Line #40 Creator/MelissaMcCarthy


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/melissamccarthy.jpg]]
2
3	Melissa Ann [=McCarthy=] (born August 26, 1970 in Plainfield, Illinois) is an American film and television actor, comedian, writer and producer.
4
5	[=McCarthy=] first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series ''Series/GilmoreGirls'', where she starred from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2009, she portrayed Dena on the ABC sitcom ''Series/SamanthaWho''. [=McCarthy=] was then cast as Molly Flynn-Biggs on the CBS sitcom ''Series/MikeAndMolly'', a role that earned her an Emmy Award win, as well as another subsequent nomination. [=McCarthy=] was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as host on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' (where she is currently a recurring guest host).
6
7	[=McCarthy=] achieved major success and fame for her [[StarMakingRole breakthrough role]] in the 2011 comedy hit ''{{Film/Bridesmaids}}'', which garnered her numerous award nominations including an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination, a BAFTA nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and marked the start of her regular collaborations with Creator/PaulFeig. She also appeared in the films ''The Nines'', ''The Back-Up Plan'', and ''Life as We Know It'', and her 2013 roles include ''Film/IdentityThief'', ''Film/TheHeat'', and ''[[Film/TheHangover The Hangover Part III]]''.
8
9	She was also nominated for a second Oscar for ''Film/CanYouEverForgiveMe''.
10
11	She's also the cousin of Creator/JennyMcCarthy.
12
13	----
14	!!Roles:
15	* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' (2000-07) and ''Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life'' (2016) as Sookie St. James
16	* ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'' (2000) as Doris
17	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' (2002-05) as [=DNAmy=] (voice)
18	* ''Film/TheLifeOfDavidGale'' (2003) as Nico the Goth Girl
19	* ''Series/SamanthaWho'' (2007-09) as Dena
20	* ''Film/TheBackUpPlan'' (2010) as Carol
21	* ''Life as We Know It'' (2010) as [=DeeDee=]
22	* ''Series/MikeAndMolly'' (2010-2016) as Molly Flynn-Biggs
23	* ''{{Film/Bridesmaids}}'' (2011) as Megan, her StarMakingRole, which also got her an Oscar nomination.
24	* ''Film/ThisIs40'' (2012) as Katherine
25	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' (2012) as Shelley (voice)
26	* ''Film/IdentityThief'' (2013) as Diana
27	* ''[[Film/TheHangover The Hangover Part III]]'' (2013) as Cassy
28	* ''Film/TheHeat'' (2013) as Detective Shannon Mullins
29	* ''Film/{{Tammy}}'' (2014) as Tammy, also screenwriter and co-director.
30	* ''[[Film/StVincent2014 St. Vincent]]'' (2014) as Maggie
31	* ''Film/{{Spy}}'' (2015) as Susan Cooper
32	* ''Film/TheBoss'' (2016) as Michelle Darnell
33	* ''Film/CentralIntelligence'' (2016) as Darla [=McGuckian=]
34	* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters\|2016}}'' (2016) as Abby Yates
35	* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' (2017) as Sean Spicer
36	* ''Life of the Party'' (2018) as Deanna
37	* ''Film/TheHappytimeMurders'' (2018) as Detective Connie Edwards
38	* ''Film/CanYouEverForgiveMe'' (2018) as Leonore Carol "Lee" Israel
39	* ''Film/{{Thunder Force\|2021}}'' (2021) as Lydia Berman aka "The Hammer"
40	* ''Literature/NinePerfectStrangers'' (2021) as Frances
41	* ''[[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Thor: Love and Thunder]]'' (2022) as Asgardian actor / "[[Characters/MCUHela Hela]]"
42	* ''Film/TheLittleMermaid2023'' (2023) as Ursula
43	* ''Film/{{Unfrosted}}'' (2024) as Donna Stankowski
44
45	!!Tropes:
46
47	* BigFun: A few of her roles make use of her comedic talent and her plus size.
48	* CoveredInGunge: She was dunked in a vat of slime during the 2023 [[UsefulNotes/KidsChoiceAward Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards]] by her ''{{Film/The Little Mermaid\|2023}}'' co-stars Creator/{{Awkwafina}} and Creator/HalleBailey.
49	* CrossCastRole: In a January 2017 episode of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' she made an unannounced [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWuc18xISwI guest appearance]] as White House press secretary Sean Spicer. It's fair to say that, up until then, nobody had noticed that Sean Spicer resembled Melissa [=McCarthy=] at her angriest. This became a recurring role for the rest of the season, and she would be nominated for an Emmy for the performance.
50	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: A typical Melissa [=McCarthy=] role is an outwardly mousy woman in whose chest beats the heart of an Amazon Warrior...or an AxCrazy lunatic.
51	* PlayingAgainstType:
52	** She's usually cast in broad comedies, so her appearance in more serious pictures like ''St. Vincent'' and ''Can You Ever Forgive Me?'' can be surprising.
53	** Ursula in the live action ''Little Mermaid'' is very far from anything she's done before, but she's such a perfect physical match for the role that everyone loved it.
54	* ProductionPosse: She's been in four films directed by Creator/PaulFeig (''Bridesmaids'', ''The Heat'', ''Spy'' and the 2016 reboot of ''Ghostbusters'') and five by her husband Ben Falcone (''Tammy'', ''The Boss'', ''Life of the Party'', ''Superintelligence'' and ''Thunder Force''), who has also cameoed in many of her films and in ''Gilmore Girls''.
55	* RealLifeRelative: Her husband Creator/BenFalcone is also an actor, and has appeared alongside her in several films, most noticeably as the Air Marshall in ''Bridesmaids'' and Alan Schmidt in ''Can You Ever Forgive Me?''
56	* SheCleansUpNicely: A some of her film roles, like ''Identity Thief'' and ''Spy'', play her up as a dumpy fat woman who is revealed to be rather pretty after a haircut and wardrobe upgrade.
57	* StarMakingRole:
58	** She got famous among small screen viewers as Sookie St. James on ''Gilmore Girls''.
59	** Megan in ''Bridesmaids'' launched her among film stardom in Hollywood.

Context Creator / MelissaMcCarthy