Jenny Slate

Born in Milton, Massachusetts, in 1982, Jenny Slate established a career as a multifaceted performer, screenwriter, and producer. After graduating as valedictorian from Milton Academy and studying literature at Columbia University, she transitioned from live comedy in New York City to widespread television and film roles, ultimately garnering recognition for both her comedic timing and dramatic range.

Early Career and Comedy

During her time at Columbia University, Slate participated in the improv group Fruit Paunch and starred in the Varsity Show. In 2008, she collaborated with comedy partner Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri on the variety show Big Terrific, which Time Out New York recognized as the best new variety show of that year. Throughout 2008 and 2009, she performed her one-woman show, Jenny Slate: Dead Millionaire, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Her early screen presence included commentary on VH1 and recurring sketches on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

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Television and Animation Work

Slate joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 2009–2010 season. She later secured recurring roles in various sitcoms including Bob’s Burgers, Parks and Recreation, House of Lies, and Kroll Show. Beyond live-action, she established an extensive voice acting career. Her credits include The Lorax, Zootopia, The Secret Life of Pets, The Lego Batman Movie, and Despicable Me 3. She also voiced Missy Foreman-Greenwald in the Netflix series Big Mouth until 2020.

Breakthrough and Filmography

The 2014 comedy-drama Obvious Child marked a critical turning point in her acting career, earning her a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy. She followed this with a dramatic turn as Bonnie Stevenson in Gifted. Her production work includes the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On franchise, co-created with former spouse Dean Fleischer Camp. In 2022, she joined the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Writing and Authorship

Slate has published multiple written works. In 2011, she released a children's book based on the Marcel the Shell character. She collaborated with her father, Ronald Slate, on the 2016 book About the House, which explored their shared history in her childhood home. In 2019, she published the book Little Weirds, a collection focusing on her personal reflections regarding life and relationships.