Heidi Gardner
{{Short description|American comedian (born 1983)}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Heidi Gardner (NYCC Interview 2016) 01.png
| image_upright =
| caption = Gardner being interviewed for SuperMansion at the 2016 New York Comic Con
| birth_name = Heidi Lynn Gardner{{cite web | url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_JLzUzJKpH0 | title=43 for 43: Heidi Gardner - SNL | website=YouTube | date=18 October 2017 }}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|7|27}}
| birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Actress
- comedian
- writer}}
| education = University of Kansas
University of Missouri
| spouse = {{marriage|Zeb Wells|2010|2023|reason=divorce}}{{cite web | url=https://www.lizmoody.com/thelizmoodypodcast-heidi-gardner/ | title=Advice Ep! SNL's Heidi Gardner on Getting Through Breakups, How to Love Sports, Overcoming Public Speaking Fears, Figuring Out the Best Career & More | date=29 January 2024 }}
| years_active = 2011–present
}}
Heidi Lynn Gardner{{cite web | url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_JLzUzJKpH0 | title=43 for 43: Heidi Gardner - SNL | website=YouTube | date=18 October 2017 }} (born July 27, 1983){{Cite news|title=Almanac: Today's Birthdays|author=|date=July 27, 2024|work=Dubuque Telegraph-Herald|page=A3|quote=Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 49. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 47. Actor/comedian Heidi Gardner is 41. Actor Taylor Schilling is 40. Golfer Jordan Spieth is 31.|id={{ProQuest|3085732594}}}} See also:
- {{Cite news|title=Today in History: Today's Birthdays|author=|date=July 27, 2018|work=Dubuque Telegraph-Herald|page=A2|quote=Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 43. Actor Seamus Dever is 42. Actor Jonathan Rhys (rees) Meyers is 41. Actress/comedian Heidi Gardner is 35. Actor Blair Redford is 35. Actress Taylor Schilling is 34. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 28. Golfer Jordan Spieth is 25.|id={{ProQuest|2077225829}}}} is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since season 43 in 2017, when she debuted as a featured player. She was promoted to repertory status on the show in 2019.
Early life, family, and education
Gardner was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.{{cite web |title= Heidi Gardner |url=https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/credits/repertory-player/heidi-gardner |website=nbc.com |access-date=August 18, 2020}} She has an older brother, Justin.{{cite news |last1= Gutierrez |first1=Lisa |title=This KC native is being hailed as the next household name on 'Saturday Night Live' |url=https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article175644981.html |access-date=August 18, 2020 |publisher= | work= The Kansas City Star |date=September 27, 2017}}
Heidi Gardner worked part-time at the Tivoli Theater in Kansas City as a child, where she did everything "from selling tickets to making popcorn". She later credited the theater as "setting the tone in her life".{{cite interview|interviewer1-first=Diana |interviewer1-last=Lambdin Meyer |title=My Kansas City: Interview With SNL's Heidi Gardner |url=https://www.visitkc.com/visitors/things-do/entertainment/my-kansas-city-interview-snls-heidi-gardner |website= visitkc.com |access-date= August 18, 2020}} She was not interested in acting as a teenager, only performing on stage as a flautist for the school band and doing comedy sketches in school talent shows.{{cite web |last1=Cizmar |first1=Martin |title=How Heidi Gardner went from a hairstylist taking improv classes to Saturday Night Live star |url=https://www.kansascitymag.com/how-heidi-gardner-went-from-a-hair-stylist-taking-improv-classes-to-saturday-night-live-star/ |website= kansascitymag.com |access-date= August 18, 2020 |date=August 21, 2019 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210515120711/https://www.kansascitymag.com/how-heidi-gardner-went-from-a-hair-stylist-taking-improv-classes-to-saturday-night-live-star/ |url-status=dead }} She graduated from the all-girls Catholic high school Notre Dame de Sion in southern Kansas City in 2001. In her senior year, her classmates voted her "most likely to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live".
After graduation, Gardner followed in a friend's footsteps and enrolled at the University of Kansas for two years before transferring to the University of Missouri for a semester. At the time, she was uninterested in school and often skipped classes, but discovered a fondness for cutting hair.
Career
At age 21, Gardner dropped out of college and left Kansas City for Los Angeles, where she worked at a hair salon for nine years.{{cite web |author1=Coy Dugger |title=How Kansas City Native Heidi Gardner Ended Up On Saturday Night Live |url=https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2018-05-25/how-kansas-city-native-heidi-gardner-ended-up-on-saturday-night-live |website=kcur.org |access-date=August 18, 2020}} Before moving, she saved $600 over one summer.{{cite web |last1=Steinberg |first1=Brian |title='SNL': Heidi Gardner's Kooky 'Weekend Update' Characters Make News |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/heidi-gardner-saturday-night-live-nbc-bailey-gismert-1203412770/ |website=Variety |access-date=August 18, 2020 |date=November 22, 2019}} A friend encouraged her to attend a performance at The Groundlings theater, where she became inspired to become an actress. Lacking acting experience, Gardner enrolled in community workshops to learn the basics of improvisation. Once she was comfortable performing, Gardner auditioned for the Groundlings basic class and was accepted.
In 2014, Gardner joined the Sunday Company and a year later after a promotion to the Main Company, she quit her job as a hairstylist to focus on acting. During that time, she became a voice actress,{{cite news |last=Bradley |first=Nina |url= https://www.bustle.com/p/who-is-heidi-gardner-the-new-snl-cast-member-is-someone-you-should-get-to-know-asap-2453247 |title=Who Is Heidi Gardner? The New 'SNL' Cast Member Is Someone You Should Get To Know ASAP |work=Bustle |date=September 26, 2017 }} regularly appearing on animated series including Bratz, SuperMansion, and Mike Tyson Mysteries.{{cite news |last=Hatchett |first=Keisha |url= https://www.themarysue.com/video-interview-supermansion-cast/ |title=TMS Interviews the SuperMansion Cast About Santa's Existential Crisis and Jordan Peele's Get Out |work=The Mary Sue |date=October 13, 2016 |access-date=September 26, 2017}} In 2017, she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) along with Luke Null and Chris Redd for its forty-third season, as featured players.
After her first year on SNL, Gardner was hired to play Leonor in the Ben Falcone-directed film Life of the Party, alongside Melissa McCarthy, Falcone's wife. On August 28, 2019, TVLine reported that Gardner would have a guest role on the NBC comedy series Superstore, playing Dina Fox's nemesis Colleen who is transferred to Store 1217 after Cloud 9's Bel-Ridge location is shut down.{{cite web |last1=Schwartz |first1=Ryan |title=Superstore Season 5: Justina Machado to Recur, SNL's Heidi Gardner Also Cast |url=https://tvline.com/2019/08/28/superstore-season-5-justina-machado-cast-new-district-manager/ |website=TVLine |access-date=28 August 2019 |language=en |date=28 August 2019}} In 2019, Gardner made her stage debut in Michael Frayn's Noises Off at The Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.{{cite news |last=Gans |first=Andrew |url= http://www.playbill.com/article/jeremy-webb-janine-lamanna-jennifer-cody-join-snls-heidi-gardner-in-noises-off-at-cape-playhouse |title=Jeremy Webb, Janine LaManna, Jennifer Cody Join SNL's Heidi Gardner in Noises Off at Cape Playhouse |work=Playbill |date=August 7, 2019 |access-date=December 21, 2019}} That same year, she and SNL castmate Redd were promoted to Repertory Status for SNL's 45th season.{{cite news|last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title='SNL' Promotes Heidi Gardner & Chris Redd To Full Cast Members |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/snlheidi-gardner-chris-redd-promoted-full-cast-members-in-season-45-saturday-night-live-1202743803/ |access-date=September 24, 2019 |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=September 24, 2019 }}
By the time of season 47, which was her fifth season on SNL, she still felt like "the new kid", because by that point, outside of Leslie Jones, most of the senior cast members from her first season were still there.{{cite web | url=https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/heidi-gardner-snl-interview-2021 | title=Heidi Gardner Was a Career Hairstylist. Then She Tried Comedy }} This was due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing those senior cast members from leaving the show earlier.{{cite web|last=Dellatto |first=Marisa |title=Lorne Michaels Says 'SNL' Cast Member Exodus Was A Result Of The Pandemic |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/09/23/lorne-michaels-says-snl-cast-member-exodus-was-a-result-of-the-pandemic/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Forbes |language=en}} By the time season 47 had concluded, and season 48 was underway, several senior cast members (such as Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, and Cecily Strong - who left midway through season 48) had left the show, and Gardner (who, by that point, was in her sixth season) talked about being grateful for now being one of the senior cast members, and has enjoyed being "passed the ball more."{{cite web | url=https://deadline.com/2023/06/heidi-gardner-is-an-snl-senior-now-she-loves-it-1235423891/ | title=Heidi Gardner is an 'SNL' Senior Now & She Loves It | date=24 June 2023 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQZaV9ERbEM&t=376s | title=Heidi Gardner SNL Season 48 Interview | website=YouTube | date=12 June 2023 }}
Gardner, who had never broken character in seven seasons on SNL, cracked while playing NewsNation host Bobbi Moore in a Beavis and Butt-Head-centered sketch on April 13, 2024.{{cite web |last1=Tinoco |first1=Armando |title=Heidi Gardner Says She Was Afraid To Break Character On 'SNL': "I Thought I'd Get Fired" |url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/heidi-gardner-afraid-break-character-snl-fired-1235904635/ |website=Deadline |access-date=15 May 2024 |date=4 May 2024}} Vulture magazine described the moment as breaking in "spectacularly charming fashion".{{Cite web |last=Ivie |first=Devon |date=2024-04-15 |title=Heidi Gardner Couldn't Prepare for What She Saw |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-heidi-gardner-beavis-and-butthead-sketch-interview.html |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Vulture |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Lexy |date=2024-04-16 |title=Heidi Gardner Reacts to Breaking Character During 'SNL' 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch: "I Lost It" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/heidi-gardner-reacts-snl-beavis-and-butt-head-sketch-1235874970/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=2024-04-16 |title='SNL' Star Heidi Gardner Says 'Anxiety Set in' After Breaking So Hard During 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch: 'I'll Never Be Able to Shake' What I Saw |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/snl-heidi-gardner-breaking-beavis-and-butthead-sketch-1235972462/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-16 |title='SNL' Star Heidi Gardner Feels Terrible She Broke Character During 'Beavis And Butt-Head' Skit |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/snl-star-heidi-gardner-feels-terrible-she-broke-character-during-beavis-and-butt-head-skit_n_661e9fa8e4b046441aa31524 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Ortiz |first=Andi |date=2024-04-16 |title=SNL: Heidi Gardner Explains Why She Lost It in 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch |url=https://www.thewrap.com/snl-heidi-gardner-explains-why-she-cracked-up-beavis-butt-head-sketch/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-18 |title='SNL' shows behind-the-scenes footage of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' skit that broke Heidi Gardner |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/snl-beavis-butthead-skit-rcna147797 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=2024-04-16 |title=Heidi Gardner Explains Butt-Head Crack-Up On Last Saturday's 'SNL' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/heidi-gardner-beavis-butt-head-1235886944/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
;
; Recurring characters on Saturday Night Live{{Cite web|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=2019-11-22|title='SNL': Heidi Gardner's Kooky 'Weekend Update' Characters Make News|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/heidi-gardner-saturday-night-live-nbc-bailey-gismert-1203412770/|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Variety|language=en}}
- Angel (Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever), a distressed woman who tries to give "Weekend Update's Good News Report" but inevitably derails into melodramatic rants about her boyfriend's dangerous boxing career
- Bailey Gismert, a teen film critic who gives awkward reviews
- Brie Bacardi, one half of a shallow couple always on the brink of an argument, who runs a relationship-themed Instagram account with her boyfriend Nico Slobkin (Mikey Day)
- Baskin Johns, a woman who works for Goop and gets worried that she will be fired by Gwyneth Paltrow
- Mandy, a cousin of a celebrity who shames their movie careers
- Sandy, a joyful cook on a baking reality competition show who is qualified and skilled but often gets passed over as a winner for more poorly-constructed and eccentric cakes
- Tamra, an intern who pitches Instagram captions for Mattel's Barbie account
- Deidre, one half of a couple who describes their vacation to their friends, naïvely misinterpreting poor experiences as prestigious culture
- Crystal (Your Co-Worker Who is Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing), who comes to Weekend Update to complain about her job, although it's unclear what she actually does
;
Personal life
Gardner is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals. From 2010 to 2023, she was married to Marvel Comics creator Zeb Wells, whom she met while she was a member of the Groundlings.{{cite web |last1=Hoedel |first1=Cindy |title=IN Conversation with Heidi Gardner |url=https://www.inkansascity.com/innovators-influencers/people/in-conversation-with-heidi-gardner/ |website= inkansascity.com |access-date=August 18, 2020 |date=August 1, 2019}}{{cite web | url=https://www.lizmoody.com/thelizmoodypodcast-heidi-gardner/ | title=Advice Ep! SNL's Heidi Gardner on Getting Through Breakups, How to Love Sports, Overcoming Public Speaking Fears, Figuring Out the Best Career & More | website= lizmoody.com | publisher=| date=29 January 2024 |accessdate= }}
When she is not in New York City, working on Saturday Night Live, she resides in Leawood, Kansas (south of Kansas City) in a mid-century modern home she purchased in 2021.{{Cite web |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2024/09/06/heidi-gardner-overland-park-house.html |title= Homegrown celebrity returns to her roots with KC-area house renovation |last= Cagle | first= Ellen |date= 2024-09-06 |access-date= 2024-10-29 |website= Kansas City Business Journal| via= bizjournals.com}}{{Cite web |last=Studach |first=Mel |date= 2024-10-29 |title=Inside SNL Star Heidi Gardner's Midcentury Home, a Disco Fantasy Come True |url= https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/heidi-gardner-inside-the-snl-stars-midcentury-disco-fantasy |access-date=2024-10-29 |website= Architectural Digest |language=en-US}}{{Cite AV media |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afusCwUyz2A&feature=youtu.be |title=Inside 'SNL' Star Heidi Gardner's Midcentury Kansas City Home {{!}} Open Door |date=2024-10-29 |last= | publisher= Architectural Digest |access-date=2024-10-29 |via=YouTube}}
Filmography
Film
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2014
| Dibs! | Erica | |
| rowspan="2" | 2018
| Leonor | |
| Making Babies
| Meg | |
| 2019
| Erin | |
| rowspan="2" | 2022
| Hustle | Kat Merrick | |
| Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
| Last Baker | Voice role |
| 2023
| Leo | Eli's mom | Voice role{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2023|title=Everything You Need to Know About Leo |url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/leo-adam-sandler-release-date-photos |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Tudum |language=en}} |
Television
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2017, 2019
| Old Woman, Jennifer | 2 episodes |
| 2017–present
| Various | |
| rowspan="5" | 2019
| Mona | Episode: "Chase Turns Fourteen" |
| Veep
| Amanda White | Episode: "Discovery Weekend" |
| Alien News Desk
| Tuva Van Void (voice) | 12 episodes |
| American Dad!
| Various voices | Episode: "Lost Boys" |
| Superstore
| Colleen | Episode: "Forced Hire" |
| 2020
| Jenny | Special: "Kimmy vs the Reverend" |
| rowspan="2" | 2021
| Becca (voice) | Episode: "Houseguest From Hell" |
| Crank Yankers
| Herself (voice) | Episode: "Chelsea Peretti, Heidi Gardner & J.B. Smoove" |
| rowspan="3" | 2022
| Herself (Judge) | Episode: "Toying Around" |
| Girls5eva
| Cara | Episode: "Album Mode" |
| That Damn Michael Che
| | Episode: "Higher Power" |
| 2023–2024
| Grace | 10 episodes |
| 2025
| You | Kim Kramer | Episode: "#JoeGoldberg" |
Web
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Adult Wednesday | Hairdresser | Episode: "The Haircut" |
| Bratz
| Yasmin (voice) | 8 episodes |
| 2015–19
| Cooch, Various voices | 46 episodes |
| 2016
| Patient | Episode: "Why Are My Nipples Pixelated?" |
Audio
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2020
| Various voices | 10 episodes |
| 2021
|Harley Quinn, Miss Tuesday | |
Stage
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Locations |
|---|
| 2019
| Brooke Ashton/Vicki | The Cape Playhouse |
Writing credits
Web
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Notes |
|---|
| 2015
| Bratz | 3 episodes |
| 2015–17
| 11 episodes |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Instagram}}
- {{IMDb name}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Heidi}}
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri
Category:American film actresses
Category:American impressionists (entertainers)
Category:American sketch comedians
Category:American television actresses
Category:American voice actresses
Category:American women comedians