32 Facts About Ellie Kemper

1.

Ellie Kemper has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Satellite Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards.

2.

Ellie Kemper is best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom The Office ; and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which earned her two consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

3.

Ellie Kemper was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the second of four children of Dorothy Ann "Dotty" and David Woods Ellie Kemper, a son of one of the wealthiest families in Missouri.

4.

Ellie Kemper's father is the executive chairman of Commerce Bancshares, a bank holding company founded by the Kemper family.

5.

Ellie Kemper is the elder sister of television writer Carrie Kemper.

6.

Ellie Kemper is of Italian, English, French, and German ancestry.

7.

Ellie Kemper was raised and remains a practicing Roman Catholic.

8.

Ellie Kemper's participation sparked controversy in 2021 due to the Ball's background, which was described as "racist and elitist".

9.

Ellie Kemper's family moved to St Louis when she was five.

10.

Ellie Kemper attended Conway Elementary School in the affluent suburb of Ladue and high school at John Burroughs School, where she developed an interest in theater and improvisational comedy.

11.

Ellie Kemper graduated from Princeton University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

12.

Ellie Kemper attended Worcester College, Oxford, for a year, where she studied towards a master's degree in English literature.

13.

Ellie Kemper appeared in a radio spot for Dunkin' Donuts.

14.

Ellie Kemper earned her Screen Actors Guild card doing commercial advertising of a one-week sale of tents at Kmart.

15.

Ellie Kemper has written several sketch comedy shows, many with her comedy partner Scott Eckert, a fellow Princeton grad.

16.

Ellie Kemper is a contributing writer for the national satirical newspaper The Onion, and for McSweeney's.

17.

In July 2009, Ellie Kemper was named one of Variety magazine's "10 Comics To Watch".

18.

Ellie Kemper gained Internet interest in August 2007 for her part in "Blowjob Girl", a humor video on the sketch comedy site Derrick Comedy.

19.

Ellie Kemper had a minor role in the 2009 film Mystery Team.

20.

Ellie Kemper starred in a fake iPhone commercial on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in January 2007, six months before the first iPhone was released.

21.

Ellie Kemper appeared in the Sofia Coppola comedy-drama Somewhere in 2010.

22.

Ellie Kemper auditioned for a role in Parks and Recreation, an NBC comedy series started in 2009 by Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, creator of the series The Office.

23.

Ellie Kemper was not cast in the role, but 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.

24.

Ellie Kemper was cast in the role, and started appearing in the show in April 2009.

25.

Ellie Kemper described the character as "an exaggerated version of myself".

26.

Ellie Kemper described herself as a "huge fan" of the show and was thrilled to be on it.

27.

Ellie Kemper received positive reviews for her role in The Office.

28.

Ellie Kemper plays a former abductee and forced cult member who wants to shed the victim pity of her small hometown and moves to New York.

29.

In summer 2015, Ellie Kemper served as a temporary co-host of Today alongside Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Tamron Hall, and Willie Geist.

30.

In 2018, Ellie Kemper recorded for the audiobook A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.

31.

Ellie Kemper recorded the audiobook for 2019's The Legends of Greemulax, a novel attributed to her character Kimmy Schmidt.

32.

In 2012, Ellie Kemper became engaged to comedy writer Michael Koman.