With the growth of online streaming, a fresh stream of talent has taken over television. From romantic dramas to gritty comedies viewers have been able to watch some amazing performances from leading actresses in every genre. When comes to comedy-based series their actors have shown their comedy chops and shown us some memorable performances that are certain to be forever remembered.
In this article, we’ll review the top 10 most outstanding leading actresses from comedy series. The characters are iconic and well-loved shows to draw inspiration from we’ll look into the reasons each of them deserves the label”outstanding” “outstanding”.
10. Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy is an American comedian, actor writer, producer as well as a fashion stylist. She has received numerous awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award.
McCarthy began her acting profession as a stand-up comedy comedian in New York City in 1996. She became famous in the world of television due to her character Sookie St. James in the dramedy show Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), for which she was awarded acclaim. McCarthy later appeared in a variety of comedy films, including Mike & Molly (2010-2016), Identity Thief (2013), The Heat (2013), Tammy (2014), Spy (2015), The Boss (2016), Ghostbusters (2016) and Will You ever forgive me? (2018).
She was a regular in Saturday Night Live from 2011 until 2017 bringing the award five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, receiving two awards in 2013 and 2012.
9. Kristen Wiig
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Kristen Wiig is an American writer, actress, comedian and producer. She is famous for her performance in The NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (2005-2012) and her lead roles in the movies Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Ghostbusters (2016) as well as Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). She has also been featured in numerous other television and film series which include Adventureland (2009), MacGruber (2010) The Spy Who Drank Me (2018) along with A Simple Favor (2018). Wiig is a native of Canandaigua, New York, and was raised in Rochester, Minnesota. Later, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she began her professional career as a part of the comedy group The Groundlings.
8. Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones is an American actor and comedian. Her work has appeared as a regular cast part of Saturday Night Live since 2014 and was in the movies Ghostbusters (2016) along with Trainwreck (2015).
Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and was raised in Flint, Michigan. She was a student at the University of Colorado Boulder. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.
Her breakthrough was when she was tapped as a reporter on Saturday Night Live in 2014. She was quickly promoted to a prominent role during the series.
Jones has been acknowledged by her colleagues on SNL The show has received praise and has been praised for her work on SNL, with The New York Times calling her “an outstanding character” among the new cast members. Jones has been recognized to win 3 Emmy Awards for her work on the show.
7. Kate McKinnon
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Kate McKinnon is an outstanding lead actor in a comedy show. She’s been nominated for 4 Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in Saturday Night Live and was awarded the prize in 2016. She also has appeared in movies like Ghostbusters (2016) as well as The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018).
6. Mindy Kaling
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Mindy Kaling is an Indian-American comedian, actress and writer. Her most well-known work is her character Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office.
Kaling is a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Hindu Indian parents from Tamil Nadu, India. Their father, Avu Chokalingam, worked as an engineer in the field of architecture, as did her mom, Swati Roysircar, who was a physician. Kaling is the older sister of a brother who is named Vijay Jojo Chokalingam.
Kaling graduated from Dartmouth College in 2001 with a degree in playwriting. After that, she relocated to New York City to pursue a career in comedy writing. In 2005 she co-wrote and directed her first short film Matt & Ben, which was awarded the Sundance Film Festival award for Best First Screenplay.
The break for Kaling came when she was given the role of Kelly Kapoor on The Office in 2005. The show went on to become a big hit with nine seasons. Kaling created and directed many episodes of the show.
The year 2012 was the first time Kaling produced and played in her own sitcom The Mindy Project. The show was on through six seasons with Fox before it was cancelled in the year 2017. It was then taken over by Hulu and continued for three seasons before resuming in 2020.
Kaling is also the author of two books that have been bestsellers The other is Is Everyone hanging out with me? (And Other Questions) (2011) as well as Why Isn’t Me? (2015).
5. Issa Rae
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Issa Rae is an American actor and writer, director and producer. She is well-known for her role in the HBO show Insecure in which she was awarded the award twice. Golden Globe Awards.
Rae was raised in Los Angeles, California, to an African-American mother and a Korean father. She went to Stanford University, where she took classes in African studies as well as African-American studies. She graduated in 2011.
Rae began her career writing and directing web series such as The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl (2011) which was made into a book with the same title in the year 2015. She also wrote and starred in The HBO Insecure series. Insecure (2016-present) for which she was recognized in Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress TV Series Musical or Comedy.
In the year 2018, Rae made her film debut as the lead actress in The Love U Give, based on the novel for young adults that was written and published by Angie Thomas. This film proved to be a huge critical and commercial hit, earning more than $50 million globally.
4. Tracee Ellis Ross
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Tracee Ellis Ross is an American model, actress comedian director, producer and writer. The daughter of Diana Ross and music producer Robert Ellis Silberstein. Tracee Ellis Ross began her acting career in independent films and TV sitcoms, before landing the role of Joan Clayton on the hit show Girlfriends (2000-2008).
Alongside her appearances in Girlfriends, Tracee Ellis Ross has been featured in a variety of television and film roles. She played a frequent role on the sitcom Blackish (2014-present) and has also been in movies Hairspray (2007), I Hate Myselfie (2015), and The High Note (2020).
As a filmmaker, Tracee Ellis Ross made her debut in feature films through the documentary The Personal History of Rachel DuPree (2007). She produced episodes for the show Black-ish as well as the series mixed-ish (2019-present).
3. Tiffany Haddish
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A multitalented Tiffany Haddish is among the most well-known actors in Hollywood currently. She has appeared in several successful films such as Girls Trip and The Last Ounce of Courage. Haddish has also been a renowned stand-up comedian and has appeared on numerous famous TV shows, such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well as The Carmichael Show.
In the year 2018, Haddish made history by becoming the first stand-up comic hosting Saturday Night Live. She also published her memoir The Last Black Unicorn, which was an instant bestseller.
Haddish is currently appearing in the comedy series The Neighborhood as will as soon be in the movie Limited Partners. With her popularity and talent growing There’s no doubt she is among the most outstanding lead actresses on comedy shows today.
2. Awkwafina
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The actress has had an incredible year which included two smash films ( Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8), and now she’s able to add another Emmy award to her collection of achievements. Awkwafina is nominated as an Outstanding lead actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the ABC comedy Fresh Off the Boat. It’s wonderful to see her get recognition for her comedy chops since she’s been making us laugh for many years (including in the humorous Comedy Central show, Awkwafina is America). We’re hoping she can win the Emmy!
1. Lily Tomlin
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Lily Tomlin – One of the most popular comedies of her time, Lily Tomlin began her career as a stand-up comedian before moving to films and television. She is most famous for her appearances on the comedy sitcom Laugh-In as well as Murphy Brown and also her roles in the movies Nashville, The Incredible Shrinking Woman as well as 9 To 5. In recent times, she has come back to her roots in stand-up comedy and has been touring across the country performing her solo show.
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