Chloe Fineman

Chloe Fineman
Fineman in January 2020
Born
Chloe Rose Fineman

(1988-07-20) July 20, 1988 (age 36)[1]
Alma materNew York University (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active2018–present
Known forSaturday Night Live

Chloe Rose Fineman (born July 20, 1988) is an American actress and comedian. She became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live starting in its 45th season in September 2019,[2] and was promoted to repertory status in 2021 at the beginning of season 47.[3]

Early life, family and education

Fineman's parents are painter Ellen Gunn and biotechnology executive David Fineman.[4] She has two sisters, visual artist Emma and CrossFit athlete Alexia (Leka).[4] Their father is Jewish, and their mother is a Protestant. Fineman attended Camp Kee Tov, a Jewish day camp at Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, California.[4][5]

Chloe attended Piedmont High School. The school's acting teacher described her as "equally brilliant with comedy and drama". As a junior, Fineman directed Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman; as a senior, she directed The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler. She performed lead roles in The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. Since her graduation in 2006, she has returned to the school to direct plays and lead workshops.[6]

While in high school, Fineman impersonated a peafowl on the Late Show with David Letterman after winning a bird calling competition.[7]

Fineman graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[8][9]

Career

2017–2018: Early work

After graduating from college, Fineman moved to Los Angeles,[4] where she performed in The Groundlings troupe's Sunday Company.[10][11] She also performed in "Characters Welcome" at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.[12] In 2018, she was recognized as a "New Face" at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal,[10][13] and she was nominated for Best Comedian at the 2019 Shorty Awards.[14] Her television appearances include Jane the Virgin and Search Party.[10]

She maintains an online presence known in particular for her celebrity impressions in front-facing camera comedy videos.[5][15][16] On Instagram, she has posted celebrity impressions as well as clips from her Groundlings work and stand-up comedy.[12] On YouTube, she has done character impressions.[11] In 2018, Vulture critic Luke Kelly-Clyne wrote that after seeing Fineman do impressions of Meryl Streep and others, "As I found out, that extra bit of genius she possesses – that intangible thing that takes a good impression to a great impression – is rooted in her ability to create entirely original characters who feel as real as anyone you've ever met," concluding, "Chloe Fineman is absolutely one of the most talented new performers right now, and she's long overdue for a break."[17]

2019–present: Saturday Night Live

Fineman's addition to the cast of Saturday Night Live, the long-running NBC sketch-comedy show, as a featured player was announced on September 12, 2019, along with the additions of Bowen Yang and Shane Gillis.[18] Alongside Yang and Heidi Gardner, Fineman was cited as the season's best performer by Andy Hoglund at Entertainment Weekly.[19] Her promotion to repertory status was announced on September 27, 2021, shortly before the show's 47th season began.

Fineman portrayed Sylvia Plath in the Apple TV+ series Dickinson (2021).[20] In 2022 she had a supporting comedic role as a wedding planner in the romantic comedy Father of the Bride,[21] and in the same year she portrayed Marion Davies in the Damien Chazelle-directed film Babylon. In 2024, she appears in Francis Ford Coppola's science-fiction epic Megalopolis in the role of Clodia Pulcher, with Coppola casting Fineman after seeing her in a 2019 stage show where she imitated Melania Trump video calling Ivana Trump.[22][23][24] She is next set to star in the ensemble film Summer of 69.[25]

Fineman has been the spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch's NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer since 2023. She appears in its television advertisements as eccentric vodka seltzer sommelier Günter.[26]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2022 Home Team Intern Emily
Father of the Bride Natalie Vance
White Noise Simuvac Technician
Babylon Marion Davies
2024 Megalopolis Clodia Pulcher
Despicable Me 4 Patsy Prescott Voice
TBA Summer of 69 TBA Filming[27]
The Dink TBA Filming
Love Language TBA Filming

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Mozart in the Jungle Fanny Mendelssohn Episode: "An Honest Ghost"
Grown-ish Waiter 1 Episode: "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"
Jane the Virgin Assistant Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Seven"
2019–present Saturday Night Live Various characters Main role, 97 episodes
2020 High Fidelity Clara Episode: "Good Luck and Goodbye"
2020–2021 Search Party Charlie Reeny Recurring role, 6 episodes
2021 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Greta Episode: "Stop! Nora Time"
Dickinson Sylvia Plath Episode: "The Future Never Spoke"
2021–2023 Big Mouth Leah Birch / various (voice) Recurring role, 16 episodes
2023 Is It Cake? Herself / Judge Episode: "Cake University"
Twisted Metal Bloody Mary Episode: "NUTH0UZ"
2024 Baby Shark's Big Show! Lannie (voice) Episode: "The Danceathon"
The Simpsons Tasha (voice) Episode: "The Yellow Lotus"
Laid Chelsea Recurring role

References

  1. ^ Hastings, Christobel (October 1, 2019). "Everything you need to know about SNL's newest cast member Chloe Fineman". Style Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Gus Wezerek (December 14, 2019). "The 'S.N.L.' Stars Who Lasted, and the Ones Who Flamed Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019. Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
  3. ^ Porter, Rick (September 27, 2021). "Beck Bennett Departs 'Saturday Night Live' After 8 Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Singer, Jenny (September 13, 2019). "The Jewish Woman Who Was Just Cast On SNL Is One Of The Internet's Funniest People". The Forward. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "'Saturday Night Live' adds Jewish comedian Chloe Fineman for upcoming season". jta.org. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  6. ^ "PHS grad joins Saturday Night Live cast". Piedmont Exedra. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Alter, Rebecca (December 9, 2020). "Chloe Fineman's Best Impression Is Actually a Bird Call". Vulture. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tisch drama alumna Chloe Fineman joins cast of Saturday Night Live". New York University Tisch School of the Arts. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  9. ^ "Tisch Drama Alumna Chloe Fineman Joins Cast of Saturday Night Live". tisch.nyu.edu. New York University Tisch School of the Arts. September 18, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (September 12, 2019). "'Saturday Night Live' Adds Trio to Season 45 Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Sippell, Margeaux (September 12, 2019). "Meet the New Kids of 'SNL' Season 45: Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang and Shane Gillis (Videos)". TheWrap. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Walsh, Savannah (September 12, 2019). "Who is Chloe Fineman? The New 'Saturday Night Live' Cast Member is a One-Woman Impression Machine". Elle. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  13. ^ Wright, Megh (July 23, 2018). "Just for Laughs Announces Its 2018 New Faces". Vulture. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  14. ^ "Chloe Fineman – Comedy". Shorty Awards. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Giacomazzo, Bernadette (September 16, 2019). "Celebrity Impressionist Chloe Fineman Is 'SNL's Newest Cast Member". YourTango. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Multiple sources:
  17. ^ Kelly-Cline, Luke (June 27, 2018). "Chloe Fineman's Celebrity Impressions Are Incredible". Vulture. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  18. ^ Otterson, Joe (September 12, 2019). "'Saturday Night Live' Adds Three New Cast Members for Season 45". Variety. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  19. ^ Hoglund, Andy (May 9, 2020). "Saturday Night Live recap: Kristen Wiig hosts at-home season finale". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  20. ^ Lewis, Hilary (December 6, 2021). "'Dickinson' Boss on How Time-Travel Episode Allowed Her to Confront Myths About Famed Poet". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  21. ^ "Father of the Bride's Chloe Fineman shares advice she got from Gloria Estefan: 'Keep that ass up'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  22. ^ "'SNL's Chloe Fineman Bound For 'Big Time' From Scribe Jen Spyra & Jonathan Glickman's Panoramic Media". Deadline Hollywood. December 14, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "Francis Coppola Sets Final Casting For Epic 'Megalopolis'; Film Shooting This Fall In Georgia". Deadline Hollywood. October 4, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Hailu, Selome (June 14, 2024). "Hannah Einbinder and Chloe Fineman on 'Creepy' Open Mics, Meeting Francis Ford Coppola and Making Women 'Feel Seen' With Comedy". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved June 21, 2024. It was 2019. I was [performing a sketch of] Ivana Trump and Melania FaceTiming. And I guess Francis was there, and he offered it from my weird Melania thing.
  25. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 2, 2024). "Jillian Bell Making Directorial Debut with 'Summer of 69,' American High Comedy for Hulu; Chloe Fineman to Lead Starry Ensemble". Deadline Hollywood.
  26. ^ "NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer Taps Chloe Fineman To Star In First National, Integrated Campaign: 'NÜTRL. The One With The Umlaut,'" Anheuser-Busch press release, Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  27. ^ "Jillian Bell Making Directorial Debut with 'Summer of 69,' American High Comedy for Hulu; Chloe Fineman to Lead Starry Ensemble". July 2, 2024.