November 1, 2011.Her first major film role was as Zoe in ''Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked''; more films followed in 2012, including the voice of Ted's mother in ''The Lorax''.Her first appearance in ''Parks and Recreation'' was in the 2013 episode "Bailout", in which she portrayed Mona-Lisa Saperstein. Following her success on the NBC show, Slate released and starred in a 12-episode mini-series on YouTube called ''Catherine'', celebrating late 1980s and early 1990s soap-opera aesthetics. On July 23, 2013, she appeared in ''Drunk History'' retelling the history of how Coca-Cola was made.In 2014, Slate starred in the comedy-drama film ''Obvious Child'', which follows the life of a young stand-up comic as she grapples with an unplanned pregnancy and eventual abortion. Slate went on to win the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Breakout Performance at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Virtuosos Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and Best Comedic Actress at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards for her performance in the film.Slate co-starred with Judy Greer and Nat Faxon in the first season of the FX series ''Married''. She left the series as a series regular in season two, but still appeared in a few episodes. Sarah Burns took her place in the series.Slate appeared as Liz B. in the recurring "PubLIZity" sketches in ''Kroll Show'', as well as many other recurring and one-off characters, performing in some capacity in almost every episode until the series ended in 2015.In 2016, Slate voiced Dawn Bellwether in the Disney animated comedy-adventure film ''Zootopia'' and Gidget in the animated feature ''The Secret Life of Pets''.Slate and her father co-wrote a book titled ''About the House'' about their time living in Slate's childhood home in Milton, Massachusetts, which was published in December 2016.In 2017, Slate starred in the film ''Gifted'' as Bonnie Stevenson, the teacher of a 7-year-old mathematical genius.In October 2019, Slate released a stand-up comedy special on Netflix, titled ''Stage Fright''.Slate published her book titled ''Little Weirds'', about her struggles with and thoughts about life and relationships, in 2019.From 2017 until 2019, Slate voiced the biracial character Missy Foreman-Greenwald on the animated Netflix series ''Big Mouth''. Slate exited the role on June 24, 2020, writing on Instagram that "At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play Missy because her mom is Jewish and White — as am I. But Missy is also Black and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people. "In 2022, she appeared in the critically acclaimed science fiction film ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' as Big Nose. Her character's original name was changed to Debbie the Dog Mom for the film's digital release due to its association with Jewish stereotypes. For her performance, she won, along with the rest of the cast, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Personal life Slate lived in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, before moving with filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp to Los Angeles in the early 2010s. In September 2012, Slate married Fleischer-Camp. They collaborated on the ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'', on both the books, the short films, and later the 2021 feature film. The pair announced their separation in May 2016.She dated actor Chris Evans for a brief period.In September 2019, Slate announced her engagement to art curator and author Ben Shattuck, owner of Davolls General Store. On December 10, 2020, Slate revealed on ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' that she was expecting her first child with Shattuck. On February 3, 2021, Slate announced that she had given birth to a daughter. Shattuck and Slate married in their living room on New Year's Eve 2021, their fourth attempt at a wedding after the first three were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released=== Film === Year  Title  Role  Notes 2010  ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' Marcel (voice)  Short film; also writer 2011  ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Two''  ''Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked'' Zoe  2012  ''This Means War'' Emily  ''The Lorax'' Mrs. Wiggins (voice)  2013  ''Bitch'' Molly Horner  Short film 2014  ''Obvious Child'' Donna Stern  ''The Longest Week'' Jocelyn  ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Three''  Marcel (voice)  Short film; also writer 2015  ''Digging for Fire'' Yoga Couple  2016  ''Joshy'' Jodi  ''Zootopia'' Dawn Bellwether (voice)  ''My Blind Brother'' Rose  ''The Secret Life of Pets'' Gidget (voice)  ''Brain on Fire'' Margo  2017  ''Landline'' Dana Jacobs  ''The Polka King'' Marla Lewan  ''The Lego Batman Movie'' Harley Quinn (voice) ''Gifted'' Bonnie  ''Aardvark'' Emily Milburton  ''Batman is Just Not That Into You'' Harley Quinn (voice)  Short film ''Despicable Me 3'' Valerie Da Vinci (voice)  2018  ''Hotel Artemis'' Morgan  ''Venom'' Dr. Dora Skirth  2019  ''The Sunlit Night'' Frances  Also producer ''The Secret Life of Pets 2'' Gidget (voice)  ''Super Gidget'' Short film 2020  ''On the Rocks'' Vanessa  2021  ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' Marcel (voice)  Also writer and producer 2022  ''I Want You Back'' Emma  ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' Debbie the Dog Mom  ''The Bob's Burgers Movie'' Tammy Larsen (voice)  2024  ''It Ends with Us''   Allysa  Completed ''The Electric State''  TBA  Post-production  TBA  ''The Ark and the Aardvark''  Mitzi (voice)  Post-production===Television=== Year  Title  Role  Notes 2005  ''Starved'' Member of Belt TightenersUncredited; Episode: "The Breatharians" 2008  ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'' Trevor's DateEpisode #2.1 2009  ''Important Things with Demetri Martin'' BrideEpisode: "Chairs" ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' Jenny the Page8 episodes ''Brothers'' Annette2 episodes 2009–2010  ''Saturday Night Live'' Various22 episodes ''Bored to Death'' Stella5 episodes 2011  ''Ugly Americans'' Jaclyn (voice)Episode: "Lily and the Beast" ''The Electric Company'' RunnerEpisode: "Off Target" 2012  ''Raising Hope'' JoanEpisode: "Throw Maw Maw from the House" 2012, 2016  ''Girls'' Tally Schifrin2 episodes 2012–present  ''Bob's Burgers'' Tammy Larsen (voice)54 episodes 2013  ''Hello Ladies'' Amelia Gordon4 episodes ''Super Fun Night'' Helen-AliceUnaired CBS pilot 2013–15  ''Kroll Show'' Various7 episodes 2013–16  ''House of Lies'' Sarah Guggenheim9 episodes 2013–15  ''Parks and Recreation'' Mona-Lisa Saperstein8 episodes 2013–16  ''Drunk History'' Herself3 episodes 2014  ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' BiancaEpisode: "Undercover" ''The Getaway'' HerselfEpisode: "Jenny Slate In Barcelona" 2014–15  ''Married'' Jess14 episodes 2015–19  ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'' Pony Head (voice)25 episodes 2016–18  ''Adventure Time'' Huntress Wizard (voice)3 episodes 2016  ''David: Story of David'' ElizabethWeb series ''Animals'' Snake (voice)Episode: "Squirrels. Part I." ''Zoolander: Super Model'' Nani (voice)Television movie 2016–17  ''Lady Dynamite'' Karen Grisham4 episodes 2017  ''Comrade Detective'' Jane (voice)6 episodes 2017–present  ''Big Mouth'' Missy Foreman-Greenwald (2017–2020), other characters (voice)52 episodes 2018–2022  ''Muppet Babies'' Miss Nanny (voice)69 episodes 2018  ''Clarence'' Pipi / Cookie Mama Cashier / Beatrice (voice)Episode: "Belson Gets a Girlfriend" 2019  ''The Simpsons'' Piper Paisley (voice)Episode: "Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion" ''The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience'' StacyTelevision special ''Jenny Slate: Stage Fright'' HerselfStand-up special 2020  ''Elena of Avalor'' Cahu (voice)Episode: "Coronation Day" 2021–present  ''The Great North'' Judy Tobin (voice)Series regular 2021  ''Q-Force'' (voice)Episode: "Rogue" 2023  ''Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake'' Huntress (voice)Episode: "The Star" 2024  ''Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional'' HerselfStand-up special===Music videos=== Year Title Artist(s) Role 2009 "Threw It On the Ground" The Lonely Island Girlfriend 2019 "Oakland Nights" The Lonely Island (feat. Sia) Stacy===Podcasts===*''Earth Break''
Awards and nominations  Year Nominated work Award Result 2014  ''Obvious Child'' Newport Beach Film Festival Award for Breakout Actress Santa Barbara International Film Festival Award for Virtuoso Award Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Comedic Actress Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screen Couple (with Jake Lacy) 2016''Zootopia''BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award - Best Female Vocal Performance in a Feature Film in a Supporting Role BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award - Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with cast) ''The Secret Life of Pets'' BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award - Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film 2017 ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'' BTVA Television Voice Acting Award - Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role 2018 ''Despicable Me 3'' and ''The Lego Batman Movie'' BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award - Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film (shared with cast) 2020 ''The Secret Life of Pets 2'' Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production 2023 ''Marcel the Shell with Shoes On'' Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production ''Everything Everywhere All at Once''Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
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