Harper Steele

Harper Steele is an American comedy writer and filmmaker, renowned for her extensive work on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) and her collaborations with actor Will Ferrell. Born in August 1961 in Iowa City, Iowa, Steele is the child of two University of Iowa professors.

Steele began her career at SNL in 1995, joining the show the same week as Ferrell. She contributed to the show for 13 years, serving as head writer from 2004 to 2008. During her tenure, she earned four Primetime Emmy nominations, winning one in 2002. Post-SNL, Steele became the creative director at Funny or Die in 2008, overseeing various comedic projects.

Her writing credits include films like "The Ladies Man" (2000), "Casa de mi Padre" (2012), and "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" (2020), the latter co-written with Ferrell.

In 2022, Steele publicly came out as a transgender woman. To document this personal journey and its impact on her longstanding friendship with Ferrell, the two embarked on a cross-country road trip, resulting in the 2024 documentary "Will & Harper." The film premiered at the 40th Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and was nominated for a People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.