Stephnie Weir

Actress and comedian Stephnie Weir parlayed her gift for improvisation and creating broad, Southern-born characters on series like "MadTV" (Fox, 1995-2009), into a booming career as a writer and producer for an array of sitcoms. Born Stephnie Carmel Weir in Odessa, Texas she majored in theater and broadcasting at Odessa Junior College before moving on to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville to pursue a degree in anthropology and women's studios. While in Illinois, Weir began performing improvisations comedy with some of the top troupes in the state, including the legendary Second City and ImprovOlympics. She also formed a comedy duo with actor Robert Dassie, whom she would marry in 2001, and began appearing in minor roles on television series and independent features. In 2000, she earned her breakout showcase as a featured performer and writer on "MadTV," where she earned critical praise for impersonations of Anna Nicole Smith, Reba McIntire and First Lady Laura Bush. By 2005, Weir was landing roles in features like "Fun with Dick and Jane," and announced her departure from the sketch comedy series; however, the high turnover of cast members at the end of its tenth season that year prompted the producers to ask Weir to stay with "MadTV" until the midpoint of the next season. After finally parting ways with "MadTV" in 2006, Weir worked on a variety of TV and film projects, including the short-lived ABC series "Big Day" (2006-2007) and writing and producing for "Raising Hope" (Fox, 2010-2014) and "The Millers" (CBS, 2013-2015). Weir was soon remarkably busy both in front of and behind the camera; in the former capacity, she co-starred on "The Comedians" (FX, 2015) with Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, and made memorable guest appearances on "Childrens Hospital" (The WB.com/Adult Swim, 2008-), "Key & Peele" (Comedy Central, 2012-15), where she played Savannah, Hilary Clinton's livid "anger translator," and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (The CW, 2015-). She also teamed with "Raising Hope" producer Greg Garcia to create two new comedy series: "The Job Squad," a sitcom, based on the ITV series "The Job Lot" (ITV, 2013-), about characters in an unemployment office for ABC, and "Y'all in the Family," about the travails of a small town conservative family, for CBS.