Maya Rudolph - Comedienne, Timeline and Facts

Maya Rudolph was born on 27 July 1972 in Florida to Minnie Riperton, a well-known singer and songwriter, and Richard Rudolph, a composer, lyricist and producer. She has a brother named Marc, who grew up to become a music engineer. Her mother passed away due to cancer when Maya Rudolph was seven years old.

Her family moved to California when she was very young. She did her schooling at St. Augustine by the Sea School during her teenage years and later graduated from the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California.

She then enrolled for a course in photography at the University of California in 1990 and completed her graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Porter College in 1995. While in college, she formed a musical band ‘Supersauce’ with her fellow students.

After college, Maya Rudolph pursued her interest of comedy and began her career with the improv comedy troop ‘The Groundlings’. She was able to perform well and showcase her talent in acting during this phase. She also appeared in minor roles in movies like ‘As Good As It Gets’ (1997), ‘Gattaca’ (1997), and TV series ‘Chicago Hope’ (1996-1997).

In 2000, she got a major break in her career by joining ‘Saturday Night Live’ – a popular television live comedy show, as a featured player for three seasons between the years 1999 -2000. Along with her acting capabilities, her talent as a singer was often used throughout the show. In the year 2000 she also bagged a recurring role in the TV series ‘City of Angels’.

In 2001, Maya Rudolph got promoted as a cast member on the ‘Saturday Night Live’ show. She was much appreciated for her command over a wide range of accents that allowed her to portray different cultures and personalities with ease. A few of the ethnicities she portrayed includes Hispanic, Asian, North European and Black.

She made her last appearance on the ‘Saturday Night Live’ show in November 2007. However, she appeared on the show as a guest in 2008, 2009 and 2010. She made a comeback on the show in 2012 as a host. During her time in the show, she performed more than 50 celebrity impressions. Most popular of these include Barbra Streisand, Christina Aguilera, Darcel Wynne, Diana Ross, Halle Berry, Ivanka Trump, Jennifer Lopez, Lisa Kudrow, Lisa Ling, Michelle Obama, Nelly Furtado, Paris Hilton, Tyra Banks, Valerie Simpson and Whitney Houston.

Her first major movie role came in 2006 with the film ‘A Prairie Home Companion’. She also co- starred in the movie ‘Idiocracy’ that released later that year.

In 2007, she gave her voice to the character of Rapunzel in the movie ‘Shrek the Third’. Other moves that she has voice acted include ‘Zookeeper’ (2011), ‘Turbo’ (2013), ‘The Nut Job’ (2014), ‘Big Hero 6’ (2014) and ‘Strange Magic’ (2015).

In 2010, Maya Rudolph acted in the movie ‘Grown Ups’ starring Adam Sandler. The next year she appeared in the movie’ Bridesmaids’. In 2011, she also acted in ‘Friends with Kids’.

In 2013, she appeared in a supporting role in the film ‘The Way, Way Back’. She also co-starred in the situational comedy ‘Up All Night’. The following year she appeared in the crime comedy –drama film ‘Inherent Vice’.

In May 2014, a television pilot of Universal Television’s ‘The Maya Rudolph Show’ was aired. The show was an attempt to revisit the classic variety show format. Maya Rudolph co-produced and starred in it.

In 2015, she played roles in the romantic comedy movie ‘Maggie’s Plan’ and musical comedy film ‘A Very Murray Christmas’. Upcoming projects include comedy film ‘Sisters’ (2015), drama film ‘We Don’t Belong Here’ (2016) and voice role in animated comedy ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ (2016).

Maya Rudolph is best known for her impressions of various ethnicities and accurate celebrity impressions in the ‘Saturday Night Live’ TV show. Her performances garnered a huge fan following in a limited period of time.

Maya Rudolph came into a relationship with American film director and producer Paul Thomas Anderson in 2001. They have four children together, Pearl Bailey Anderson (2005), Lucille Anderson (2009), Jackson Wright Anderson (2011) and Minnie Ida Anderson (2013).