The 10 Funniest Females In Comedy

Jerry Lewis was a funny guy in his day. Never was he more hysterical though than when he declared that he felt that women aren’t very funny. Now, that has never been the case – as proven by the sterling work of such greats as Lucille Ball and Gilda Radner. But, what of today’s crop? With so much time having passed, surely such progress has been made in the field of feminism that funny females have greater access to the world’s stage? Surely, by now, we have so many that their number – and stature - is equal to that of their male counterparts? There may not yet be a female in comedy with the box office stature of, say, Adam Sandler, but there are many on their way to filling that role, who will undoubtedly achieve it over the next few years - not least with a rumoured female-led Ghostbusters project in the offing. Make no mistake, the face of film comedy is changing, as more and more women are forging ahead in that arena, as well as heading that way through television success. So let’s celebrate those women – the names that are making waves in cinematic comedy right now, and the names to look out for in the near future. Regina Hall With only her third film credit (and fifth screen credit overall), Regina Hall landed the role of Brenda Meeks in Keenan Ivory Wayans’ 2000 comedy, Scary Movie. The hit film spawned a franchise of five movies that made $896 million in global box office (though Hall herself did not return for Scary Movie 5). Since leaving that franchise, she has continued to build on her reputation for reliably bringing the laughs – moving into bigger, more high profile roles. In 2012, she took the co-lead in the hit ensemble comedy Think Like A Man (based on the book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man by Steve Harvey), following it up with the sequel Think Like A Man Too in 2014. This year also saw Hall star in the remake of About Last Night, the success of which meant that the international box office haul of Regina Hall’s body of work is now over $1.1 billion. Leslie Mann In the past, the media has often been dismissive of Leslie Mann as an actress, suggesting that she owes her success to her husband - writer/producer/director Judd Apatow. While it is certainly true that many of her roles have been in his projects, you just have to watch them to understand that it is not marital obligation that has delivered her to the uppermost branches of the Hollywood comedy tree, but stellar talent. After an early role in 1996’s She’s The One, Mann landed the third lead in Ben Stiller’s The Cable Guy (her first collaboration with producer Apatow), and proved to be an able foil for Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey. After appearances in George Of The Jungle and Big Daddy, Mann stole the show with her brief appearance in The 40 Year Old Virgin as drunken Nicky, who meets Steve Carrell’s Andy in a bar. Rising in status, Mann was soon occupying leading roles in films such as Funny People, The Change-Up, This Is 40 and The Other Woman – proving repeatedly that she can more than hold her own opposite fellow comedy successes, such as Adam Sandler, Melissa McCarthy, Paul Rudd and Jason Bateman. Mindy Kaling Mindy Kaling is a quadruple comedic threat, being an actress, writer, producer and director – as well as having created one of the more successful TV comedies currently on TV. She has a great grounding in comedy, having once interned for Late Night With Conan O’Brien, and having once contributed to an episode of Saturday Night Live, but it wasn’t until she got a job with The Office that things really started to come together. Initially employed as the only female writer on the team, Kaling’s position was swiftly expanded to encompass acting (the role of Kelly Kapoor), producing and directing. While rising through the ranks of Office staff, Kaling was also stacking up big screen credits – regularly stealing scenes in titles such as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Despicable Me, No Strings Attached, The 5 Year Engagement and Wreck-It-Ralph. Since 2012, she has been leading the TV comedy The Mindy Project, which she successfully pitched to Fox, and which features her as a young Ob/Gyn doctor in an office full of quirky characters. Amy Poehler The legendary Amy Poehler has taken her early training and experience at the ImprovOlympic, Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade, and crafted an impressive career in film and TV – from sketch comedy on Late Night With Conan O’Brien and Saturday Night Live, to guest appearances on Arrested Development and 30 Rock, to big roles in Mean Girls and Baby Mama. It wasn’t until she left Saturday Night Live, however, that she really came into her own, landing the starring role in a sitcom from the creators of The Office - Parks And Recreation. Building the iconic character of Leslie Knope – Deputy Director of the Parks Department – she has set her status as comedic heavyweight in stone. With no fewer than 13 Emmy nominations under her belt, Poehler has forged ahead – successfully hosting the Golden Globes twice (alongside her regular collaborator, Tina Fey) and lining up the big budget female led comedy The Nest, which is currently filming. Aisha Tyler Aisha Tyler has had a wide and varied career – from stand-up to talk shows, movies to TV. But she will perhaps always be most beloved for providing the slightly unhinged voice of Agent Lana Kane in Adam Reed’s FX animated series, Archer. Recently renewed for a sixth and seventh season, Archer continues to receive almost universal acclaim, and is a firm fan favourite. Tyler’s iconic voice performance in each episode – in which her character goes toe-to-toe with the bungling and arrogant Sterling Archer, while they work for the International Secret Intelligence Service – has brought her international stardom, as well as providing the opportunity to expand her resume further. Recent project have included Reno911!, Glee, and being the host of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Maya Rudolph Having established herself as one of the most beloved and talented faces of Saturday Night Live from 2000 – 2007, Maya Rudolph has successfully dove-tailed that hard work into a career beyond the legendary sketch show. Starring in Mike Judge’s satirical science fiction comedy, Idiocracy, Rudolph brought her brand of nuanced humour to what would become a movie with a significant cult following. Since the release of that film – toward the end of her time on the SNL cast – she has achieved something of a balance between big budget popcorn movies (Grown Ups), box office smash hits (Bridesmaids), independent films (Away We Go), and TV (Up All Night, The Maya Rudolph Show). More big things are brewing for Rudolph as well, with a voice performance in Big Hero 6, and a role in upcoming comedy The Nest to look forward to. Tina Fey Writer, producer and actress Tina Fey is a bona fide trailblazer. She was the first female Head Writer at Saturday Night Live, the person responsible for the first all-female Weekend Update pairing on Saturday Night Live (herself and Amy Poehler as co-anchors), and she was the youngest recipient of the Mark Twin Prize For American Humour. She entered the comedic history books as having created the perfect, most critically acclaimed impression of Sarah Palin, ever performed. She also created 30 Rock – a show that earned 225 award nominations and 72 award wins in 7 years, and re-booted the career of Alec Baldwin. Having added "Golden Globe Co-Host" to her resume, twice, Fey is continuing to divide her time between film and TV – appearing in This Is Where I Leave You this fall, starring in and producing The Nest, and serving as executive producer on forthcoming TV shows, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Cabot College. Wanda Sykes The multi-talented, multi-award winning Wanda Sykes has been a force to be reckoned with in American comedy for over 17 years. She is a writer, actress, stand-up comedian, voice-over artist and author, whose career has spanned the worlds of film, TV and theatre. Having found early success with The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show, The Chris Rock Show, The Drew Carey Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sykes seemed to move easily onto the big screen with Clerks II, Evan Almighty, Rio and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Her role in Season 1 of Amazon’s Alpha House – which sees her as the Democrat Senator neighbour of the 4 Republican Senators around whom the show revolves – has been expanded into the season 2 of the show, which films this summer. She is also confirmed to return for Ice Age 5, slated for release in summer 2016. Melissa McCarthy Though she has been working steadily in film and TV since 1997, the perception of Melissa McCarthy is generally one of sudden success, following her astounding turn in 2011’s Bridesmaids. The fact is, she had already spent 14 years turning in excellent supporting performances in titles such as Drowning Mona, The Nines, Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who? before landing the award-winning lead role in the TV show Mike And Molly. But, Bridesmaids was such a universal success that McCarthy was catapulted straight into the stratosphere – becoming a much-loved movie star. Her appeal is undoubtedly rooted in her trademark naturalistic improvised style, which creates a fascinating air of unpredictability in scenes with veteran performers, and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. When you watch a scene featuring Melissa McCarthy, you know that you are about to be treated to a stream-of-consciousness style exploration of humour, as the actress steals the piece from under the noses of her fellow performers. Since the release of Bridesmaids in 2011, films featuring Melissa McCarthy – including The Heat, This Is 40, The Hangover Part III, Identity Thief, and Tammy – have earned approximately $1.2 billion in global box office. That number is set to increase sharply with the forthcoming St Vincent, Spy, and B.O.O: Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations. Kristen Wiig Like many of her fellow funniest females, Kristen Wiig is a triple threat – writing, producing and acting in many top comedy projects. Having established herself as one of the most popular Saturday Night Live cast members from 2005 to 2012, Wiig has balanced that work with outstanding films, such as Knocked Up, Adventureland, Extract, Whip It and Paul. Having co-written the script for the 2011 smash hit Bridesmaids with regular collaborator Annie Mumolo, Wiig busied herself capitalizing on that success with roles in Arrested Development, Friends With Kids, Girl Most Likely, Her, Despicable Me 2, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty and The Spoils Of Babylon. Wiig has, perhaps, the most crowded slate of all, with Welcome To Me, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl and Nasty Baby all in post-production, as well as the highly anticipated The Skeleton Twins, which sees her star opposite her fellow Saturday Night Live cast member, Bill Hader.