Ellie Kemper Biography
Ellie Kemper is an American award-winning comedian and actress known for appearing in many films and tv shows. Some of these films and shows include “The Office”, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, “Bridesmaids”, and “Sex Tape”, just to name a few.
Ellie Kemper Age
Kemper was born on May 2, 1980, in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. She is therefore 43 years old as of 2023. She celebrates her birthday on the 2nd of May every year. Her real names are Elizabeth Claire Kemper.
Ellie Kemper Height
Kemper stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 5 inches.
Ellie Kemper Family
Kemper was born to her loving parents, David W. Kemper (father) and Dorothy Ann Jannarone (mother). She grew up in Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri alongside her 3 siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister): Carrie Kemper (sister), Billy Kemper (brother), and John Kemper (brother). She is the 2nd-born among her siblings.
Her paternal lineage includes notable family connections – her paternal grandfather is Mildred Lane Kemper, who is honored as the namesake of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis. Furthermore, she is the great-great-granddaughter of William Thornton Kemper Sr., a prominent banker. Kemper’s heritage comprises Italian (from her maternal grandpa), German, French, and English ancestry. Throughout her upbringing and to this day, she identifies as a practicing Roman Catholic.
Ellie Kemper Father
Kemper’s dad, David W. Kemper, holds a prominent position as the executive chairman of the bank holding company, Commerce Bancshares, which was established by the Kemper family. He is a proud alumnus of Harvard University and Worcester College, Oxford University. He graduated with a Master of Arts. in English Literature, as well as a Master of Business Administration.
Ellie Kemper Sister
Kemper’s sister Carrie Kemper is a famous Emmy Award-winning TV writer who had a role as a staff writer on The Office (the NBC sitcom). She is also known for the movie “Finding Frances”. Carrie is 39 years old a of 2023 having been born on March 16, 1984.
Ellie Kemper Husband
Kemper is married to her lovely spouse, Michael Koman (a famous Jewish comedy writer). They tied the knot on July 7, 2012. They had their engagement in the year 2012. Kemper and her husband first met backstage at “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, and they even shared the experience of appearing together in at least 1 sketch.
Ellie Kemper Children
Kemper and he husband take great pride in being mom and dad to their 2 sons, James and Matthew. James is 6 years old as of 2022 having been born in August 2016. Matthew is 3 years old as of 2022 having been born in September 2019. During Kemper’s appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, she mentioned that her husband, who is Jewish, had consented to raise their kids in the Roman Catholic faith.
Ellie Kemper Net Worth
Kemper has an estimated net worth of $9 Million which she has earned through her successful career as an Actress and Comedian.
Ellie Kemper Education
Kemper is a proud 2002 alumnus of Princeton University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English. During her time at Princeton University, Kemper was involved in various activities. She joined the improv comedy group called Quipfire, which was known for playing elaborate pranks. She was also a member of the Ivy Club, one of the university’s social organizations. As part of her undergraduate studies, she worked on a senior thesis titled “Isn’t It Ironic?”, which was supervised by Susan Wolfson and received input from Ulrich C. Knoepflmacher.
In her sophomore year, Kemper was part of Princeton’s field hockey team, which won the national championship in 1998. However, she admitted that she spent most of her time on the bench, estimating that she played only about 3% of the time. The following year, she decided to shift her focus to theater and left the field hockey team. She also spent a year at Worcester College, Oxford, pursuing a master’s degree in English literature.
Kemper’s educational journey took her to Conway Elementary School, located in the well-to-do suburb of Ladue. She then attended John Burroughs School for her high school years, where her passion for theater and improv comedy began to blossom. It was during this time that she had the opportunity to work alongside actor Jon Hamm in a school play, under the guidance of one of her teachers.
Ellie Kemper Career
Kemper’s acting and comedy career has made her appear in multiple movies and television shows. Besides acting and performing comedy, she has also recorded an audiobook named “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo”. She released it in the year 2018. Also, in the following year, she released an audiobook “The Legends of Greemulax”.
Comedy and Acting Career
Kemper’s interest in improv comedy began when she was in high school, and it continued during her time in college, at Princeton University. She joined Quipfire!, a comedy group, and the Princeton Triangle Club, known for musical comedy. She even appeared in a Dunkin’ Donuts radio ad.
Kemper got her Screen Actors Guild card by doing a commercial for Kmart, where she camped with an onscreen husband and had a tarantula crawl on her face. She appeared in comedy sketches on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and guest starred on shows like Important Things with Demetri Martin and The Gastineau Girls, which helped her gain recognition. Even though The Gastineau Girls was a reality show, Kemper’s role was scripted, meaning she acted out a planned character. She also wrote sketch comedy shows with Scott Eckert, her comedy partner from Princeton. Kemper wrote for The Onion, a satirical newspaper, and McSweeney’s. She contributed to HuffPost too.
After moving to New York City, Kemper performed at the People’s Improv Theatre and the Upright Citizens Brigade, doing improv and sketch comedy. She was part of teams like Mailer Daemon and fwand at the UCB. Kemper auditioned for Saturday Night Live in 2008 but didn’t get cast. She was recognized as one of Variety magazine’s “10 Comics To Watch” in 2009.
Kemper appeared in a comedic video called “Blowjob Girl” that gained attention online. She later said she didn’t like the video and didn’t want it to define her work. She also wrote an article for CollegeHumor. Kemper had small roles in movies like Mystery Team and Somewhere. She gained prominence with her role in the hit comedy film Bridesmaids in 2011.
Kemper auditioned for Parks and Recreation but didn’t get that role. However, she got a call to audition for The Office and was cast as Erin Hannon, a secretary. The character was changed to match Kemper’s own personality. She became a regular cast member starting in the sixth season and was well-received by the show’s writers.
Television Appearances
Kemper is known for appearing in numerous tv shows. Her first tv show appearance was “Sexual Intercourse: American Style” in the year 2006. The 2nd show to appear was “Redeeming Rainbow” and “Mister Glasses” in 2007. She appeared in “Important Things with Demetri Martin” and “The Office” in 2009.
Kemper’s portrayal in The Office garnered rave reviews from critics. Alan Sepinwall, a television columnist for The Star-Ledger, commended her for bringing an “infectious joy and sweetness” to the show. Erin, her character, was hailed by Joshua Ostroff of Eye Weekly as one of the standout new television characters of the 2008-2009 season, describing her as uniquely adorable, open-minded, and genuinely kind, which added a refreshing dynamic to the office. Andy Shaw of TV Fodder noted that Kemper injected a sense of freshness into the ensemble cast, while Josh McAuliffe of The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pennsylvania, appreciated Erin’s cheerful and endearingly goofy personality.
Following her memorable stint on The Office, Kemper took on the lead role in the Netflix original comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Her performance as the resilient and determined former abductee navigating life in New York received widespread acclaim. Kemper’s remarkable portrayal earned her multiple nominations for prestigious awards like the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
In a delightful departure from her usual roles, Kemper temporarily co-hosted the Today show alongside Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Tamron Hall, and Willie Geist in the summer of 2015. Additionally, she appeared as a guest judge on the fourteenth season of America’s Got Talent in 2019, bringing her wit and charm to the judging panel.
Awards and Honors
Over the years of her career, Kemper has been a proud nominee for various awards: 7 Screen Actors Guild Awards, 1 Critics’ Choice Movie Award, 3 Satellite Awards, 2 Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and 2 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Ellie Kemper Baking Show
Kemper co-hosts “The Great American Baking Show” with Zach Cherry (a famous actor), which aired on The Roku Channel. It is a show that is a United States adaptation of “The Great British Bake-Off” (a British series), which is on Netflix. In this series, Zach and Kemper take viewers into the iconic tent to watch competitors competing to become the next top baker in the United States of America. The show premiered on May 4, 2023.
Ellie Kemper Controversy
When Kemper was 19 years old in the year 1999, she was introduced as a debutante at the Veiled Prophet Ball and chosen as the Veiled Prophet’s Queen of Love and Beauty. However, in 2021, this event became the subject of controversy due to its historical association with racism and elitism. This prompted Kemper to address the issue and release a statement. She expressed her denouncement of white supremacy and apologized for her participation in the event. Kemper acknowledged that although she was unaware of the event’s racist, sexist, and elitist history at the time, she recognized that she was old enough to have educated herself about it.
Ellie Kemper Book / Author
Kemper has authored one book, “My Squirrel Days”, and she published it in the year 2018. The book is available on Amazon.
Ellie Kemper Movies and TV Shows
TV Shows
Kemper has appeared in many television shows such as;
- The Simpsons
- America’s Got Talent
- Live in Front of a Studio Audience
- At Home with Amy Sedaris
- The Who Was? Show
- Julie’s Greenroom
- All Hail King Julien
- Animals.
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Comedy Bang! Bang!
- American Dad!
- The Office
Films
Kemper has also appeared in many movies such as;
- Home Sweet Home Alone
- The Stand In
- We Bare Bears: The Movie
- Sex Tape
- The Nobodies
- The Secret Life of Pets 2
- Smurfs: The Lost Village
- The Lego Batman Movie
- The Secret Life of Pets
- 21 Jump Street
Ellie Kemper Social Media Platforms
She is active on her social media accounts and is often seen posting on her Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. She has over 1.2M followers on Instagram.
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