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Amy Poehler was born on September 16, 1971, in Newton, Massachusetts, and grew up in Burlington. Her parents, Eileen and William Poehler, were both teachers. While attending Boston College, Poehler joined the school’s improv comedy group, 'My Mother’s Fleabag'.
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After graduating in 1993, Amy Poehler moved to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy, joining the improv theaters ImprovOlympics and Second City, known for producing stars like Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, and Tina Fey.
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Amy Poehler joined another improv group called the Upright Citizens' Brigade (UCB), a spin-off of ImprovOlympics. In 1996, she and the group moved UCB to New York City, where they landed regular appearances on The Conan O'Brien Show and eventually got their own show on Comedy Central in 1998. A few years later, Poehler got her big break when she was hired as a featured performer on 'Saturday Night Live'.
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Amy Poehler debuted on 'Saturday Night Live' in September 2001, in the first episode to air after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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In 2003, Amy Poehler married actor Will Arnett. While on 'SNL', she appeared in a few episodes of Arrested Development' as the wife of Arnett’s character and starred in the movies 'Blades of Glory' and 'Man of the Year' (both in 2006).
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In 2004, Amy Poehler appeared in the film 'Mean Girls', written by Tina Fey, where she played the "cool mom" of Rachel McAdams' character, despite being only seven years older than McAdams in real life. In 2008, Poehler and Fey reunited to star in 'Baby Mama', with Poehler playing a surrogate for Fey’s character. The same week the movie premiered, Poehler and her husband, Will Arnett, announced they were expecting their first child.
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After leaving 'SNL', Amy Poehler began working on Parks and Recreation, a mockumentary-style sitcom about local government workers in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Poehler played "Leslie Knope", the hardworking and ambitious deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department. She led a talented cast, including Nick Offerman as her grumpy, libertarian boss, Ron Swanson. Poehler also produced the show, which ran until 2015.
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In 2015, Amy Poehler voiced the character "Joy" in
Pixar’s 'Inside Out', a touching comedy about a young girl adjusting to her family’s move to a new city. The story focuses on the girl's emotional struggles, with Poehler portraying the optimistic emotion, "Joy". The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and Poehler returned to voice the character again in 'Inside Out 2' (2024).
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Amy Poehler produced several projects, including 'Welcome to Sweden', 'The Mighty B!', 'Broad City', 'Russian Doll', Duncanville, and the movie Sisters, where she reunited with Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and Maya Rudolph. She also launched a Web series called 'Smart Girls' at the Party, featuring interviews with "girls who are changing the world by being themselves."
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In 2019, Poehler directed her first movie, 'Wine Country', about friends celebrating a 50th birthday in Napa Valley. She starred alongside Dratch, Rudolph, Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Paula Pell, and Emily Spivey. Poehler also directed 'Moxie' and the documentary 'Lucy and Desi'. In 2023, she and Fey went on a U.S. comedy tour.
Explore Amy Poehler’s amazing career through these pictures, from her start in comedy to becoming a Hollywood star.
See her funniest moments on Saturday Night Live, her beloved role as "Leslie Knope" in 'Parks and Recreation', and her work behind the camera. These photos show just how much she’s done in comedy and entertainment!