Few actresses have been able to make the jump from television to movies successfully but Melissa McCarthy has done just that. With her charisma and wit she has done virtually the impossible in Hollywood for female actresses. The only challenge forthcoming is to figure out what mountain she will conquer next.
McCarthy was born on August 26, 1970 in Plainfield, Illinois to Sandra and Michael McCarthy. She was raised in an Irish Catholic household and graduated from Joliet Catholic Academy in Joliet, Illinois.
Once out of high school McCarthy began her career as a stand up comic and got her first role on television opposite her cousin Jenny McCarthy on the NBC comedy series Jenny. That one special guest appearance in 2000 would lead to her being cast as Sookie St. James on the WB television series Gilmore Girls which lasted for seven seasons. With McCarthy’s success, CBS executives gave her a golden opportunity in 2010 when she was offered the role of Molly Flynn on Mike and Molly. The move paid off for both camps because the show has been a rating’s hit for CBS. Along with this enormous success Hollywood came knocking in 2011 when McCarthy accepted a role in the movie Bridesmaids and had a breakthrough performance. She received an Academy Award nomination for the role. It seemed as though 2011 was McCarthy’s year as she received her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series for her role in Mike and Molly.
In 2013, McCarthy co-starred in the crime comedy Identity Thief which opened number one at the box office and grossed $174 million worldwide. Also in 2013, she co-starred in the buddy cop comedy The Heat. The Heat grossed $229 million worldwide making McCarthy a much sought after commodity in Hollywood. In 2015, McCarthy headlined the movie Spy, where she earned her first Golden Globe nomination. Also in 2015 McCarthy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and according to Forbes Magazine she is ranked as the third highest paid actress in Tinseltown commanding close to $10 million a film.
McCarthy is married to Ben Falcone where the couple has two daughters, Vivian and Georgette. They reside in Los Angeles, California.