Ellie Kemper Bio
Elizabeth Claire Kemper, known professionally as Ellie Kemper, is an American actress and comedian born on May 2, 1980, in Kansas City, Missouri. She first drew wide attention for her portrayal of Erin Hannon on the long-running NBC sitcom The Office from 2009 to 2013, and went on to headline the Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt from 2015 to 2019. Her work across television and film has earned her two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, along with nominations from the Critics’ Choice, Satellite, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She is also a published author, having released her debut book, My Squirrel Days, in 2018.
Beyond her on-screen roles, Kemper is recognized as a versatile performer who blends scripted television, film comedy, voice work, and literary projects. She has appeared in films such as Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street, Sex Tape, and Home Sweet Home Alone, and has built a parallel career as a writer and contributor to outlets including The Onion, McSweeney’s, and HuffPost. In 2023, she made her Broadway debut with the limited-run production Peter Pan Goes Wrong.
Early Life and Background
Ellie Kemper was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of David Woods Kemper and Dorothy Ann Jannarone. Her father is the executive chairman of Commerce Bancshares, a bank holding company founded by the Kemper family. She is the granddaughter of Mildred Lane Kemper, the namesake of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis, and the great-great-granddaughter of banker William Thornton Kemper Sr.
Her family relocated to St. Louis when she was five, and she grew up in the affluent suburb of Ladue, where she attended Conway Elementary School and later John Burroughs School. At John Burroughs she developed a strong interest in theater and improvisational comedy, and one of her teachers was the actor Jon Hamm, with whom she appeared in a school play. She is the elder sister of television writer Carrie Kemper, and her ancestry includes Italian, English, French, and German roots.
Path to Acting
Kemper continued her comedic training at Princeton University, where she joined Quipfire!, the school’s oldest improv comedy group, and the Princeton Triangle Club, a touring musical comedy theater troupe. As a freshman, she was a member of Princeton’s 1998 national championship field hockey team, though she later shifted her focus to theater. She graduated from Princeton in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and went on to study at Worcester College, Oxford, where she worked toward a master’s degree in English literature.
After returning to the United States, Kemper moved to New York City and immersed herself in the city’s improv scene, training at the People’s Improv Theater and the Upright Citizens Brigade. She earned her Screen Actors Guild card through a Kmart commercial and began appearing in comedy sketches on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. She wrote and performed her own one-woman shows, contributed sketches to Funny or Die, and wrote for The Onion and McSweeney’s, building a versatile résumé that blended performance and writing.
Ellie Kemper Career
Early Career (1999–2008)
Kemper’s earliest public appearances date to 1999, when she was presented as a debutante at the Veiled Prophet Ball in St. Louis and was named the Veiled Prophet’s Queen of Love and Beauty. She went on to appear in reality and scripted television projects including E! Television’s The Gastineau Girls, which has been described as her breakout role. She also filmed a notable sketch comedy video and booked recurring appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien during the late 2000s.
Throughout this period she built her stand-up and improv profile, performing with house teams at the Upright Citizens Brigade, including Mailer Daemon and fwand, and writing sketch shows with her comedy partner Scott Eckert. In July 2009, Variety magazine named her one of its 10 Comics to Watch, signaling that she was on the verge of mainstream success.
Breakthrough (2009–2019)
Kemper auditioned for a supporting role in The Office after initially trying out for Parks and Recreation, and she was cast as Erin Hannon, a perky, optimistic secretary joining the Dunder Mifflin staff. The character was originally planned for four episodes, but the producers were so impressed that they signed Kemper as a regular in the sixth season. Critics praised her warmth and comedic timing, and she became a series highlight during the eighth season following Steve Carell’s departure.
She balanced her Office duties with film work, appearing in Bridesmaids in 2011, 21 Jump Street in 2012, and the Sofia Coppola drama Somewhere in 2010. In 2015, she took on the title role of Kimmy Schmidt in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a Netflix original about a former cult member rebuilding her life in New York City. Her performance earned two consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Notable Works and Milestones
Kemper’s signature works include The Office, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street, Sex Tape, and Home Sweet Home Alone. She has received nominations from the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, Critics’ Choice Television Awards, Satellite Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, reflecting her standing across both comedy and ensemble film.
Ellie Kemper Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Ellie Kemper has earned recognition from major entertainment industry organizations for her television and film work. She received two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Kimmy Schmidt in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She has also been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, three Satellite Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Ellie Kemper Awards Won
Ellie Kemper’s career has been defined by a steady stream of nominations across comedy categories rather than by major individual award wins, with her most prominent recognition coming in the form of Emmy, Critics’ Choice, Satellite, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Her sustained acclaim from these organizations reflects consistent appreciation from peers and critics for her work in ensemble television and comedy film.
Ellie Kemper Family
Ellie Kemper is the daughter of David Woods Kemper and Dorothy Ann Jannarone, and she is the second of their four children. She is the elder sister of television writer Carrie Kemper and a descendant of one of Missouri’s most established banking families. She is also the granddaughter of Mildred Lane Kemper, after whom the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis is named.
Personal Life
In 2012, Kemper became engaged to comedy writer Michael Koman, and the couple married on July 7, 2012. Together they have two sons, born in August 2016 and September 2019. Kemper has spoken publicly about raising her children within her Roman Catholic faith. In 2022, she completed the New York City Marathon, finishing in a time of 5 hours, 17 minutes, and 39 seconds.