Melissa McCarthy

McCarthy married actor and comedian Ben Falcone on October 8, 2005. The couple met while performing with the Los Angeles improv troupe The Groundlings. They have two daughters, Vivian and Georgette. McCarthy's first pregnancy was written into the storyline of the final season of Gilmore Girls.

Falcone frequently collaborates with McCarthy on screen, making cameo appearances in her film and television projects. In 2013, the couple co-founded the production company On the Day Productions to produce film and television projects.

McCarthy grew up on a corn and soybean farm in Plainfield, Illinois, raised in a Catholic family by her parents Sandra and Michael McCarthy. She graduated from St. Francis Academy in Joliet before attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she studied textiles. Her original plan was a career in fashion design.

A move to New York City shifted her focus. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked as a costumer for a dance company. She also ventured onto the stage. She performed stand-up comedy at clubs such as Stand Up New York and The Improv, and appeared in New York drag venues under the persona Miss Y, including a set at the Wigstock festival. Relocating to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, she joined The Groundlings to hone her sketch and character work.

McCarthy made her television debut in 1997 on the comedy series Jenny, appearing alongside her cousin Jenny McCarthy. In 2000, she landed the role of chef Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls. She played the character across seven seasons. She later returned for the 2016 Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Supporting roles followed on series such as Samantha Who?, Rita Rocks, and Private Practice. In 2010, she was cast as teacher Molly Flynn opposite Billy Gardell on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly. The series ran for six seasons. In 2011, McCarthy won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.

Her frequent hosting stints on Saturday Night Live produced several viral sketches, most notably her portrayal of Press Secretary Sean Spicer in 2017. That performance earned her a second Primetime Emmy Award, for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

McCarthy gained wider recognition with Paul Feig's 2011 comedy Bridesmaids. Playing Megan Price, she improvised several scenes and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The performance led to starring film roles. She followed by co-starring with Jason Bateman in Identity Thief and Sandra Bullock in the buddy-cop comedy The Heat.

She continued starring in comedies, including Spy, The Boss, and the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters. In 2018, she starred in Marielle Heller's drama Can You Ever Forgive Me?, playing literary forger Lee Israel. The performance earned McCarthy her second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress.

Her subsequent film work spanned multiple genres. She portrayed the sea witch Ursula in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid, starred in the drama The Starling, and appeared in the holiday comedy Genie and Jerry Seinfeld's Unfrosted.

Drawing on her background in textile design, McCarthy launched her clothing brand, Melissa McCarthy Seven7, in August 2015 on the Home Shopping Network. The collection was developed alongside Sunrise Brands.

The line offered apparel ranging from sizes 4 to 28. McCarthy advocated against separate plus-size clothing sections in department stores, designing pieces intended for women of all sizes.