Michaela Watkins

Early life

Watkins was born in 1971 in Syracuse, New York, the daughter of former Latin teacher mother Myrna Watkins and Syracuse University mathematician father Mark Watkins. She has two sisters, Rebecca Kent and Sarah Fitts.

Watkins was raised in DeWitt, New York, a suburb of Syracuse, in a Jewish family.

Watkins attended Moses DeWitt Elementary School in DeWitt and Wellesley High School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston University, where she studied theater and acting. Watkins auditioned for a part in a British farce at a community theater when she was 15, and got the part. Joan Rivers was one of her inspirations to go into show business.

Career

Theater

After theater school, Watkins lived and worked in New York City for a year but struggled to build her career. She moved with a friend to Portland, Oregon. She lived there from 1996 to 2000 and appeared onstage with Portland Center Stage and the defunct improv group Toad City Productions. She traveled around the country doing regional theater, then decided to move to Los Angeles.

She was active in Los Angeles Theatre for many years, taking on roles with Circle X Theatre and 2100 Square Feet.

Regional theater

• Portland Center Stage: Hamlet (1999), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (1999), Bus Stop (2000)
• Portland Repertory Theatre: Arcadia
• Artist Repertory Theatre: The Misanthrope, How I Learned To Drive as well as Merchant of Venice, The Winter's Tale
• triangle productions: Angels in America, The Food Chain
• Circle X Theatre: Laura Comstock's Bag Punching Dog (2002) – LA Weekly award, Sperm (2004)
• Vineyard Playhouse: Fighting Words by Sunil Kuruvilla (2003)

Improv

She became a regular performer at The Groundlings, where she was discovered by Saturday Night Live. Watkins said the appeal of sketch work is that she can write her own material.

Television

''Saturday Night Live''

In November 2008, Watkins joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Watkins said (at that time) that she was the oldest woman they ever hired. Watkins remained on SNL as a featured player throughout the rest of the 2008–2009 season, up to the season finale on May 16, 2009.

However, while SNL was on summer hiatus, the news broke in early September 2009 that Watkins, along with fellow castmate Casey Wilson, were both to be let go from the show and would not be returning for the 2009–10 season.

Recurring character on ''SNL''

• Angie Tempura: A geeky, iced coffee-drinking computer nerd who snarks on celebrities and movies and is the creator of the snarky website "Bitch Pleeze" (www.bitchpleeze.com, which redirects to the SNL site). Though she insults celebrities, Angie was revealed to have a crush on Zac Efron.

Later TV credits

She recurred as Lucy opposite Hamish Linklater in the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, as well as appearing in recurring roles in the comedy programs Enlightened, New Girl, and Anger Management. She has also made guest appearances on shows such as Hung, Childrens Hospital, Kroll Show, Key & Peele, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Modern Family.

Watkins also starred alongside Malin Åkerman, Bradley Whitford, and Marcia Gay Harden in the short-lived, but well-received ABC sitcom Trophy Wife. The series aired for one season from September 2013 to May 2014.

In 2015, it was announced that Watkins would star in the Hulu series produced by Jason Reitman called Casual, which would be executive produced by Liz Tigelaar.

In 2018, she recurred on season two of the Amazon Prime series Catastrophe, playing the sister of lead character Rob Norris (Rob Delaney). From 2019 to 2021, she has co-starred on the CBS sitcom The Unicorn.

Producing, writing

Watkins co-created (with writing partner and fellow Groundling, Damon Jones) the short-lived 2014 USA Network comedy series Benched. The series starred Eliza Coupe and Jay Harrington and premiered on October 28, 2014. Watkins and Jones were also executive producers on the show.

Film

Watkins has appeared in supporting roles in films such as Enough Said, In a World..., Afternoon Delight, The Back-Up Plan, Wanderlust, They Came Together and Lazy Eye.

In 2023, Watkins starred in Suze.

Podcasts

In 2020, Watkins appeared in the supporting role of Irene O'Connor in the musical podcast In Strange Woods.

Personal life

Watkins is married to Fred Kramer, who is a founding partner of Reason Ventures and General Manager of Critical Mass Studios, Inc. Kramer used to be Executive Director of the Jewish World Watch organization, a Los Angeles-based anti-genocide non-profit, focused on the situations in Sudan and Congo.

Filmography

Film

Television

Podcasts

References

References

1. (14 December 2015). "Today's Birthdays, Dec. 14: Vanessa Hudgens".
2. (April 2, 2014). "In Bed With Joan – Episode 51: Michaela Watkins".
3. "Mark E. Watkins – My Biography".
4. "Mark Watkins, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics".
5. (March 21, 2009). "She's got characters". [[Boston Globe]].
6. (September 24, 2013). "'Trophy Wife': Syracuse native Michaela Watkins stars on new ABC TV show". [[Syracuse Post-Standard]].
7. Gilmartin, Paul. (June 22, 2012). "Episode 66: Michaela Watkins". [[The Mental Illness Happy Hour]].
8. (August 30, 2012). "The Groundlings Podcast: 04: Michaela Watkins".
9. Hughley, Marty. (November 14, 2008). "Former Portlander Michaela Watkins to join "SNL" cast". [[Oregon Live]].
10. Schwartz, Jonas. (March 9, 2004). "Circle X Theatre". Theater Mania.
11. (January 20, 2005). "As I Die Lying: Tuning family heartstrings in the ICU". [[LA Weekly]].
12. "Productions".
13. "Fighting Words".
14. "Performers: Michaela Watkins – Main Company".
15. (June 5, 2014). "40 Years of Improv Comedy: An Oral History of the Groundlings". [[Vanity Fair (magazine).
16. (November 3, 2010). "Michaela Watkins on Doin' It With Ethan".
17. (September 4, 2009). "Exclusive: Michaela Watkins 'shocked' by 'SNL' firing".
18. (September 4, 2009). "Michaela Watkins on Her 'Saturday Night Live' Exit". [[The New York Times]].
19. McCarthy, Sean L.. (September 4, 2009). "Addition through subtraction: SNL fires Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson!?". The Comic's Comic.
20. (September 9, 2009). "SNL's Michaela Watkins 'Just Too Classically Pretty To Be Hilarious'?". [[NPR]].
21. (1 April 2014). "Trophy Wife's Michaela Watkins on Her Brief SNL Stint, Modern Divorce, and Crazy Ladies".
22. (6 September 2013). "Defying Expectations, TV Actors Try Different Roles". [[The New York Times]].
23. (24 September 2013). "Michaela Watkins is 'Wife' material". [[Boston Globe]].
24. (May 9, 2014). "ABC reportedly cancels 'Trophy Wife' & 'Mixology'". [[HitFix]].
25. "Michaela Watkins to Star in Hulu's Jason Reitman Comedy 'Casual'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
26. Singer, Jenny. (June 27, 2018). "'Catastrophe' Snags Jewish Comedy Gem Michaela Watkins For Season 4". [[The Forward]].
27. (April 30, 2014). "'Off the Cuff' Podcast: Michaela Watkins Explains Why Her 'Tropphy Wife' Costumes are a 'Fashion Jam'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
28. (February 21, 2014). "'Under the Dome' Alum Boards USA's 'Benched' (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
29. (January 24, 2014). "USA Orders Eliza Coupe Comedy 'Benched' to Series". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
30. (February 11, 2014). "Spotlight On: Michaela Watkins, ABC's 'Trophy Wife'". [[Backstage (magazine).
31. (January 21, 2013). "Lake Bell and Michaela Watkins on "In a World"".
32. (December 11, 2020). "Atypical Artists Release Trailer for New Podcast IN STRANGE WOODS".
33. "Michaela Watkins – IMDb".
34. "Team: Fred Kramer, Founding Member/Partner".
35. Berrin, Danielle. (May 15, 2012). "New world view". [[Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.