Alex Borstein
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Alexandrea Borstein (born February 15, 1973)[1] is an American actress, voice actress, writer and comedian.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Borstein was born in Chicago, Illinois to a Jewish American family.[2] Her family moved to Southern California during the early 1980s. She later moved to San Francisco, where she attended San Francisco State University. She took a job at an ad agency where she wrote print ads for Barbie.
[edit] Early career
Borstein started improv classes with the ACME Comedy Theater where she met both her writing partner and her future husband. She and her writing partner began to work on the animated series Casper. Shortly after, she left her ad job to become a full time writer. In 1996, while still writing for Casper, Borstein worked on the popular TV show Power Rangers Zeo, where she provided the voice of Queen Machina, the queen of the Machine Empire.
[edit] "MADtv"
In 1997, Borstein became a cast member on the sketch comedy show MADtv. Borstein joined the cast of MADtv during Season 3 as a featured player, but she was upgraded to repertory in mid-season. Borstein was perhaps best known for playing Miss Swan. Borstein also played a number of other characters until her departure from the show in 2002.
In addition to Miss Swan, Borstein played Eracist Anne, "Stick Chick" Echo, singer Jasmine Wayne-Wayne, child prodigy Karen Goddard, lounge singer Shaunda, News at Six's outside-the-studio reporter Sue Napersville, and Cordo the GAP troll. When Seth Green made recurring appearances on the show to play mean boss Mr. Brightling, Borstein would play his mother Mama Brightling.
Borstein also became known for impressions of Rosie O'Donnell, Björk, Chelsea Clinton, Jane Pauley, Janeane Garafalo, Monica Lewinski, Patsy Ramsey, Regis Philbin, and Vivian Vance (as Ethel Mertz in parodies of I Love Lucy).
[edit] MADtv characters
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[edit] MADtv impressions
[edit] "Family Guy"
During her time on MADtv, Borstein met Seth MacFarlane, who was launching a FOX animated sitcom, Family Guy.
MacFarlane cast Borstein as the voice of Lois Griffin; she provided several other voices as well. Family Guy was canceled from the FOX lineup in 2002 but returned in 2005, and Borstein is still a part of the show, both as a voice performer and also as producer and staff writer.
[edit] Other credits
In 2000 Borstein won the role of "Sookie St. James" in the WB show Gilmore Girls. She portrayed Sookie in the pilot, but her MADtv contract prevented her from continuing, and the producers recast her role with actress Melissa McCarthy. Borstein did make several recurring appearances as different characters: in Season 1 she appeared in several episodes as the harpist Drella, while she appeared in Seasons 3 and 5 as Miss Celine, a celebrity fashion advisor.
Borstein's film roles include the school principal in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, the best friend of Halle Berry in Catwoman, and an employee at CBS News in Good Night, and Good Luck. She also had an uncredited cameo in the Will Ferrell movie Kicking and Screaming as an obnoxious coffeeshop patron.
Borstein was recently cast in the pilot episode of The Thick of It as a press secretary.
[edit] Personal life
Borstein is married to actor and writer Jackson Douglas. The couple met at the ACME comedy training program. Douglas proposed to her during the taping of a MADtv skit; the couple married in 1999. Douglas currently appears on Gilmore Girls (as Borstein did) and plays Jackson Belville, Sookie's husband.
[edit] Trivia
- Her production company is named Crackerpants, Inc..
- She has made at least three guest appearances on Drawn Together, once as Lois Griffin, her character on Family Guy.
- In an episode of Family Guy entitled "Don't Make Me Over", an animated version of Ms. Swan made a brief appearance and was voiced by her as well.
- Borstein plays the harp, as she demonstrated on Gilmore Girls.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Little Man (2006)
- Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005) (direct-to-video) (voice)
- Kicking & Screaming (2005) (uncredited)
- Catwoman (2004)
- Seeing Other People (2004)
- Bad Santa (2003)
- The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
- Disney's House of Mouse (2001) (TV series) (voice) (uncredited)
- Coyote Ugly (2000) (uncredited)
- Family Guy (1999–2002, 2005— ) (TV series) (voice)
- MADtv (1995) (TV series) (1997–2002)
- Power Rangers: Zeo (1996) (TV series) (voice)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–1994) (TV series) (voice)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Borstein's age and origins in her FAQ
- ^ Phipps, Keith (2006-11-20). Random Rules: Alex Borstein. A.V. Club. Retrieved on November 21, 2006.
