Andrea Kristen Savage Bio
Andrea Kristen Savage (born February 20, 1973) is an American actress, writer, and producer best known for creating and starring in the semi-autobiographical TruTV comedy I’m Sorry (2017–2019). The show began on TruTV and gained a broader following after streaming on Netflix. Savage has built a varied career across film and television, with roles in Dog Bites Man, Step Brothers, Veep, The Hotwives, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2022 she starred as Stacy Beale in Tulsa King opposite Sylvester Stallone and appeared in Look Both Ways on Netflix and Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. A longtime Groundlings performer and prolific creator, she continues to write, act, and produce across multiple platforms.
Early Life and Background
Andrea Kristen Savage was born on February 20, 1973. During her senior year of high school, she played the title character in the production of Mame, which provided an early platform for her comedic talents. This formative theatrical experience helped set her on the path toward a career in entertainment.
Savage pursued higher education at Cornell University, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in government and a minor in law studies. Her academic background in government and law demonstrated an intellectual depth that would later inform her satirical and observational comedy work. The combination of her theater experience in high school and her collegiate studies provided a strong foundation for her future endeavors in the entertainment industry.
Path to Actress
Savage began her professional acting career by playing Renata Vargas, a Brazilian exchange student, on the television series Sweet Valley High. This early role marked her entry into the entertainment industry and provided her with foundational on-screen experience. Following this initial work, she joined The Groundlings theater in Los Angeles, one of the most prestigious improv and sketch comedy theaters in the country, where she performed weekly as a member of their company.
Her time at The Groundlings proved instrumental in developing her craft as both a performer and writer. She received starring roles in Significant Others as Chelsea and in Dog Bites Man as Tillie Sullivan. These opportunities allowed her to hone her comedic timing and establish herself within the comedy community, paving the way for her transition to film and broader television work.
Andrea Kristen Savage Career
Early Career (1995–2007)
Savage appeared in Step Brothers (2008) opposite Will Ferrell, playing the role of Denise. Following the film’s success, she joined Ferrell for a comedy tour alongside Zach Galifianakis, Demetri Martin, and Nick Swardson. Earlier, she appeared alongside Woody Harrelson in The Grand (2008), a improvisational comedy film set in the world of professional poker. These film roles established her as a reliable comedic presence in Hollywood.
Her early television work included starring roles in the Comedy Central mockumentary series Dog Bites Man (2006), where she played Tillie Sullivan. The series, which parodied reality crime shows, allowed her to showcase her improvisational skills and helped build her reputation in the comedy television landscape.
Breakthrough (2008–2017)
In 2010, Savage appeared in the film Dinner for Schmucks. During this period, she filmed two television pilots: The Strip created by Tom Lennon and Ben Garant for NBC, and Wilfred, a dark Australian comedy being adapted for FX. She also created and starred in a series of shorts for the HBO show Funny or Die Presents, as well as a series entitled “Reenactments of Actual Conversations from the Ladies Rooms of Hollywood.”
Savage was originally cast as Casey Klein in the unaired pilot of Party Down for Starz but was replaced by Lizzy Caplan when the show went into production. She subsequently wrote television pilots for Comedy Central, Fox Studios, and NBC (produced by Jay Roach), as well as the screenplay Girls Weekend for Castle Rock Films. She also filmed opposite Hilary Swank in the film You’re Not You.
In 2012, Savage made her directorial debut with the satirical PSA “Republicans, Get in My Vagina,” which she wrote and starred in alongside Kate Beckinsale and Judy Greer. The piece premiered on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO and became one of Funny or Die’s most successful video shorts.
She starred alongside Danielle Schneider, Tymberlee Hill, Angela Kinsey, Kristen Schaal, and Casey Wilson in the Hulu original series The Hotwives, a parody of The Real Housewives franchise. Season one (The Hotwives of Orlando) focused on Orlando, while season two (The Hotwives of Vegas) took place in Las Vegas with the same cast playing new characters.
In 2016, Savage began appearing as Senator (and later President) Laura Montez on Veep. Her character first appeared as the running mate of the titular Veep’s opponent before ultimately becoming president through a complex manipulation of constitutional procedure. That same year she also appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm opposite Larry David.
I’m Sorry and Career Milestone
In 2017, Savage created the hit semi-autobiographical TruTV comedy I’m Sorry, in which she also starred. The series premiered on July 12, 2017, and explored themes of female friendship, awkward social situations, and personal growth. Seasons 1 and 2 also aired on Netflix, expanding the show’s audience beyond its original network. A planned third season was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series represented Savage’s most significant creative achievement as a showrunner and demonstrated her ability to translate her comedic voice into a fully realized television project.
Andrea Kristen Savage Recent Work
In 2022, Savage starred as Stacy Beale opposite Sylvester Stallone in the Paramount+ series Tulsa King. That same year she also appeared in Look Both Ways on Netflix and provided voice work in Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe for Paramount+. These diverse projects demonstrated her continued relevance across multiple streaming platforms and genres, from drama to animation to romantic comedy.
In October 2019, Savage launched a podcast titled Andrea Savage: A Grown-Up Woman #buttholes. The podcast has been on hiatus since April 2020. This project represented her expansion beyond traditional screen work into the growing podcast medium, where she could engage with audiences through longer-form conversational content.
Andrea Kristen Savage Family
Savage was married to Jeremy Plager from the late 2000s until 2023. She has one child. The timing of her career reflects periods when she took time away from work to focus on family, including a period after having her child when she returned to acting in 2010.
Personal Life
Savage graduated from Cornell University with a degree in government, demonstrating her intellectual pursuits alongside her creative career. She has been a longtime performer with The Groundlings improv theater in Los Angeles, where she developed many of the skills that would define her comedic style. She has been open about taking career breaks to focus on motherhood, viewing these as natural transitions rather than obstacles to her professional ambitions. Her ability to balance family life with a prolific career in entertainment exemplifies her dedication to both her personal and professional goals.