Tina Fey
She reshaped American comedy by writing and starring in a landmark sitcom that blended sharp satire with workplace absurdity.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American actress and comedian·Birthday: May 18·Generation X
Biography
Tina Fey’s journey from a self-described theater nerd in Pennsylvania to a comedy powerhouse began behind the scenes. After cutting her teeth with Chicago’s famed Second City troupe, she became the first female head writer at Saturday Night Live, where her political impressions and witty sketches became a cultural fixture. Her true seismic shift came with 30 Rock, a surreal and deeply personal sitcom about a network TV show that won critical devotion and awards, cementing her voice as one of the most distinct in modern television. Beyond the screen, her bestselling memoir and film work have explored female ambition and insecurity with a signature blend of wit and relatability, making her a defining humorist of her generation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Tina was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tina Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Tina's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first female head writer in the history of Saturday Night Live in 1999.
- Created, wrote, and starred in the acclaimed NBC sitcom 30 Rock, which won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.
- Authored the memoir Bossypants, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks.
- Received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010, recognizing her impact on comedy.
- Wrote the screenplay for the hit teen comedy Mean Girls, adapting it from a non-fiction book on adolescent behavior.
Did You Know?
She has a distinctive scar on her left cheek, which she received from a stranger who slashed her with a knife when she was five years old.
She and her 30 Rock co-star Amy Poehler have been close friends since they met in an improv class in Chicago in 1993.
She turned down an offer to perform on Saturday Night Live as a cast member, preferring to stay in the writing room initially.
She is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority from her time at the University of Virginia.
“The definition of 'crazy' in show business is a woman who keeps talking even after no one wants to fuck her anymore.”
