Alex Borstein | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Borstein at the 2016WonderCon | |
| Born | Alexandrea Borstein (1971-02-15)February 15, 1971 (age 54) Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | San Francisco State University (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Alexandrea Borstein (born February 15, 1971)[1] is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer best known asLois Griffin inFamily Guy (1999–present), for which she won aPrimetime Emmy Award, and Susie Myerson inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–23), which won her twoPrimetime Emmy Awards.
Borstein also had lead roles as various characters on the sketch comedy seriesMADtv (1997–2009) and as Dawn Forchette in the medical comedy seriesGetting On (2013–2015). She had supporting roles in numerous films, includingShowtime (2002),Bad Santa (2003),Kicking & Screaming (2005),Little Man (2006),Killers (2010),Ted (2012),A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014),Love the Coopers (2015), andThe Bad Guys (2022).
Borstein was born on February 15, 1971 (although her official website says 1973)[2] inHighland Park, Illinois, a city north of Chicago. She was raised inDeerfield, Illinois, before her family moved to Northridge, California, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.[3] She graduated fromChatsworth High School in 1989. She has two older brothers. Her parents, Irv and Judy Borstein, are both mental health professionals.[4][5] She has stated that she is of Hungarian and Mongolian descent.[6] She isJewish.[4][7]
Her father is fromAtlanta. Her maternal grandmother, aHolocaust survivor, was born and raised inBudapest,Hungary, and immigrated to the United States after theHungarian Revolution of 1956.[8][9] Borstein is a graduate ofSan Francisco State University, where she studiedrhetoric.[10]
Borstein trained inimprovisational comedy at theACME Comedy Theater, nearHollywood, where she met her writing partner and future husband Jackson Douglas. Shortly after they began working together on theanimated seriesThe Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper andPinky and the Brain, Borstein left her position at an ad agency – where she had written print ads forBarbie – to become a full-time writer. In 1996, while still writing forCasper, Borstein worked on the showPower Rangers Zeo as the voice ofQueen Machina, the queen of the Machine Empire.
In 1997, Borstein became a cast member on the third season of the sketch comedy showMADtv after being scouted bytalent agents. She originally joined the cast as a featured player, but was upgraded to the repertory mid-season.
Borstein was best known onMADtv for her character Ms. Swan (owner of theGorgeous Pretty Beauty Nail Salon); her other recurring characters included Eracist Anne, "Stick Chick" Echo, singer Jasmine Wayne-Wayne, child prodigy Karen Goddard, lounge singer Shaunda,News at Six outside-the-studio reporter Sue Napersville, and Cordo theGAP troll. WhenSeth Green made recurring appearances on the show as mean boss Mr. Brightling, Borstein would play his mother, Mama Brightling.
While working onMADtv, Borstein metSeth MacFarlane, who was then preparing to launch the animated sitcomFamily Guy onFox. MacFarlane was originally supposed to create animated shorts forMADtv, but declined in favor of creating an independent series. MacFarlane cast Borstein as the voice of characterLois Griffin. After the show's debut in January 1999,Family Guy was cancelled by the network twice in 2000 and 2002, but eventually returned in 2005. As well as her role as the voice performer for Lois and several other characters (including a brief appearance as Ms. Swan in a 2005 episode), she is also aproducer and staff writer. She was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for the episode "Lois Comes Out of Her Shell" in 2013.
In 2000, Borstein was cast asSookie St. James in theWB dramaGilmore Girls. She portrayed Sookie in the pilot but herMADtv contract prevented her from continuing in the role. Borstein made recurring appearances onGilmore Girls throughout the show's run, first as theharpist Drella and later as the stylist Miss Celine.
As a film actor, she played Ms. Ungermeyer theschool principal inThe Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), the best friend ofHalle Berry's character inCatwoman (2004), and an employee atCBS News inGood Night, and Good Luck (2005). She also had a small role in the movieBad Santa (2003) and an uncredited cameo as an obnoxious coffee shop patron in theWill Ferrell movieKicking & Screaming (2005). On some commercials, she sometimes voicesOlive Oyl fromPopeye andBetty Boop.
Borstein was a co-host ofGSN'sCelebrity Blackjack in 2004. She made at least three guest appearances, once as Lois Griffin, on theComedy Central animated programDrawn Together.
Borstein was cast as apress secretary in the 2007 sitcom pilotThe Thick of It, but the series was not picked up for broadcast. She was seen in the 2009 comedyFor Christ's Sake, which was directed by her then husband Jackson Douglas.[citation needed]
Borstein's production company is called Crackerpants, Inc. In 2007, it released the DVDDrop Dead Gorgeous (in a Down-to-Earth Bombshell Sort of Way), a recording of a live performance at theAlex Theatre with Teddy Towne as the opening act. The title comes from one of many femalecharacter breakdowns Borstein reads from to illustrate sexism in the industry.[11]
Borstein has made several supporting appearances in such comedic films asKillers (2010),Dinner for Schmucks (2010),Ted (2012),ParaNorman (2012),A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014),The Angry Birds Movie (2016), andThe Bad Guys (2022).
In 2010, Borstein joined the first season staff of theShowtimecomedy-drama seriesShameless, as a writer and supervising producer. In its second season, she held the position of writer and consulting producer. She also guest-starred as Lou Deckner in numerous episodes of the series, beginning in the first-season episode "But at Last Came a Knock."
She also appeared as a comedian contestant onIFC's short-lived comedy-driven game showBunk in 2012.
Borstein starred as Dawn Forchette on theHBO comedy seriesGetting On, which is a remake of aBritish series with the same name. The series has gained positive reviews and earned multiplePrimetime Emmy Award nominations. It aired from 2013 to 2015.
From 2017 to 2023, Borstein starred as Susie Myerson in theAmazon Prime Video historical comedy-drama seriesThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for which she received significant critical acclaim and won two Primetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Borstein met actor and writer Jackson Douglas while she was studyingimprov at theACME Comedy Theatre. Douglasproposed to her during the taping of aMADtvsketch and they were married in 1999. Douglas filed fordivorce in October 2014 and it was finalized in 2017.[12][13]
Borstein was pregnant while she recorded theDVD commentary for theFamily Guy episode "Stewie Kills Lois"; she joked about naming her babyStewie. She and Douglas have a son and a daughter.[14][15]
Borstein, who is a carrier ofhemophilia herself,[16] is a longtime advocate for theNational Hemophilia Foundation.[17]
According to Borstein, "We doShabbat every Friday night. I'm not [someone] that goes to temple all the time—I'm a High Holidays temple goer, and that's about it. But there are traditions," she said in an interview. "Having a mother and a grandmother who areHolocaust survivors, I feel a large responsibility to continue that culture and those traditions—not necessarily thedogma, but what it feels like to be Jewish. I want to instill that in my kids."[18]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Coyote Ugly | Bidding Auction Woman | Uncredited |
| 2002 | Dawg | Darcy Smits | |
| Showtime | Casting Director | ||
| 2003 | The Lizzie McGuire Movie | Miss Ungermeyer | |
| Bad Santa | Milwaukee Mom | ||
| 2004 | Seeing Other People | Tracy | |
| Catwoman | Sally | ||
| Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer! | Betty Henderson | Short film | |
| 2005 | Kicking & Screaming | Obnoxious Hummer Lady | Uncredited |
| Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story | Lois Griffin / Various voices | Direct-to-video; Also writer and co-producer | |
| Good Night, and Good Luck | Natalie | ||
| 2006 | Little Man | Janet | |
| 2007 | The Lookout | Mrs. Lange | |
| 2010 | Killers | Lily Bailey | |
| Dinner for Schmucks | Martha | ||
| For Christ's Sake | Mrs. Marcus | ||
| 2012 | Ted | Helen Bennett | |
| ParaNorman | Mrs. Henscher (voice) | ||
| 2014 | A Million Ways to Die in the West | Millie | |
| 2015 | Love the Coopers | Angie | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Sophie Bird / Peggy Bird (voice) | |
| 2021 | Extinct | Mali (voice) | |
| 2022 | The Bad Guys | Chief Misty Luggins (voice) | |
| 2025 | The Bad Guys 2 | Chief Misty Luggins (voice)[19] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Various voices[20] | 4 episodes |
| 1996 | Power Rangers Zeo | Queen Machina / Robocupid (voice) | 42 episodes |
| Big Bad Beetleborgs | Cataclaws (voice) | Episode: "Yo Ho Borgs" | |
| 1997–2009, 2016 | MADtv | Herself / Various characters | Main role; 134 episodes Also writer |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | Lois Griffin / Barbara Pewterschmidt / Tricia Takanawa / Various voices | Main role; 424 episodes Also writer and producer |
| 2000–2005 | Gilmore Girls | Drella / Miss Celine / Doris | 9 episodes |
| 2002 | Titus | Nicky | Episode: "Bachelor Party" |
| 2002–2003 | 3-South | Becky (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Friends | Bitter Woman on Stage | Episode: "The One with the Soap Opera Party" |
| Frasier | Evelyn | Episode: "Farewell, Nervosa" | |
| 2005–2022 | Robot Chicken | Various voices | 16 episodes |
| 2006–2016 | American Dad! | Doctor Gupta / Museum Curator (voice) | Episodes: "Roger 'n' Me" and "Garfield and Friends" |
| 2006 | Drawn Together | Lois Griffin / Various voices | Episodes: "A Tale of Two Cows" and "The Lemon AIDS Walk" |
| 2007–2009 | Slacker Cats | Latoyah (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2009–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Hadassah Lowenstein / Lois Griffin / Various voices | 17 episodes |
| 2009 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Clerk (voice) | Episode: "Deck the Malls" |
| 2011–2015 | Shameless | Lou Deckner | 5 episodes; also writer and consulting producer |
| 2011 | Night of the Hurricane | Lois Griffin (voice) | Television special |
| 2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Preshi | Episode: "Rubber Ball" |
| 2012 | Robot Chicken DC Comics Special | Wonder Woman /Giganta / Woman at Bar (voice) | Television special |
| 2012–2016 | Workaholics | Colleen Walker | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Bunheads | Sweetie Cramer / Hooker | Episodes: "Pilot" and "Channing Tatum Is a Fine Actor" |
| 2013–2015 | Getting On | Dawn Forchette | Main role; 18 episodes |
| 2015 | Life in Pieces | Lynette | Episode: "Ponzi Sex Paris Bounce" |
| Masters of Sex | Loretta | Episode: "Monkey Business" | |
| Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship | Wonder Woman (voice) | Television special | |
| 2016 | Bordertown | Janice Buckwald / Becky (voice) | Main role; 12 episodes |
| Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Drella / Miss Celine | Episodes: "Winter" and "Fall" | |
| Son of Zorn | Elizabeth | Episode: "Return of the Drinking Buddy" | |
| 2017 | Animals. | Lois Griffin (voice) | Episode: "Pigeons." |
| 2017–2023 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Susie Myerson | Main role; 43 episodes |
| 2021 | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Wilma (voice) | Episode: "Tales From the Blackout" |
| 2022 | Resident Alien | Carlyn | Episode: "Girls' Night" |
| 2023 | Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits | Herself | Television special |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Family Guy Video Game! | Lois Griffin / Various voices | |
| 2012 | Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse | ||
| 2014 | Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff | ||
| 2022 | Warped Kart Racers | Lois Griffin | Archived recordings |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2010 | Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy | Various voices | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Hot Ones | Lois Griffin | Episode: "Peter Griffin Bares It All While Eating Spicy Wings"[21] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Special Relativity[22] | Nox / Lucinda |
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