Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sketch comedy show ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in the films ''

50 First Dates ''50 First Dates'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd in supporting roles. It follows the st ...

'' (2004), ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

'' (2006)'','' and ''

Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film co-produced and directed by Mike Judge from a screenplay written by Judge and Etan Cohen based on a story written by Judge. The plot follows United States Army librarian Joe Bauers ...

'' (2006). After leaving ''SNL'' in 2007, Rudolph appeared in more films, including '' Grown Ups'' (2010), ''

Bridesmaids Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party at some Western culture, Western traditional wedding ceremonies. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often the bride's close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a weddi ...

'' (2011), ''

Grown Ups 2 ''Grown Ups 2'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf (writer), Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It serves as a sequel to the 2010 film Grown Ups (fil ...

'' (2013), ''

Inherent Vice ''Inherent Vice'' is a novel by the American author Thomas Pynchon, originally published on August4, 2009. A darkly comic detective novel set in 1970s California, the plot follows sleuth Larry "Doc" Sportello whose ex-girlfriend asks him to i ...

'' (2014), ''

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

'' (2015), '' Life of the Party'' (2018), and '' Disenchanted'' (2022). She also provided voice acting roles in the animated films ''

Shrek the Third ''Shrek the Third'' (also known as ''Shrek 3'') is a 2007 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Chris Miller and co-directed by Raman Hui from a sc ...

'' (2007), ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

'' (2013), ''Big Hero 6'' (2014), ''

The Angry Birds Movie ''The Angry Birds Movie'' is a 2016 animated comedy film based on Rovio Entertainment's ''Angry Birds'' franchise, produced by Columbia Pictures and Rovio Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film was directed by Clay Kay ...

'' (2016), ''

The Emoji Movie ''The Emoji Movie'' is a 2017 American animated comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film was directed by Tony Leondis from a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Si ...

'' (2017), and ''

Luca Luca or LUCA may refer to: People * Luca (masculine given name), including a list of people * Luca (feminine given name), including a list of people * Luca (surname), including a list of people Places * The ancient name of Lucca, an Etruscan ...

'' (2021). Rudolph starred in the NBC sitcom ''Up All Night'' (2011–2012) and co-hosted the variety show ''

Maya & Marty ''Maya & Marty'' is an American television limited variety show that premiered on NBC on May 31, 2016, broadcasting six episodes in total. The series was co-hosted by comedians Maya Rudolph and Martin Short, and produced by Lorne Michaels, featu ...

'' (2016). In 2022, she began starring in the comedy series ''Loot'', also serving as an executive producer. Rudolph has voiced various characters in the animated sitcom '' Big Mouth'' (2017–2025), including

Connie the Hormone Monstress Constance LaCienega, better known as Connie the Hormone Monstress, is the female hormone monster, who helps girls go through puberty in the Netflix series '' Big Mouth''. She works as Jessi's hormone monstress and serves as a foil to Maury, with ...

, which won her four

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

. For her portrayal of politician

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

on ''SNL'', she won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Prior to 1989, the category was not gender-specific, and, thus, was called Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. It is ...

. Rudolph received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for playing a judge in the comedy series ''

The Good Place ''The Good Place'' is an American fantasy-comedy television series created by Michael Schur for NBC. The series premiered on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons consisting of 53 episodes. Although the pl ...

'' (2018–2020). In 2024, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is the daughter of late singer

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1974 single " Lovin' You", her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register. Born in 1947, Riperton grew ...

(1947–1979) and composer

Richard Rudolph Richard James Rudolph (born October 27, 1946) is an American songwriter, musician, music publisher, and producer. Life and career Richard Rudolph is the son of Muriel Eileen (Neufeld) and Sidney J. Rudolph. Rudolph is of Jewish descent. His g ...

Early life

Rudolph was born in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

on July 27, 1972. Her mother,

, was a singer, and her father,

, was a composer. Her mother was African-American and her father is Jewish. Her paternal grandfather was Sidney Rudolph, a philanthropist who once owned all of the

Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...

and Rudy's restaurants in

Miami-Dade County, Florida Miami-Dade County () is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous coun ...

. Her great-grandfather was born in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, changed his surname from "Rudashevsky" to "Rudolph", and was one of the founding members of Congregation Beth Shalom, a

Conservative Jewish Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...

synagogue in the

Squirrel Hill Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated ...

neighborhood of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. Rudolph's godmother was R&B singer

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before ...

(1956–2010). On an episode of

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

's ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is an American documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is com ...

'', Rudolph discovered that her maternal great-great-great-grandfather was James Grigsby, who was born into

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

Lincoln County, Kentucky Lincoln County is a county located in south-central Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,275. Its county seat is Stanford. Lincoln County is part of the Danville, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Lincoln County ...

. Grigsby was denied financial compensation and freedom granted by the last will and testament of his owner, John Warren Grigsby, and challenged the owner's grandson in court in the 1830s. Rudolph's parents moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, when their children were very young, and Rudolph grew up primarily in the Westwood neighborhood. Near the end of the song "

Lovin' You "Lovin' You" is a song recorded by American singer Minnie Riperton from her second studio album, '' Perfect Angel'' (1974). It was written by Riperton and her husband, Richard Rudolph, produced by Rudolph and Stevie Wonder, and released as the ...

", Riperton repeats "Maya", as can be heard in her performance on '' The Midnight Special''. Riperton died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

on July 12, 1979, at the age of 31, two weeks before Maya's seventh birthday. In 1990, Rudolph graduated from Crossroads School in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, where she befriended schoolmates

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...

and

Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...

. She attended the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

, living in

Porter College Benjamin F. Porter College, known colloquially as Porter College, is a residential college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. It is located on the lower west side of the university, south of Kresge College and north of Rachel Carson Coll ...

. In 1995, she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

Career

Television and film

Rudolph was in the

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention **Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...

troupe

the Groundlings The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improv techniques we ...

, where she met future ''

'' cast member

Will Forte Orville Willis Forte IV ( ; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a cast member and writer on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. During his time on ...

. She joined the cast of ''Saturday Night Live'' as a featured player for the final three episodes of the 1999–2000 season and stayed until 2007. She has made several cameo appearances over the years. Since the 45th-season premiere, she has occasionally portrayed

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, a performance acknowledged by Harris. After Harris became the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, Rudolph agreed to portray Harris on ''SNL'' through the 2024 election; pre-production on season 3 of her show ''Loot'' has been postponed to accommodate her role. She has appeared in many other television shows, including the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

series '' City of Angels'' and ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series created by David E. Kelley, that originally aired for six seasons on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000, with a total of 141 episodes. The series is set in a fictional pr ...

''. She had small parts in ''

Gattaca ''Gattaca'' is a 1997 American dystopian science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol in his List of directorial debuts, feature directorial debut. It stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman with Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Go ...

'' (1997), ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

'' (1997), ''

Chuck & Buck ''Chuck & Buck'' is a 2000 American black comedy drama film directed by Miguel Arteta and produced by Matthew Greenfield. It was written by and starred Mike White in the leading role. Arteta, Greenfield, and White met and first collaborated at ...

'' (2000), '' Duets'' (2000), '' Duplex'' (2003), and ''

'' (2004); she was also a music supervisor for ''Duets''. Her first prominent film role came in 2006 with ''

''. Earlier, she had costarred with

Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor. Wilson's prominent film roles have included '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Blue Streak'' (1999), '' My Dog Skip'' (2000), '' Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums' ...

in the 2005

Mike Judge Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for being the creator of the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present). He ...

sci-fi comedy ''

'', although that film was shelved until September 2006 and then only given a limited release. She also guest-starred as Rapunzel in the DreamWorks animated film ''

''. She guest-starred as Julia in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode " The Homer of Seville". Rudolph guest-starred as character Athena Scooberman in NBC's ''

Kath & Kim ''Kath & Kim'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 to 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and T ...

'', and starred in the film ''

Away We Go ''Away We Go'' is a 2009 American romantic road comedy-drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. The film's two leads are John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. It is Mendes's first film without Thomas Newman's coll ...

'' with ''

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

'' star

John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013), where he was also a producer and occasional director. He directed, co-w ...

. In 2010, she appeared in '' Grown Ups'' starring

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...

, where she played the wife of

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

's character, and returned for the 2013 sequel,

. In 2011, she appeared in ''

'' with ''Saturday Night Live'' colleague

Kristen Wiig Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved stardom in the late 2000s for her ...

, and in 2013 she played a supporting role in ''

The Way, Way Back ''The Way, Way Back'' is a 2013 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash in their directorial debuts. It stars Liam James as Duncan, an introverted 14-year-old who goes on summer vacation to ...

'' as the girlfriend of

Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for playing troubled police officer Jason Dixon in ''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (2017). He was nominated i ...

's character. From 2011 to 2012, she co-starred in the NBC sitcom '' Up All Night'', with

Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. With a career spanning five decades, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, along with nominations for four Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. After appearing in se ...

and

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and the titular ch ...

. In 2013, she voiced Burn in the

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...

film ''

''. Rudolph's self-titled

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

television pilot aired on May 19, 2014, but the show did not go beyond that. Also in 2014, she voiced Precious in the animated film ''

The Nut Job ''The Nut Job'' is a 2014 animated comedy film directed by Peter Lepeniotis, who also wrote the film with Lorne Cameron. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl, Stephen Lang, Jeff Dunham, Gabriel Iglesi ...

'', as well as in the 2017 sequel '' The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature'', and voiced Aunt Cass in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

animated film '' Big Hero 6''. It was later announced that she would star in an NBC variety series ''

'' with

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...

, which debuted on May 31, 2016. Her next series, ''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

'', premiered on September 14, 2018, on

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

. As a voice actress, she voiced Matilda in ''

'' (2016) and ''

The Angry Birds Movie 2 ''The Angry Birds Movie 2'' is a 2019 animated comedy film based on the ''Angry Birds'' video game series. It is the second installment in the Angry Birds film series, and was directed by Thurop Van Orman from a screenplay by Peter Ackerman, ...

'' (2019), voiced Smiler in the animated ''

'' (2017), and had various roles in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

animated series '' Big Mouth'', premiering in 2017. In 2018, she performed in advertisements for Ruby Tuesday and Seventh Generation. In 2019 she appeared as the mother in '' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part''. In 2021 she voiced Linda Mitchell, mother of two, in Sony Pictures' '' The Mitchells vs. the Machines'', and Daniela Paguro in the

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

film ''

''. In July 2022 she appeared as the star of '' Loot'', an Apple TV+ series. In 2022, Rudolph portrayed Malvina Monroe, the main antagonist of '' Disenchanted'', the sequel to the 2007 Disney film '' Enchanted''. Rudolph has a production company called Animal Pictures with

Natasha Lyonne Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein ( ; born April 4, 1979) is an American producer, director, comedian, writer, actress, and artificial intelligence film studio head. Lyonne started her career as a child actress before expanding her career taking o ...

which has produced ''

Russian Doll A Russian doll (or Matryoshka) is a type of nested, wooden toy. Russian Doll or Russian Dolls may also refer to: Television series * ''Russian Doll'' (TV series), a 2019 American drama series on Netflix * ''Russian Dolls'' (2011 TV series), a ...

'', '' Poker Face,'' '' Loot'', and ''

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy ''The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy'' is an American adult animated science fiction comedy series created by Cirocco Dunlap for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. The series centers on two intergalactic surgeons and best friends as t ...

''. As of October 3, 2023, Rudolph reportedly separated amicably from Animal Pictures to produce independently. In January 2023, it was announced that Rudolph would be the spokesperson for

M&M's M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated dragée chocolate confectionery by the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars Inc.. The candy consists of a candy shell surrounding a filling which determines the specific type of M&M's. Each piece has ...

after owner

Mars Incorporated Mars, Incorporated (doing business as Mars Inc.) is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of Animal welfare, animal care services founded on June 23 ...

supposedly pulled its "Spokescandies" in light of criticism for its depictions of gender, though a few days later Mars confirmed that their Spokescandies would return in their Super Bowl commercial.

Music

Prior to joining ''Saturday Night Live'', Rudolph was a

backing singer A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

from 1995 to 1999.

Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .

Biography In Context. and briefly a keyboardist in the band

the Rentals The Rentals is an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp. Sharp has been the only consistent member since the group's inception. The band's best selling single is "Friends of P." (1995). The Rentals released two albums, ''Return of t ...

, with whom she toured. She appears in music videos for the songs "Waiting" and "Please Let That Be You". In 2004, she recorded a track with the Rentals frontman

Matt Sharp Matthew Kelly Sharp (born September 22, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Until 1998, he was the bassist for the Rock music, rock band Weezer, which he co-founded in 1992. He appears on their first two albums, the ''Weezer (B ...

, including a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...

Tegan and Sara Tegan and Sara () are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters, Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumentali ...

's "Not Tonight". She was also the original drummer of

That Dog That Dog (stylized as that dog.) is a Los Angeles-based rock music, rock band that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar an ...

before moving to attend college. She performed "Together in Pooping" and "Little Roundworm" with

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered, and voiced by actor/comedian/director Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Rottweiler & Montenegrin Mount ...

(Robert Smigel) on his album '' Come Poop With Me''. She is in a

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

cover band called Princess with her friend Gretchen Lieberum.

Personal life

Rudolph has been in a relationship with filmmaker

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...

since 2001. They live in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

with their four children.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Maya 1972 births Living people 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American Jews 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American Jews Actresses from Gainesville, Florida Actresses from Los Angeles African-American female comedians African-American Jews American film actresses American impressionists (entertainers) American keyboardists American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American sketch comedians American television actresses American voice actresses American women comedians Audiobook narrators Comedians from Florida Comedians from Los Angeles Crossroads School alumni Jewish American actresses Jewish American comedians Jewish women comedians Jewish American singers Musicians from Gainesville, Florida People from Westwood, Los Angeles Primetime Emmy Award winners Singers from Los Angeles The Rentals members University of California, Santa Cruz alumni Jews from Florida Jews from California Rudolph family