Comedienne, writer, and actress Tina Fey is known for her quirkiness and clever wits with her comedic creations like Saturday Night Live. She truly paved the way for female comedy writers in the industry. But not everything was bright and sunny for her. Did you ever notice the scar on her cheek? How did she get it?
When Tina Fey was five, an unknown person approached her while she was playing near her home. She thought the stranger marked her face with a pen, but she was actually slashed, leaving her face scarred up until today.
Tina Fey’s Scar
Vanity Fair interviewed Tina Fey, along with her husband, Jeff Richmond, in 2009. It was then that they explained the harrowing history of her scar. When Fey was five, she survived a violent attack. She was playing near her home in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
An unknown assailant approached Fey and slashed her left cheek. Fey, who was young at the time, didn’t know what happened and thought the stranger just marked her with a pen.
The scar is hardly seen in person, but it is apparent in the shows and movies Fey acts in. She rarely talks about it because she feels that talking about the incident seemingly exploits and glorifies it. Fey mentioned that she was a confident kid, and the scar didn’t bother her. She notes that she almost totally forgot about it growing up, only remembering it when she’s in front of the camera. (Source: Vanity Fair)
Who Is Tina Fey?
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born on May 18, 1970, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. She took up Drama at the University of Virginia. Upon graduation in 1992, Fey moved to Chicago to take classes in the training ground for comedians called The Second City. In 1994, she joined the Second City cast as a touring company understudy, later as a performer.
Fey joined Saturday Night Live in 1997 after submitting sample sketches and consequently interviewing with executive producer Lorne Michaels. In two years, Fey became the head writer for the show, and in 2000, she debuted as a co-anchor in the Weekend Update segment of the show.
Fey soon became a regular cast member and won the Emmy Award for outstanding writing for a variety, music, or comedy program with the show’s writing staff. Fey wrote the screenplay and appeared as one of the supporting characters in the 2004 comedy Mean Girls.
In 2006, Fey left SNL to write, produce and star in the comedy 30 Rock alongside Alec Baldwin. The show lasted seven seasons, with Fey winning three consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding comedy series.
Fey starred in many movies such as Baby Mama, Date Night, The Invention of Lying, Admission, Muppets Most Wanted, This is Where I Leave You, Sisters, and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. She also lent her voice to animated films like Gake no ue no Ponyo, Megamind, and Soul. Fey also continued to work off the screen and co-created the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
In 2010, Fey was awarded the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. (Source: Britannica)