| Birth Name: | Heidi Lynn Gardner[1] |
| Birth Date: | 27 July 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education: | University of Kansas University of Missouri |
| Spouse: | [2] |
| Years Active: | 2011–present |
Heidi Lynn Gardner[3] (born July 27, 1983)[4] is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Gardner has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since season 43 in 2017, when she debuted as a featured player. She was promoted to repertory status on the show in 2019.
Gardner was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.[5] She grew up with an older brother, Justin.[6]
Growing up, Gardner worked part-time at the Tivoli Theater, where she did everything "from selling tickets to making popcorn". She later credited the theater as "setting the tone in her life".[7] Gardner was not interested in acting as a child, only performing on stage as a flautist for the school band and doing comedy sketches in school talent shows.[8] Gardner graduated from the all-girls Catholic high school Notre Dame de Sion in 2001. In her senior year, her classmates voted her "most likely to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live".[6] Upon graduation, Gardner followed a friend's footsteps and enrolled at the University of Kansas for two years before transferring to the University of Missouri for a semester. She became uninterested in school and often skipped classes, but discovered a fondness for haircutting.[8]
At age 21, Gardner dropped out of college and left Missouri for Los Angeles, where she worked at a hair salon for nine years.[9] Before moving, she saved up $600 over one summer.[10] A friend encouraged her to attend a performance at The Groundlings theatre, where she became inspired to become an actress.[9] Lacking acting experience, Gardner enrolled in community workshops to learn the basics of improvisation. Once she was comfortable, Gardner auditioned for the Groundlings basic class and was accepted.[8]
In 2014, Gardner joined the Sunday Company, and a year later, after a promotion to the Main Company, she quit her job as a hairstylist to focus on acting.[8] During that time, she became a voice actress,[11] regularly appearing on animated series such as Bratz, SuperMansion, and Mike Tyson Mysteries.[12] In 2017, Gardner joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) along with Luke Null and Chris Redd for its forty-third season.[10]
After her first year on SNL, Gardner was hired to play Leonor in the Ben Falcone-directed film Life of the Party, alongside Melissa McCarthy.[8] On August 28, 2019, TVLine reported that Gardner would have a guest role on the NBC comedy series Superstore, playing Dina Fox's nemesis Colleen who is transferred to Store 1217 after Cloud 9's Bel-Ridge location gets shut down.[13] In 2019, Gardner made her stage debut in Michael Frayn's Noises Off at The Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts.[14]
Gardner, who had never broken character in seven seasons on SNL, cracked while playing NewsNation host Bobbi Moore in a Beavis and Butt-Head-centered sketch on April 13, 2024.[15] Vulture magazine described the moment as breaking in "spectacularly charming fashion".[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]
Gardner is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals.[7] From 2010 to 2023, she was married to Marvel Comics writer Zeb Wells, whom she met while she was a member of the Groundlings.[24] [25] Gardner resides in Leawood, Kansas in a Mid-century modern home she purchased in 2021.[26] [27] [28] [29]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dibs! | Erica | ||
| 2018 | Life of the Party | Leonor | ||
| Making Babies | Meg | |||
| 2019 | Otherhood | Erin | ||
| 2022 | Hustle | Kat Merrick | ||
| Last Baker | Voice role | |||
| 2023 | Leo | Eli's mom | Voice role[30] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017, 2019 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Old Woman, Jennifer | 2 episodes | |
| 2017–present | Saturday Night Live | Various | ||
| 2019 | The Other Two | Mona | Episode: "Chase Turns Fourteen" | |
| Veep | Amanda White | Episode: "Discovery Weekend" | ||
| Alien News Desk | Tuva Van Void (voice) | 12 episodes | ||
| American Dad! | Various voices | Episode: "Lost Boys" | ||
| Superstore | Colleen | Episode: "Forced Hire" | ||
| 2020 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Jenny | Special: "Kimmy vs the Reverend" | |
| 2021 | Close Enough | Becca (voice) | Episode: "Houseguest From Hell" | |
| Crank Yankers | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Chelsea Peretti, Heidi Gardner & J.B. Smoove" | ||
| 2022 | Is It Cake? | Herself (Judge) | Episode: "Toying Around" | |
| Girls5eva | Cara | Episode: "Album Mode" | ||
| That Damn Michael Che | Episode: "Higher Power" | |||
| 2023–2024 | Shrinking | Grace | 10 episodes |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Adult Wednesday | Hairdresser | Episode: "The Haircut" | |
| Bratz | Yasmin (voice) | 8 episodes | ||
| 2015–19 | SuperMansion | Cooch, Various voices | 46 episodes | |
| 2016 | CollegeHumor Originals | Patient | Episode: "Why Are My Nipples Pixelated?" |
Audio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Heads Will Roll | Various voices | 10 episodes | |
| 2021 | Harley Quinn, Miss Tuesday |
Web
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Bratz | 3 episodes | |
| 2015–17 | SuperMansion | 11 episodes |