A sketch-comedy "It" girl with a knack for creating memorable characters and spot-on celebrity impersonations, Kristen Wiig was born in Canandaigua, N.Y., on Aug. 22, 1973. After studying art at the University of Arizona, she moved to Southern California to train with the Los Angeles¿based improv troupe the Groundlings.

Wiig appeared on the first season of the short-lived reality-TV spoof "The Joe Schmo Show" before joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 2005. Able to play almost anyone -- from ill-tempered movie critic Aunt Linda to stentorian finance guru Suze Orman -- Wiig swiftly built a reputation as a comedic chameleon, earning her first Emmy nomination in 2009.

Wiig's big-screen credits include the 2007 films Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Knocked Up, and the freewheeling roller-derby comedy Whip It (2009) directed by Drew Barrymore.