Intelligent, studious and … Palin’s spitting image
Tina Fey, the American comedian who won an Emmy Award for the TV series «30 Rock» and gained a enormous reputation around the world in September 2008 as a spitting image of the Republican candidate for Vice-President Sarah Palin, is the daughter of the Greek Zenobia Xenakis. She was born on the Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and her complete name is Elizabeth Stamatina Fey. Her mother, Zenobia, worked as a stockbroker. Her father, Donald Fey, was an academic author, origin from Germany and Scotland. Tina is a writer, comedian, actor and producer. She has been nominated many times as an artist and she is known for her appearances in the series of Mean Girls and Saturday Night Live.
She isn’t particularly handsome and she hasn’t participated in commercial lines; then what is that on Tina Fey turn the Americans mad about her? She is a brilliant actor, writer and producer of Greek origin. With her texts and her humour she manages to stay on scene almost every day. She has been recently awarded with an Emmy for the satire towards the U.S. Vice President candidate Sarah Palin and added another prize to her large collection.
Tina, as from Stamatina…
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born on 18th of May in 1970 in Pennsylvania. Her mother Zenobia Xenakis was born in Greece. Her father Donald Fey is a writer. Fey grew up watching comedy on TV along with the entire family: «My father allowed us to see a late night TV if there was a good comedy on. Tina, in high school excelled. She used to be a multi-faceted personality with many hobbies. She was a member of the choir, member at the tennis team, playing in theatricals and also the editor of school newspaper. She graduated in 1988 and immediately enrolled at the University of Virginia, where she studied creative writing and acting. She graduated in 1992 with distinction. Very soon, her talent manifested and so she joined the famous in the U.S. theatre group of improvisation «The second city».
The writing
In 1997, Tina sent several of her comic scripts of the show to NBC «Saturday night live». Immediately she was hired as a writer and moved to New York. The sketches which she wrote and passed on the TV made a huge success, so in 1998 the producers of the show decided to test her as an actress. She watching herself on television decided that she had to lose weight: «I was in New York I had money and could not buy nice clothes. I lost 30 pounds and then everyone wanted to put me on camera» she said in the past. In 1999 she became director of the script department while she was working as an actor in that show. With the team of the screenwriters of the «Saturday night live»she won an Emmy Award and she was also awarded by the American Screenwriters Association.
Tina … “Rocks”!
In 2002, Fey suggested on NBC a script for a situation comedy entitled «30 Rock», which was taking place within a television network. The NBC rejected it. Tina did not put it down and she made corrections and proposed it again. The script was accepted and she signed a contract. In 2006, the pilot episode of «30 Rock» was on air. Although she received good reviews, the viewing wasn’t that high. Gradually, though, the series gained a loyal audience and thus it won a lasting place in television program. In January 2009, the NBC renewed the «30 Rock» for the fourth season.
Sarah Palin
In October 2008, Tina Fey starred in a sketch of the «Saturday night live» pretending to be the Republican U.S. Vice President candidate, Sarah Palin. This broke a record of viewing and Tina became world famous. When this video was uploaded to the site of the NBC, the site of the station almost collapsed because of the enormous number of visits. Currently, Fey is one of the most recognizable and acceptable person in America. She has occupied a particularly prominent position in the list of the «Rolling Stone» magazine among the 100 people who changed the American society. Her influence is enormous and her presence now in the world of entertainment means success.
The family
Tina Fey is married to Jeff Richmond, a music composer of «30 Rock», who she met long before the show started showing. After 7 years of relationship they got married in 2001 in an Orthodox Church. In September 2005 she gave birth to a girl, Alice Zenobia Richmond. She returned to work soon, 40 days after birth. When she was asked why she returned so soon she responded with humor: «I had to go back to work because NBC has tied me up with a written contract. With the baby I just have a verbal agreement. Apart from the absolute happiness she experiences professionally as she works with the subject she has always wanted to and having a happy family, Tina does not forget to help and give to charities. She supports the foundation for autistic children, she is a member of the organization «Mercy», which tries to eliminate hunger in the Third World countries, and she financially supports several institutions treating seriously ill children.
The intelligence, curiosity and study, at the end may in some cases vindicate certain people. One of them is Tina Fey, whose hard work, talent and training not only paid off for her, but put her in the realm of people with greater influence in the country she lives.