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{{Short description|American actress (born 1973)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name =Alex Borstein
| name = Alex Borstein
| image =Alex Borstein by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg
| image = Alex Borstein by Gage Skidmore 4 (retouched).jpg
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| imagesize = 240px
| caption = Borstein at the 2016 [[WonderCon]]
|caption=Borstein at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego
| birth_name = Alexandrea Borstein
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|02|15}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|02|15}}
| birth_place = [[Highland Park, Illinois]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Highland Park, Illinois]], U.S.
| birthname = Alexandrea Borstein
| education = [[San Francisco State University]]<br>[[ACME Comedy Theatre]]
| alma_mater = [[San Francisco State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| occupation = actress, writer, producer, comedian
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|comedian|writer|producer}}
| years_active = 1993–present
| religion = Judaism
| spouse = {{marriage|Jackson Douglas|1999|2017|reason=divorced}}
| yearsactive = 1993–present
| children = 2
| homepage = {{url|http://www.alexborstein.com/}}
| spouse = Jackson Douglas<br>(m. 1999–present)
| children = Barnaby Borstein Douglas<br>Henrietta Borstein Douglas
}}
}}
'''Alexandrea "Alex" Borstein''' (born February 15, 1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alexborstein.com/main.htm|title=FAQ (first question)|work=Alexborstein.com|accessdate=July 25, 2012}}</ref> is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. She is well known for her long-running role as [[Lois Griffin]] on the animated television series ''[[Family Guy]]'', and as a cast member on the sketch comedy series ''[[MADtv]]''. A native of [[Deerfield, Illinois]], Borstein is a graduate of [[San Francisco State University]], where she studied [[rhetoric]]. She was trained in [[Improvisation|improvisational comedy]] at the [[ACME Comedy Theatre]], near [[Hollywood]], [[California]], and was selected to join ''MADtv'' after being scouted by [[talent agent]]s who noticed her work at the theatre. She was a writer and voice actor for several television shows, including ''[[Casper the Friendly Ghost|Casper]]'', ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]'', and ''[[Power Rangers: Zeo]]'', before joining the cast of ''MADtv'' as a featured player, and later as a repertory player in 1997.
'''Alexandrea Borstein''' (born February 15, 1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alexborstein.com/main.htm|title=FAQ (first question)|work=Alexborstein.com|access-date=July 25, 2012|archive-date=March 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190317161752/http://www.alexborstein.com/main.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is best known for voicing [[Lois Griffin]] in the animated comedy series ''[[Family Guy]]'' (1999–present), for which she won a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance|Primetime Emmy Award]]. She gained further acclaim for starring as Susie Myerson in the comedy-drama series ''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]'' (2017–2023), which earned her two [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Primetime Emmy Awards]].

Borstein also had lead roles as various characters on the sketch comedy series ''[[MADtv]]'' (1997–2009) and as Dawn Forchette in the medical comedy series ''[[Getting On (American TV series)|Getting On]]'' (2013–2015). She had supporting roles in numerous films, including ''[[Showtime (film)|Showtime]]'' (2002), ''[[Bad Santa]]'' (2003), ''[[Kicking & Screaming (2005 film)|Kicking & Screaming]]'' (2005), ''[[Little Man (2006 film)|Little Man]]'' (2006), ''[[Killers (2010 film)|Killers]]'' (2010), ''[[Ted (film)|Ted]]'' (2012), ''[[A Million Ways to Die in the West]]'' (2014), ''[[Love the Coopers]]'' (2015), and ''[[Extinct (film)|Extinct]]'' (2021).


==Early life==
==Early life==
Borstein was born in [[Highland Park, Illinois]], a suburb north of the city of [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], in 1973 (according to her own official website), though some sources still say 1971. Borstein has two elder brothers. Her parents, Irv and Judy Borstein, are both mental health professionals. She and her family are Jewish.<ref name="alex1">{{cite web| last =Phipps| first =Keith| authorlink =| coauthors =| title=Random Rules: Alex Borstein| publisher =A.V. Club| date =2006-11-20 | url =http://www.avclub.com/content/node/55488| format =| accessdate =2006-11-21 }}</ref><ref>[http://sonic.net/~goblin/borstein.htm It's a MAD World]. Sonic.net (2002-10-19). Retrieved on 2012-07-25.</ref> She attended [[San Francisco State University]] in [[San Francisco, California]].
Borstein was born in [[Highland Park, Illinois]], a city north of Chicago. She was raised in [[Deerfield, Illinois]], before her family moved to Northridge, California, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forward.com/the-assimilator/189943/alex-borstein-on-family-guy-and-getting-on/|title=Alex Borstein on 'Family Guy' and 'Getting On'|publisher=The Forward|first=Curt |last=Schleier|date=December 26, 2013}}</ref> She graduated from [[Chatsworth High School]] in 1989. She has two older brothers. Her parents, Irv and Judy Borstein, are both mental health professionals.<ref name="alex1">{{cite web| last =Phipps| first =Keith| title=Random Rules: Alex Borstein| publisher =The A.V. Club| date =November 20, 2006 | url =http://www.avclub.com/content/node/55488| access-date =November 21, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011140525/http://www.avclub.com/content/node/55488 |archive-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://sonic.net/~goblin/borstein.htm |title=It's a MAD World |website=Sonic.net |date=October 19, 2002 |access-date=July 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512100237/http://sonic.net/~goblin/borstein.htm |archive-date=May 12, 2012}}</ref> She has stated that she is of Hungarian and Mongolian descent.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stern |first1=Marlow |title='Family Guy' Star Alex Borstein Is Ready for Her HBO Close-Up |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/family-guy-star-alex-borstein-is-ready-for-her-hbo-close-up |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=12 November 2013 |access-date=28 June 2022}}</ref> She is [[Jewish]].<ref name="alex1" /><ref>[https://www.kveller.com/how-jewish-celebrities-celebrated-passover/ ''Kveller.com'' "How Celebrities Celebrated Passover"]</ref>

Her father is from [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]. Her maternal grandmother, a [[Sh'erit ha-Pletah|Holocaust survivor]], was born and raised in [[Budapest]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]], and immigrated to the United States after the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hemaware.org/story/hemophilia-humor|title=Hemophilia Humor: NHF spokesperson Alex Borstein found success, levity in comedy|publisher=Hemaware|first=Kadesha | last=Thomas Smith|date=September 19, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishjournal.com/culture/just-asking/228674/alex-borstein-and-her-maisel-character-were-both-like-little-bulldogs/|title=Alex Borstein and Her 'Maisel' Character: 'We're Both Like Little Bulldogs'|first=Naomi| last=Pfefferman |publisher=Jewish Journal|date=December 13, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref> Borstein is a graduate of [[San Francisco State University]], where she studied [[rhetoric]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-alex-borstein-getting-on-hbo-20141112-story.html|title=Alex Borstein, a woman of many voices with just the right tone|publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]]|first=Courtney |last=Crowder|date=November 12, 2014|access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
===1993–1998: Career beginnings and ''MADtv''===
Borstein trained in improv at the [[ACME Comedy Theater]], where she met her writing partner and future husband [[Jackson Douglas]]. Shortly after they began working together on the [[list of animated television series|animated series]] ''[[Casper the Friendly Ghost|Casper]]'' and ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]'', Borstein left her position at an ad agency – where she had written print ads for [[Barbie]] – to become a full-time writer. In 1996, while still writing for ''Casper'', Borstein worked on the show ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' as the voice of [[Queen Machina]], the queen of the [[Machine Empire]].
Borstein trained in [[Improvisation|improvisational comedy]] at the [[ACME Comedy Theater]], near [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], where she met her writing partner and future husband Jackson Douglas. Shortly after they began working together on the [[list of animated television series|animated series]] ''[[The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper]]'' and ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]'', Borstein left her position at an ad agency – where she had written print ads for [[Barbie]] – to become a full-time writer. In 1996, while still writing for ''Casper'', Borstein worked on the show ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' as the voice of [[Machine Empire|Queen Machina]], the queen of the Machine Empire.


In 1997, Borstein became a cast member on the third season of the sketch comedy show ''[[MADtv]]''. She originally joined the cast as a featured player, but was upgraded to the repertory mid-season.
In 1997, Borstein became a cast member on the third season of the sketch comedy show ''[[MADtv]]'' after being scouted by [[talent agent|talent agents]]. She originally joined the cast as a featured player, but was upgraded to the repertory mid-season.


Borstein was perhaps best known on MADtv for her character [[Ms. Swan]]; her other recurring characters included [[The Eracsists|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 the [[Gap (clothing retailer)|GAP]] troll. When [[Seth Green]] made recurring appearances on the show as mean boss Mr. Brightling, Borstein would play his mother, Mama Brightling.
Borstein was best known on ''MADtv'' for her character Ms. Swan (owner of the ''Gorgeous 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 the [[Gap (clothing retailer)|GAP]] troll. When [[Seth Green]] made recurring appearances on the show as mean boss Mr. Brightling, Borstein would play his mother, Mama Brightling.


===1999–2009: Further success and ''Family Guy''===
While working on ''MADtv'', Borstein met [[Seth MacFarlane]], who was then preparing to launch the animated sitcom ''[[Family Guy]]'' on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] (MacFarlane was originally supposed to create animated shorts for ''MADtv'', but declined in favor of creating an independent series). MacFarlane cast Borstein as the voice of key character [[Lois Griffin]]. After the show's debut in January 1999, ''Family Guy'' was cancelled by the network in 2002 but returned in 2005; as well as her role as the voice performer for Lois and several other characters throughout the series (including a brief appearance as Ms. Swan in a 2005 episode), Borstein is also a [[Television producer|producer]] and staff writer. She has made at least three guest appearances, once as Lois Griffin, on the [[Comedy Central]] animated program ''[[Drawn Together]]''.


While working on ''MADtv'', Borstein met [[Seth MacFarlane]], who was then preparing to launch the animated sitcom ''[[Family Guy]]'' on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]. MacFarlane was originally supposed to create animated shorts for ''MADtv'', but declined in favor of creating an independent series. MacFarlane cast Borstein as the voice of character [[Lois 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 a [[Television producer|producer]] and staff writer. She was nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] for the episode "[[Lois Comes Out of Her Shell]]" in 2013.
In 2000, Borstein was cast as [[Sookie St. James]] in the [[The WB Television Network|WB]] drama ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''. She portrayed Sookie in the pilot, but her MADtv contract prevented her from continuing in the role, which was recast with [[Melissa McCarthy]]. Borstein made recurring appearances on ''Gilmore Girls'' throughout the show's run, first as the [[harp]]ist Drella.


In 2000, Borstein was cast as [[Sookie St. James]] in the [[The WB Television Network|WB]] drama ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''. She portrayed Sookie in the pilot but her ''MADtv'' contract prevented her from continuing in the role. Borstein made recurring appearances on ''Gilmore Girls'' throughout the show's run, first as the [[harp]]ist Drella and later as the stylist Miss Celine.
As an actress, she has made appearances in such films as ''[[Killers (2010 film)|Killers]]'' and ''[[Dinner for Schmucks]]''. She played the [[school principal]] in ''[[The Lizzie McGuire Movie]]'', the best friend of [[Halle Berry]]'s character in ''[[Catwoman (film)|Catwoman]]'', and an employee at [[CBS News]] in ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''. She also had an uncredited cameo in the [[Will Ferrell]] movie ''[[Kicking & Screaming (2005 film)|Kicking & Screaming]]'' as an obnoxious coffee shop patron. She also had a small role in the movie ''[[Bad Santa]]''.


As a film actor, she played Ms. Ungermeyer the [[school principal]] in ''[[The Lizzie McGuire Movie]]'' (2003), the best friend of [[Halle Berry]]'s character in ''[[Catwoman (film)|Catwoman]]'' (2004), and an employee at [[CBS News]] in ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]'' (2005). She also had a small role in the movie ''[[Bad Santa]]'' (2003) and an uncredited cameo as an obnoxious coffee shop patron in the [[Will Ferrell]] movie ''[[Kicking & Screaming (2005 film)|Kicking & Screaming]]'' (2005). On some commercials, she sometimes voices [[Olive Oyl]] from [[Popeye]] and [[Betty Boop]].
Borstein was a co-host of [[Game Show Network|GSN's]] ''[[Celebrity Blackjack]]'' in 2004. In addition, she also appeared as a comedian contestant on [[IFC (U.S. TV channel)|IFC]]'s short-lived, comedy-driven game show ''[[Bunk (TV Series)|Bunk]]'' in 2012.


Borstein was a co-host of [[Game Show Network|GSN's]] ''[[Celebrity Blackjack]]'' in 2004. She made at least three guest appearances, once as Lois Griffin, on the [[Comedy Central]] animated program ''[[Drawn Together]]''.
Borstein was cast as a [[press secretary]] in the 2007 sitcom pilot ''[[The Thick of It (U.S. Series)|The Thick of It]]'', but the series was not picked up for broadcast. She can be seen in the upcoming comedy ''[[For Christ's Sake]]'', which is directed by her real-life husband Jackson Douglas.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067107/ For Christ's Sake (2010)]. IMDb.com</ref>[[File:Alex Borstein (7601673474).jpg|thumb|247x247px|Borstein at 2012 Comic-Con]]
In 2010, Borstein joined the first season staff of the [[Showtime (TV channel)|Showtime]] [[comedy-drama]] ''[[Shameless (U.S. TV series)|Shameless]]'', as a writer and supervising producer. In its second season she held the position of writer and consulting producer. She also guest starred in the first season episode "But at Last Came a Knock", as Lou Deckner.


Borstein was cast as a [[press secretary]] in the 2007 sitcom pilot ''[[The Thick of It (U.S. Series)|The Thick of It]]'', but the series was not picked up for broadcast. She was seen in the 2009 comedy ''[[For Christ's Sake]]'', which was directed by her then husband Jackson Douglas.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}
Borstein's production company is called Crackerpants, Inc. In 2007, they released the DVD ''Drop Dead Gorgeous (In a Down-to-Earth Bombshell Sort of Way)'', a recording of a live performance at the [[Alex Theatre]], with opening act Teddy Towne. The title comes from one of many actual female [[Casting (performing arts)|character breakdowns]] Borstein reads from to illustrate sexism in the industry.<ref>''Drop Dead Gorgeous (In a Down to Earth Bombshell Sort of Way)'', Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2007</ref>


Borstein's production company is called Crackerpants, Inc. In 2007, it released the DVD ''Drop Dead Gorgeous (in a Down-to-Earth Bombshell Sort of Way)'', a recording of a live performance at the [[Alex Theatre]] with Teddy Towne as the opening act. The title comes from one of many female [[Casting (performing arts)|character breakdowns]] Borstein reads from to illustrate sexism in the industry.<ref>''Drop Dead Gorgeous (In a Down to Earth Bombshell Sort of Way)'', Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2007</ref>
Borstein was nomminated for an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] for her ''Family Guy'' episode "[[Lois Comes Out of Her Shell]]" (2013). Borstein is currently appearing in an American version of the comedy ''[[Getting On]]'', the series has gained positive reviews.

===2010–present: ''Getting On'' and ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''===
[[File:Alex Borstein by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg|thumb|Borstein at the 2010 [[San Diego Comic-Con]]]]
Borstein has made several supporting appearances in such comedic films as ''[[Killers (2010 film)|Killers]]'' (2010), ''[[Dinner for Schmucks]]'' (2010), ''[[Ted (film)|Ted]]'' (2012), ''[[ParaNorman]]'' (2012), ''[[A Million Ways to Die in the West]]'' (2014), and ''[[The Angry Birds Movie]]'' (2016).

In 2010, Borstein joined the first season staff of the [[Showtime (TV channel)|Showtime]] [[comedy-drama]] series ''[[Shameless (U.S. TV series)|Shameless]]'', 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 on [[IFC (U.S. TV channel)|IFC]]'s short-lived comedy-driven game show ''[[Bunk (TV Series)|Bunk]]'' in 2012.

Borstein starred as Dawn Forchette on the [[HBO]] comedy series ''[[Getting On (U.S. TV series)|Getting On]]'', which is a remake of a [[Getting On (UK TV series)|UK series with the same name]]. The series has gained positive reviews and earned multiple [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nominations. It aired from 2013 to 2015.

From 2017 to 2023, Borstein starred as Susie Myerson in the [[Amazon Prime Video]] historical comedy-drama series ''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]'', for which she received significant critical acclaim and won two Primetime Emmy Awards for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]].


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Borstein is married to actor and writer Jackson Douglas, whom she met while studying improv at the [[ACME Comedy Theatre]]. Douglas proposed to her during the taping of a ''MADtv'' skit; the couple married in 1999. In the DVD commentary for the ''Family Guy'' episode "[[Stewie Kills Lois]]" – at the time, she was pregnant – she joked about the possibility of naming her baby [[Stewie Griffin|Stewie]]. They have a son named Barnaby Borstein Douglas (born c. 2008) and a daughter named Henrietta Borstein Douglas (born October 1, 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2012/10/08/alex-borstein-welcomes-baby-no-2-henrietta|work=Celebrity Baby Scoop|accessdate=April 23, 2014|title=Alex Borstein Welcomes Baby No. 2: Henrietta|date=October 8, 2012}}</ref>
Borstein met actor and writer Jackson Douglas while she was studying [[Improvisational theatre|improv]] at the [[ACME Comedy Theatre]]. Douglas [[Marriage proposal|proposed]] to her during the taping of a ''MADtv'' [[Sketch comedy|sketch]] and they were married in 1999. Douglas filed for [[divorce]] in October 2014 and it was finalized in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/30/alex-borstein-divorce-family-guy-lois-griffin-husband-split/|title='Family Guy' Star Alex Borstein -- Husband Files For Divorce ... I Want Pewterschmidt Money|date=30 October 2014 |publisher=TMZ|access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.com/tv/family-guy-star-alex-borstein-finalizes-divorce-jackson-douglas/|first=Aurelie |last=Corinthios|title=Alex Borstein's Divorce Is Final: Her Ex-Husband Gets Half Her&nbsp;Family Guy Royalties|publisher=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=November 9, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref>

Borstein was pregnant while she recorded the [[DVD commentary]] for the ''Family Guy'' episode "[[Stewie Kills Lois]]"; she joked about naming her baby [[Stewie Griffin|Stewie]]. She and Douglas have a son and a daughter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/parents/alex-borstein-a/|title=Alex Borstein and Jackson Douglas Welcome Son Barnaby|website=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2012/10/08/alex-borstein-welcomes-baby-no-2-henrietta|work=Celebrity Baby Scoop|access-date=April 23, 2014|title=Alex Borstein Welcomes Baby No. 2: Henrietta|date=October 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119155313/https://celebritybabyscoop.com/2012/10/08/alex-borstein-welcomes-baby-no-2-henrietta/|archive-date=November 19, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Borstein, who is a carrier of [[hemophilia]] herself,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grant |first1=Drew |title=Family Gal |url=https://observer.com/2013/11/family-gal/ |website=[[The New York Observer]] |access-date=20 April 2023 |date=5 November 2013}}</ref> is a longtime advocate for the [[National Hemophilia Foundation]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Hemophilia Foundation and Takeda Partner with Alex Borstein to Raise Awareness of von Willebrand Disease|url=https://www.takeda.com/en-us/newsroom/news-releases/2020/national-hemophilia-foundation-and-takeda-partner-with-alex-borstein/|access-date=2021-10-22|website=www.takeda.com|language=en}}</ref>

=== Religious beliefs ===
According to Borstein, "We do [[Shabbat]] 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 are [[Holocaust survivors]], I feel a large responsibility to continue that culture and those traditions—not necessarily the [[dogma]], but what it feels like to be Jewish. I want to instill that in my kids."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.heyalma.com/18-things-to-know-about-alex-borstein/ |title=18 Things to Know About Alex Borstein |last=Frick |first= Evelyn |date= December 10, 2021 |access-date= April 3, 2023|website=heyalma |language=en}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Film
|+
|-
|-
! Year
! Year
Line 58: Line 81:
| Bidding Auction Woman
| Bidding Auction Woman
| Uncredited
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=2|2002
| ''[[Dawg (film)|Dawg]]''
| Darcy Smits
|
|-
| ''[[Showtime (film)|Showtime]]''
| Casting Director
|
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|2003
| rowspan=2|2003
| ''[[The Lizzie McGuire Movie]]''
|data-sort-value="Lizzie McGuire Movie, The"| ''[[The Lizzie McGuire Movie]]''
| Miss Ungermeyer
| Miss Ungermeyer
|
|
|-
|-
| ''[[Bad Santa]]''
| ''[[Bad Santa]]''
| Milwaukee mom
| Milwaukee Mom
|
|
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|2004
| rowspan=3|2004
| ''[[Seeing Other People]]''
| ''[[Seeing Other People (film)|Seeing Other People]]''
| Tracy
| Tracy
|
|
Line 76: Line 108:
| Sally
| Sally
|
|
|-
| ''[[Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer!]]''
| Betty Henderson
| Short film
|-
|-
| rowspan=3|2005
| rowspan=3|2005
| ''[[Kicking & Screaming (2005 film)|Kicking & Screaming]]''
| ''[[Kicking & Screaming (2005 film)|Kicking & Screaming]]''
| Obnoxious Hummer Lady
| Obnoxious Hummer Lady
| Uncredited
| Uncredited
|-
|-
| ''[[Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story]]''
| ''[[Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story]]''
| [[Lois Griffin]], Various characters
| [[Lois Griffin]] / Various voices
| Direct-to-video; Also writer and co-producer
| Direct-to-DVD; Voice Artist, Writer <br> [[DVD Exclusive Awards|DVDX Award for Best Screenplay (for a DVD Premiere Movie)]] (2006)
|-
|-
| ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''
| ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''
| Natalie
| Natalie
|
| Nominated—[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]] (2006)
|-
|-
| 2006
| 2006
Line 96: Line 132:
|-
|-
| 2007
| 2007
| ''[[The Lookout]]''
|data-sort-value="Lookout, The"| ''[[The Lookout (2007 film)|The Lookout]]''
| Mrs. Lange
| Mrs. Lange
|
|
|-
|-
| rowspan=3|2010
| 2009
| ''[[For Christ's Sake]]''
| Mrs. Marcus
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2010
| ''[[Killers (2010 film)|Killers]]''
| ''[[Killers (2010 film)|Killers]]''
| Lily Bailey
| Lily Bailey
Line 112: Line 143:
| ''[[Dinner for Schmucks]]''
| ''[[Dinner for Schmucks]]''
| Martha
| Martha
|
|-
| ''[[For Christ's Sake]]''
| Mrs. Marcus
|
|
|-
|-
Line 120: Line 155:
|-
|-
| ''[[ParaNorman]]''
| ''[[ParaNorman]]''
| Mrs. Henscher
| Mrs. Henscher (voice)
|
| Voice role
|-
|-
| 2014
| 2014
Line 127: Line 162:
| Millie
| Millie
|
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Love the Coopers]]''
| Angie
|
|-
| 2016
|data-sort-value="Angry Birds Movie, The"| ''[[The Angry Birds Movie]]''
| Sophie Bird / Peggy Bird (voice)
|
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Extinct (film)|Extinct]]''
| Mali (voice)
|
|-
| 2022
| ''[[The Bad Guys (film)|The Bad Guys]]''
| Chief Misty Luggins (voice)
|
|-
| 2025
| style="background:#ffc;" | ''[[The Bad Guys 2]]'' {{dagger|alt=Films that have not yet been released}}
| Chief Misty Luggins<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2024-03-26 |title=DreamWorks Animation Sets 'The Bad Guys 2' For Late Summer 2025 |url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/the-bad-guys-2-release-date-1235868833/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>
| |Voice role; in production
|}
|}


===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|+Television
|-
|-
! Year
! Year
Line 139: Line 200:
| 1993–1994
| 1993–1994
| ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''
| ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''
| Various voices<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rangercentral.com/cast/pfl-alex-borstein.htm#axzz3Bc1sauCl|title=Alex Borstein - Power Rangers Central|access-date=January 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118140549/http://www.rangercentral.com/cast/pfl-alex-borstein.htm#axzz3Bc1sauCl|archive-date=January 18, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| Madame Woe
| Voice role; 4 episodes
| 4 episodes
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|1996
| rowspan=2|1996
| ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]''
| ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]''
| Queen Machina
| [[Machine Empire|Queen Machina / Robocupid]] (voice)
| Voice role; 42 episodes
| 42 episodes
|-
|-
| ''[[Big Bad Beetleborgs]]''
| ''[[Big Bad Beetleborgs]]''
| Cataclaws
| Cataclaws (voice)
| Voice role; Episode: "Yo Ho Borgs"
| Episode: "[[List of Big Bad Beetleborgs episodes#ep32|Yo Ho Borgs]]"
|-
|-
| 1997–2009
| 1997–2009,<br />2016
| ''[[MADtv]]''
| ''[[MADtv]]''
| Herself, Various characters
| Herself / Various characters
| 124 episodes
| Main role; 134 episodes<br />Also writer
|-
|-
| 1999–present
| 1999–2003,<br />2005–present
| ''[[Family Guy]]''
| ''[[Family Guy]]''
| [[Lois Griffin]], Various characters
| [[Lois Griffin]] / Barbara Pewterschmidt / Tricia Takanawa / Various voices
| Main role; 424 episodes<br />Also writer and producer
| Voice Artist, Writer, Producer <br> Nominated—[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] (2013) <br> Nominated—[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or More)|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program]] (2008)
|-
|-
| 2000–2005
| 2000–2005
| ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''
| ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''
| Drella / Miss Celine / Doris
| Various characters
| 8 episodes
| 9 episodes
|-
|-
| 2002
| 2002
| ''[[Titus (TV series)|Titus]]''
| ''[[Titus (TV series)|Titus]]''
| Nicky
| Nicky
| Episode: "Bachelor Party"
| Episode: "[[List of Titus episodes#ep46|Bachelor Party]]"
|-
|-
| 2002–2003
| 2002–2003
| ''[[3 South]]''
| ''[[3-South]]''
| Becky
| Becky (voice)
| Voice role; 3 episodes
| 3 episodes
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|2003
| rowspan=2|2003
| ''[[Friends]]''
| ''[[Friends]]''
| Bitter Woman on Stage
| Bitter Woman on Stage
| Episode: "The One with the Soap Opera Party"
| Episode: "[[Friends (season 9)#ep214|The One with the Soap Opera Party]]"
|-
|-
| ''[[Frasier]]''
| ''[[Frasier]]''
| Evelyn
| Evelyn
| Episode: "Farewell, Nervosa"
| Episode: "[[Frasier (season 10)#ep236|Farewell, Nervosa]]"
|-
|-
| 2005–2022
| 2004
| ''[[Celebrity Blackjack]]''
| as herself
| as co-host of Season 1 only
|-
| 2005–present
| ''[[Robot Chicken]]''
| ''[[Robot Chicken]]''
| Various characters
| Various voices
| Voice role; 9 episodes
| 16 episodes
|-
|-
| 2006–2016
| rowspan=2|2006
| ''[[American Dad!]]''
| ''[[American Dad!]]''
| Doctor Gupta
| Doctor Gupta / Museum Curator (voice)
| Episodes: "[[Roger 'n' Me]]" and "[[American Dad! (season 13)#ep209|Garfield and Friends]]"
| Voice role; Episode: "Roger 'n' Me"
|-
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Drawn Together]]''
| ''[[Drawn Together]]''
| Jelly Donuts Leader, Lois Griffin, AIDS Walk Coordinator
| Lois Griffin / Various voices
| Episodes: "[[List of Drawn Together episodes#ep17|A Tale of Two Cows]]" and "[[List of Drawn Together episodes#ep19|The Lemon AIDS Walk]]"
| Voice role; 2 episodes
|-
|-
| 2007–2009
| 2007
| ''[[Slacker Cats]]''
| ''[[Slacker Cats]]''
| Latoyah
| Latoyah (voice)
| Voice role; 2 episodes
| 10 episodes
|-
| 2008–2009
| ''[[Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy]]''
| Various characters
| Voice role; 3 episodes
|-
|-
| 2009–2013
| 2009–2013
| ''[[The Cleveland Show]]''
| ''[[The Cleveland Show]]''
| Lois Griffin, Various characters
| Hadassah Lowenstein / Lois Griffin / Various voices
| Voice role; 16 episodes
| 17 episodes
|-
|-
| 2009
| 2009
| ''[[Glenn Martin, DDS]]''
| ''[[Glenn Martin, DDS]]''
| Clerk
| Clerk (voice)
| Voice role; Episode: "Deck the Malls"
| Episode: "[[List of Glenn Martin, DDS episodes#pc112|Deck the Malls]]"
|-
|-
| 2011–2015
| 2011–present
| ''[[Shameless (U.S. TV series)|Shameless]]''
| ''[[Shameless (U.S. TV series)|Shameless]]''
| Lou Deckner
| Lou Deckner
| 5 episodes; also writer and consulting producer
| Writer, Consulting Producer
|-
|-
| 2011
| 2011
| ''[[Night of the Hurricane]]''
| ''[[Night of the Hurricane]]''
| Lois Griffin
| Lois Griffin (voice)
| [[Television special]]
| Voice role; TV Special
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|2012
| 2012
| ''[[Hot In Cleveland]]''
| ''[[Hot in Cleveland]]''
| Preshi
| Preshi
| Episode: "Rubber Ball"
| Episode: "[[Hot in Cleveland (season 3)#ep47|Rubber Ball]]"
|-
| ''[[Bunk (TV Series)|Bunk]]''
| as herself
| as comedian contestant
|-
| 2012–2014
| ''[[Workaholics]]''
| Montez's Wife
| 2 Episodes
|-
|-
| 2012
| 2012
| ''[[Robot Chicken DC Comics Special]]''
| ''[[Robot Chicken DC Comics Special]]''
| [[Wonder Woman]], Various characters
| [[Wonder Woman]] / [[Giganta]] / Woman at Bar (voice)
| Television special
| Voice role; TV Special
|-
|-
| 2012–2016
| 2012
| ''[[Workaholics]]''
| ''Family Guy: 200 Episodes Later''
| Colleen Walker
| Herself
| TV Special
| 3 episodes
|-
|-
| 2012–2013
| 2012–2013
|''[[Bunheads]]''
|''[[Bunheads]]''
| Sweetie Cramer, Hooker
| Sweetie Cramer / Hooker
| Episodes: "[[Bunheads#ep1|Pilot]]" and "[[Bunheads#ep12|Channing Tatum Is a Fine Actor]]"
| 2 episodes
|-
|-
| 2013–2015
| 2013–present
|''[[Getting On (U.S. TV series)|Getting On]]''
| ''[[Getting On (U.S. TV series)|Getting On]]''
|Dawn Forchette
| Dawn Forchette
|12 episodes
| Main role; 18 episodes
|-
|-
| 2015
| rowspan=3|2015
| ''[[Bordertown (2015 TV series)|Bordertown]]''
| ''[[Life in Pieces]]''
| Lynette
| Janice Buckward, Becky
| Episode: "[[List of Life in Pieces episodes#ep6|Ponzi Sex Paris Bounce]]"
| Voice role
|-
| ''[[Masters of Sex]]''
| Loretta
| Episode: "Monkey Business"
|-
| ''[[Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship]]''
| Wonder Woman (voice)
| Television special
|-
| rowspan=3|2016
| ''[[Bordertown (American TV series)|Bordertown]]''
| Janice Buckwald / Becky (voice)
| Main role; 12 episodes
|-
| ''[[Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life]]''
| Drella / Miss Celine
| Episodes: "[[Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life#ep154|Winter]]" and "[[Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life#ep157|Fall]]"
|-
| ''[[Son of Zorn]]''
| Elizabeth
| Episode: "Return of the Drinking Buddy"
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Animals (American TV series)|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 (TV series)|Resident Alien]]''
| Carlyn
| Episode: "Girls' Night"
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits]]''
| Herself
| Television special
|}
|}


===Video games===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|+Video games
|-
|-
! Year
! Year
! Title
! Title
! Role
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
|-
| 2006
| 2006
| ''[[Family Guy Video Game!]]''
| ''[[Family Guy Video Game!]]''
| [[Lois Griffin]], Various characters
| rowspan=3|[[Lois Griffin]] / Various voices
|
| [[Spike Video Game Awards|Spike Video Game Award for Best Cast]] (2006)
|-
|-
| 2012
| 2012
| ''[[Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse]]''
| ''[[Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse]]''
| Lois Griffin, Various characters
|
|
|-
|-
| 2014
| 2014
| ''[[Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff]]''
| ''[[Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff]]''
| Lois Griffin, Various characters
|
|
|-
|2022
| ''[[Warped Kart Racers]]''
| Lois Griffin
|
|}

===Web===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | 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"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQetIIHYEnM&t=18s|title=Peter Griffin Bares It All While Eating Spicy Wings |website=[[YouTube]] |date=Oct 21, 2024}}</ref>
|}

===Radio===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2015
| ''Special Relativity''<ref>{{cite web| title=Special Relativity - A Radio Comedy starring Alex Borstein | url =http://www.specialrelativityradio.com| access-date =May 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Nox / Lucinda
|
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Organization
!scope="col"|Category
!scope="col"|Work(s)
!scope="col"|Result
|-
|rowspan=3|2006
|[[DVD Exclusive Awards]]
|Best Screenplay (for a DVD Premiere Movie)
|''[[Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Spike Video Game Awards]]
|Best Cast
|''[[Family Guy Video Game!]]''
|{{win}}
|-
|[[Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]]
|''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|2008
|rowspan=2|[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or More)|Outstanding Animated Program]]
|''[[Family Guy]]: [[Blue Harvest]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|2013
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]]
|''[[Family Guy]]: [[Lois Comes Out of Her Shell]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3|2018
|[[Critics' Choice Television Awards]]
|[[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
|rowspan=2|''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance]]
|''[[Family Guy]]: [[Family Guy (season 16)|Nanny Goats]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=6|2019
|[[Golden Globe Awards]]
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film]]
|rowspan=5|''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Critics' Choice Television Awards]]
|[[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance]]
|''[[Family Guy]]: [[Family Guy (season 17)|Throw It Away]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=4|2020
|[[Critics' Choice Television Awards]]
|[[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
|rowspan=7|''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
|rowspan=2| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|2022
| {{nom}}
|-
|rowspan="4"|2024
| [[Critics' Choice Television Awards]]
| [[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance]]
|''[[Family Guy]]: [[Family Guy (season 21)|A Bottle Episode]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series]]
|''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]''
|{{nom}}
|}
|}


Line 302: Line 544:


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category|Alex Borstein}}
* {{Official website|http://www.alexborstein.com/}}
*{{IMDb name|id=https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0097504/|97504}}
* {{IMDb name|97504}}
* {{amg name|359570}}
* [http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Alex+Borstein/ SuicideGirls interview with Alex Borstein]
* [http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Alex+Borstein/ SuicideGirls interview with Alex Borstein]


{{Navboxes
{{Authority control|VIAF=38812135}}
| title = Awards for Alex Borstein

| list =
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
{{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series}}
| NAME =Borstein, Alexandrea
{{EmmyAward ComedySupportingActress}}
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
{{EmmyAward Character Voice-Over Performance}}
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American actor and comedian
| DATE OF BIRTH =February 15, 1973
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Highland Park, Illinois]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borstein, Alex}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borstein, Alex}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actresses from Chicago, Illinois]]
[[Category:Actresses from Chicago]]
[[Category:American comedy writers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American impressionists (entertainers)]]
[[Category:American sketch comedians]]
[[Category:American people of Hungarian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Mongolian descent]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American television writers]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:Jewish American writers]]
[[Category:Jewish comedians]]
[[Category:Writers from Chicago, Illinois]]
[[Category:San Francisco State University alumni]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:Women television writers]]
[[Category:American women television writers]]
[[Category:Comedians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Comedians from Illinois]]
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish female comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish American screenwriters]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Highland Park, Illinois]]
[[Category:People from Highland Park, Illinois]]
[[Category:American female singers]]
[[Category:San Francisco State University alumni]]
[[Category:Family Guy]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Illinois]]
[[Category:Writers from Chicago]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:People from Deerfield, Illinois]]
[[Category:People with haemophilia]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American actors with disabilities]]

Latest revision as of 15:03, 22 December 2024

Alex Borstein
Borstein at the 2016 WonderCon
Born
Alexandrea Borstein

(1973-02-15) February 15, 1973 (age 51)
Highland Park, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materSan Francisco State University (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
  • producer
Years active1993–present
Spouse
Jackson Douglas
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2017)​
Children2

Alexandrea Borstein (born February 15, 1973)[1] is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is best known for voicing Lois Griffin in the animated comedy series Family Guy (1999–present), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She gained further acclaim for starring as Susie Myerson in the comedy-drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Borstein also had lead roles as various characters on the sketch comedy series MADtv (1997–2009) and as Dawn Forchette in the medical comedy series Getting On (2013–2015). She had supporting roles in numerous films, including Showtime (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), and Extinct (2021).

Early life

[edit]

Borstein was born in Highland Park, Illinois, a city north of Chicago. She was raised in Deerfield, Illinois, before her family moved to Northridge, California, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.[2] She graduated from Chatsworth High School in 1989. She has two older brothers. Her parents, Irv and Judy Borstein, are both mental health professionals.[3][4] She has stated that she is of Hungarian and Mongolian descent.[5] She is Jewish.[3][6]

Her father is from Atlanta. Her maternal grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, and immigrated to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.[7][8] Borstein is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where she studied rhetoric.[9]

Career

[edit]

1993–1998: Career beginnings and MADtv

[edit]

Borstein trained in improvisational comedy at the ACME Comedy Theater, near Hollywood, where she met her writing partner and future husband Jackson Douglas. Shortly after they began working together on the animated series The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper and Pinky and the Brain, Borstein left her position at an ad agency – where she had written print ads for Barbie – to become a full-time writer. In 1996, while still writing for Casper, Borstein worked on the show Power Rangers Zeo as the voice of Queen Machina, the queen of the Machine Empire.

In 1997, Borstein became a cast member on the third season of the sketch comedy show MADtv after being scouted by talent agents. She originally joined the cast as a featured player, but was upgraded to the repertory mid-season.

Borstein was best known on MADtv for her character Ms. Swan (owner of the Gorgeous 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 the GAP troll. When Seth Green made recurring appearances on the show as mean boss Mr. Brightling, Borstein would play his mother, Mama Brightling.

1999–2009: Further success and Family Guy

[edit]

While working on MADtv, Borstein met Seth MacFarlane, who was then preparing to launch the animated sitcom Family Guy on Fox. MacFarlane was originally supposed to create animated shorts for MADtv, but declined in favor of creating an independent series. MacFarlane cast Borstein as the voice of character Lois 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 a producer and staff writer. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for the episode "Lois Comes Out of Her Shell" in 2013.

In 2000, Borstein was cast as Sookie St. James in the WB drama Gilmore Girls. She portrayed Sookie in the pilot but her MADtv contract prevented her from continuing in the role. Borstein made recurring appearances on Gilmore Girls throughout the show's run, first as the harpist Drella and later as the stylist Miss Celine.

As a film actor, she played Ms. Ungermeyer the school principal in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), the best friend of Halle Berry's character in Catwoman (2004), and an employee at CBS News in Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). She also had a small role in the movie Bad Santa (2003) and an uncredited cameo as an obnoxious coffee shop patron in the Will Ferrell movie Kicking & Screaming (2005). On some commercials, she sometimes voices Olive Oyl from Popeye and Betty Boop.

Borstein was a co-host of GSN's Celebrity Blackjack in 2004. She made at least three guest appearances, once as Lois Griffin, on the Comedy Central animated program Drawn Together.

Borstein was cast as a press secretary in the 2007 sitcom pilot The Thick of It, but the series was not picked up for broadcast. She was seen in the 2009 comedy For 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 DVD Drop Dead Gorgeous (in a Down-to-Earth Bombshell Sort of Way), a recording of a live performance at the Alex Theatre with Teddy Towne as the opening act. The title comes from one of many female character breakdowns Borstein reads from to illustrate sexism in the industry.[10]

2010–present: Getting On and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

[edit]
Borstein at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con

Borstein has made several supporting appearances in such comedic films as Killers (2010), Dinner for Schmucks (2010), Ted (2012), ParaNorman (2012), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and The Angry Birds Movie (2016).

In 2010, Borstein joined the first season staff of the Showtime comedy-drama series Shameless, 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 on IFC's short-lived comedy-driven game show Bunk in 2012.

Borstein starred as Dawn Forchette on the HBO comedy series Getting On, which is a remake of a UK series with the same name. The series has gained positive reviews and earned multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. It aired from 2013 to 2015.

From 2017 to 2023, Borstein starred as Susie Myerson in the Amazon Prime Video historical comedy-drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for which she received significant critical acclaim and won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Personal life

[edit]

Borstein met actor and writer Jackson Douglas while she was studying improv at the ACME Comedy Theatre. Douglas proposed to her during the taping of a MADtv sketch and they were married in 1999. Douglas filed for divorce in October 2014 and it was finalized in 2017.[11][12]

Borstein was pregnant while she recorded the DVD commentary for the Family Guy episode "Stewie Kills Lois"; she joked about naming her baby Stewie. She and Douglas have a son and a daughter.[13][14]

Borstein, who is a carrier of hemophilia herself,[15] is a longtime advocate for the National Hemophilia Foundation.[16]

Religious beliefs

[edit]

According to Borstein, "We do Shabbat 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 are Holocaust survivors, I feel a large responsibility to continue that culture and those traditions—not necessarily the dogma, but what it feels like to be Jewish. I want to instill that in my kids."[17]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
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[18] Voice role; in production

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1993–1994 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Various voices[19] 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

Video games

[edit]
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

Web

[edit]
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"[20]

Radio

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Special Relativity[21] Nox / Lucinda

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Organization Category Work(s) Result
2006 DVD Exclusive Awards Best Screenplay (for a DVD Premiere Movie) Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story Won
Spike Video Game Awards Best Cast Family Guy Video Game! Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Good Night, and Good Luck Nominated
2008 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Family Guy: Blue Harvest Nominated
2013 Outstanding Voice-Over Performance Family Guy: Lois Comes Out of Her Shell Nominated
2018 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Family Guy: Nanny Goats Won
2019 Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Won
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Family Guy: Throw It Away Nominated
2020 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
2022 Nominated
2024 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Family Guy: A Bottle Episode Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FAQ (first question)". Alexborstein.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  2. ^ Schleier, Curt (December 26, 2013). "Alex Borstein on 'Family Guy' and 'Getting On'". The Forward.
  3. ^ a b Phipps, Keith (November 20, 2006). "Random Rules: Alex Borstein". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  4. ^ "It's a MAD World". Sonic.net. October 19, 2002. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  5. ^ Stern, Marlow (12 November 2013). "'Family Guy' Star Alex Borstein Is Ready for Her HBO Close-Up". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  6. ^ Kveller.com "How Celebrities Celebrated Passover"
  7. ^ Thomas Smith, Kadesha (September 19, 2013). "Hemophilia Humor: NHF spokesperson Alex Borstein found success, levity in comedy". Hemaware.
  8. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (December 13, 2017). "Alex Borstein and Her 'Maisel' Character: 'We're Both Like Little Bulldogs'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  9. ^ Crowder, Courtney (November 12, 2014). "Alex Borstein, a woman of many voices with just the right tone". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  10. ^ Drop Dead Gorgeous (In a Down to Earth Bombshell Sort of Way), Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2007
  11. ^ "'Family Guy' Star Alex Borstein -- Husband Files For Divorce ... I Want Pewterschmidt Money". TMZ. 30 October 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie (November 9, 2017). "Alex Borstein's Divorce Is Final: Her Ex-Husband Gets Half Her Family Guy Royalties". People. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Alex Borstein and Jackson Douglas Welcome Son Barnaby". People. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  14. ^ "Alex Borstein Welcomes Baby No. 2: Henrietta". Celebrity Baby Scoop. October 8, 2012. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  15. ^ Grant, Drew (5 November 2013). "Family Gal". The New York Observer. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  16. ^ "National Hemophilia Foundation and Takeda Partner with Alex Borstein to Raise Awareness of von Willebrand Disease". www.takeda.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  17. ^ Frick, Evelyn (December 10, 2021). "18 Things to Know About Alex Borstein". heyalma. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2024-03-26). "DreamWorks Animation Sets 'The Bad Guys 2' For Late Summer 2025". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  19. ^ "Alex Borstein - Power Rangers Central". Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  20. ^ "Peter Griffin Bares It All While Eating Spicy Wings". YouTube. Oct 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "Special Relativity - A Radio Comedy starring Alex Borstein". Retrieved May 18, 2015.
[edit]
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