Ellie Kemper is an American actress, comedian, and writer who is best known for her roles in The Office, Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street, and the Netflix original series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. For her lead role as Kimmy Schmidt on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kemper has received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Kemper, who was born in Kansas City, Missouri, is the older sister of television writer Carrie Kemper. When she was five, her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she attended Conway Elementary School in Ladue before graduating from John Burroughs High School. In high school, one of her teachers was actor Jon Hamm, with whom she appeared in a school play. After high school, Kemper graduated from Princeton University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After Princeton, Kemper attended the University of Oxford, where she studied at Worcester College towards a graduate degree in English. So not only is she hilarious, gorgeous, and talented but she’s wildly intelligent as well.
Kemper got her big break after she auditioned for a role in NBC’s Parks and Recreation. While she was not cast in the role, she received a call back to audition for a supporting role in The Office as Erin Hannon, a secretary filling in for the regular secretary Pam Beesly when she briefly left the job at the end of the fifth season. Kemper did eventually nail down that role and became an instant star.
Following The Office, Kemper went on to star in mega-hits such as Bridesmaid and Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.