Amy Schumer

Comedian • Actress • Writer • Producer

Birth Name: Amy Beth Schumer

Birth Date: June 1, 1981

Age: 42 years old

Birth Place: New York, New York

Awards

Already a longtime fixture in the bustling New York comedy club circuit, in early 2013 Amy Schumer was catapulted into the mainstream seemingly overnight with the debut of her sketch comedy show "Inside Amy Schumer" (Comedy Central 2013- ). The show featured Schumer's edgy style of comedy -- honed over nearly a decade as a stand-up -- that included sex-infused comedy sketches and discussions of raunchy topics that wouldn't have made it past the network censors in the pre-cable era. Prior to starring in her own television show, Schumer placed fourth during the fifth season of the reality competition "Last Comic Standing" (NBC 2003-2010), and also headlined a stand-up special on Comedy Central. Her sketch comedy series "Inside Amy Schumer" (Comedy Central 2013- ) broke new ground for women in comedy, developing a comedic voice that was simultaneously raunchy, feminist, and politically-minded. Its success led directly to big screen work in films including "Trainwreck" (2015), a romantic comedy she wrote and starred in, directed by Judd Apatow, and "Snatched" (2017), an action comedy in which she starred opposite comedy icon Goldie Hawn as her mother.

Born in Manhattan and raised on Long Island, Schumer began acting in plays at the age of 5. She went on to study drama at Towson University in Maryland, eventually earning an undergraduate degree. In 2003, Schumer moved to New York City to pursue acting full-time. She started bartending and waitressing at night to pay the bills, while spending her days auditioning for various films and television shows. On a whim in 2004, Schumer tried her hand at stand-up, and soon found that she could make audiences laugh by giving a raw, unfiltered account of the most intimate details of her sex life. Before long, she was appearing on "Last Comic Standing" and the mock-reality show "Reality Bites Back" (Comedy Central 2008), both of which helped her grow an audience as a touring stand-up. Following those increasingly visible TV appearances, Schumer was the breakout star of Comedy Central's roast of Charlie Sheen in 2011, where her girl-next-door appearance and cheerfully rude material made even more people take notice. In addition to landing a recurring role on the quirky reality show parody "Delocated" (Comedy Central 2009-13), Schumer appeared on the celebrated cable comedies "Girls" (HBO 2012- ) and "Louie" (FX 2010-15) before headlining her own stand-up special, "Mostly Sex Stuff," for Comedy Central in 2012. The success of her stand-up special allowed Schumer to pitch Comedy Central execs an idea she had for a new sketch comedy show, which she described as a cross between Dave Attell's "Insomniac" (2001-04) and Dave Chappelle's critically-acclaimed but occasionally controversial "Chappelle's Show" (2003-06), both of which also aired on Comedy Central. "Inside Amy Schumer" debuted to mostly positive reviews in April 2013; ratings and reviews were strong enough that the show was renewed for a second season before the first had even finished airing. Following the third season of her series, Schumer wrote and starred in the romantic comedy "Trainwreck" (2015), co-starring Bill Hader and directed by Judd Apatow. After its critical and commercial success, Schumer starred in a pair of stand-up specials, "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo" (HBO 2015) and "Amy Schumer: The Leather Special" (Netflix 2017). Schumer's next big-screen project was the action comedy "Snatched" (2017), starring herself and Goldie Hawn as a mother and daughter kidnapped on a tropical vacation.