Melissa McCarthy
Biography
Melissa McCarthy is an American actress, comedian and producer who began in stand-up comedy and later performed with the Groundlings. Born in Plainfield, Illinois, she first appeared on television in an episode of Jenny and made her feature debut in a minor role in Go. She played Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and Molly Flynn on Mike & Molly, winning a Primetime Emmy for the latter. Her breakout performance in Bridesmaids (2011) brought an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to star in Identity Thief (2013), The Heat (2013), Tammy (2014), St. Vincent (2014), Spy (2015), The Boss (2016), Ghostbusters (2016) and Life of the Party (2018). She earned a second Academy Award nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) and played Ursula in The Little Mermaid (2023). She also received a Primetime Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live.
56years old
Turns 57 on August 26in 317 days
- Born Plainfield
- Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
- Melissa Ann McCarthy (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 35
- Career span
- 24 years2000 to 2024
First and latest
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About the name
Melissa McCarthy performed as a drag queen under the name Miss Y in New York City, including at the Wigstock festival, before her screen career took off.
Getting ready for a role
McCarthy took the lead in The Boss, a 2016 comedy. The film grew out of a character she had created at the Los Angeles Groundlings.
A change of course
Before acting, McCarthy studied textiles at Southern Illinois University and moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, aiming for a fashion career.
Beyond film
For Streisand's album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, McCarthy lent her voice to the duet Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) alongside Streisand in 2016.
Melissa McCarthy movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Ben Falcone directed five of these films, Paul Feig four and Theodore Melfi two. Ben Falcone appears in eight of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Ben Falcone's page
Octavia Spencer's page
Maya Rudolph's page
Chris O'Dowd's page
Michael McDonald's page
Steve Mallory's page
All films by Paul Feig
Theodore MelfiDirector, 2 films, 2014 to 2021
All films by Theodore Melfi
Box office
What Melissa McCarthy's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$3.7 billion
23 of the 35 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 35 films: 23 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 4 never in cinemas; 1 streaming, short cinema run; 4 figure not found.
- 23Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 4Never in cinemas
- 1Streaming, short cinema run
- 4Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 78% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$761M20.8% of the total
- 2$570M15.6% of the total
- 3$362M9.9% of the total
- 4$288M7.9% of the total
- 5$236M6.4% of the total
- 6$230M6.3% of the total
- 7$229M6.3% of the total
- 8$174M4.8% of the total
$806 millionfrom the other 15 films with a worldwide figure, 22% of the total
Awards
Seven awards and honors from 2011 to 2018, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 2017 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Saturday Night Live | Won |
| 2011 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Mike & Molly | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2018 | Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress | The Happytime Murders | Won |
| 2018 | The Razzie Redeemer Award | Can You Ever Forgive Me? | Won |
| 2016 | MTV Comedic Genius Award | Won | |
| 2012 | MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance | Bridesmaids | Won |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.