| Casey Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cathryn Rose Wilson October 24, 1980 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, Comedienne, Screenwriter |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson (born October 24, 1980) is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008–2009 and currently stars as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings.
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Wilson was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, along with her younger brother Fletcher Todd Wilson, an engineer. She graduated from T. C. Williams High School in 1998 and studied theater at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.[1] She is of Irish and Italian heritage.[2] Her father, Paul O. Wilson, is a political consultant who helps run campaigns for Republican politicians.
Her late mother, Kathy Wilson, was chair of the National Women's Political Caucus, and attended her last Republican National Convention in 1980, while pregnant with Casey. Under her leadership, the NWPC endorsed Walter Mondale in the 1984 election, and Kathy eventually became a Democrat.[3] After retiring from politics, Kathy became involved in early childhood education, serving for 11 years as director of the "Abracadabra Child Care and Development Center", a non-sectarian preschool operated by the Baptist Temple Church of Alexandria. Kathy died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 54 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on September 1, 2005.[3]
After graduating from New York University in 2002, Wilson started her comedy career writing and performing with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCBT) in New York and later in Los Angeles.[1] At UCBT, she was a member of the Harold improv teams "Sentimental Lady" and "Hey, Uncle Gary!", and continues to perform regularly in shows such as "Worst Laid Plans" and Comedy Death-Ray. Among her best known work at UCBT was the long running two-woman sketch show "Rode Hard and Put Away Wet", written and performed alongside her comedy partner and best friend June Raphael. The successful stage show was also a hit with audiences when it was showcased as an official selection at HBO's 2005 US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado and was hailed as a "Critic's Pick" in Time Out New York magazine and won Wilson & Raphael the ECNY Award for "Best Comedy Duo" in 2005. The comedy duo's writing partnership has since branched out into films, they co-wrote the screenplay for the 2009 comedy Bride Wars,[4] which they also appeared in with supporting roles. In addition, they have also worked on script rewrites for upcoming comedic films starring Anna Faris and America Ferrera.[5]
As a film actress, Wilson has appeared with small and supporting roles in films such as Julie & Julia, Killers, The Brothers Solomon, The Great Buck Howard and the upcoming My Mother's Curse, as well as in the Bob Odenkirk directed short film Derek & Simon: A Bee and a Cigarette, and made her film debut with a small role as an acting student in the final scene of the 2006 Christopher Guest film For Your Consideration. In early 2007, Wilson and June Raphael worked as writers and story editors on the Americanized version of Creature Comforts on CBS. Wilson is a frequent contributor to the popular humor website Funny or Die, where she has written and starred in a number of viral videos. Shortly after joining the cast of Saturday Night Live, she made Variety magazine's "Ten Comics to Watch in 2008" list.
Wilson and writing partner June Raphael recently wrote and starred together in the upcoming indie-comedy "Ass Backwards", which will be released in 2012.[6] Wilson and Raphael also contributed short stories to the 2010 book "Worst Laid Plans", based on the long-running stage show, which they frequently performed in. Wilson joined the rotating cast of the Off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore (written by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron) at Manhattan's Westside Theatre throughout the month of January 2010.[7] Wilson and June Raphael also recently starred in the comedic stage show "The Realest Real Housewives", which they created along with co-stars Jessica St. Clair, Melissa Rauch, Danielle Schneider and Morgan Walsh. The show has run monthly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre through most of 2011.[8]
Wilson is currently starring as Penny Hartz, one of the lead characters in ABC's ensemble comedy series Happy Endings alongside Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr. and Eliza Coupe. The series is currently in its second season, which began airing on September 28, 2011. Wilson has also recently made guest appearances on Bored to Death, NTSF:SD:SUV:: and Retired at 35, as well as recurring voice roles in the animated comedy programs Glenn Martin, DDS and The Life & Times of Tim.
Wilson and June Raphael are currently developing Walk of Shame, a potential new single-camera comedy for ABC's upcoming 2012–2013 television season, with Will Gluck attached as producer. They also recently worked on scripts for numerous features currently in development, such as the upcoming Universal Pictures comedy The Bachelorette Party and the romantic comedy You Complete Us.
After auditioning in late 2007, Wilson was hired in January 2008 to join the cast of Saturday Night Live, replacing departing cast member Maya Rudolph. However, because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, she did not make her first appearance as a cast member until the show returned in February 2008; she was the first new addition to the cast in over two years, and was also the first SNL cast member to have been born in the 1980s. Wilson's most memorable work on SNL included impressions of Rachael Ray, Katy Perry, and Jennifer Aniston, as well as original characters such as Dusty Velvet, "the paralyzed stripper", and Toni Ward, co-host of "The Cougar Den".
After spending two seasons on SNL, Wilson was let go from the show before the start of the 2009–2010 season. When asked how she felt about her recent SNL departure in an October 2009 interview, Wilson said: "My mindset is good. I did it for a year and a half. I don’t think it will ultimately define my career. And it wasn't the best fit for me."[9]
Casey and her brother Fletcher serve as the Vice Presidents of the "Kathy Wilson Foundation" (kathywilsonfoundation.org) founded in 2005, established to honor their late mother's work in helping pre-school children with special needs.
Wilson currently lives in Los Angeles.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Sports Central | Correspondent | Comedy Central pilot |
| 2006 | Derek & Simon: A Bee and a Cigarette | Anna | Short film |
| For Your Consideration | Young Actress | ||
| 2007 | The Brothers Solomon | Fertility Clinic Worker | |
| Creature Comforts America | Writer and Story Editor | ||
| The Definition of Sex | Abby | Short film | |
| Human Giant | Various | ||
| Revenge | Sarah | FOX sitcom pilot | |
| The Right Now! Show | Cast Member | FOX sketch show pilot | |
| The Very Funny Show | Cast Member | TBS Online Sketch Series | |
| 2008–2009 | Saturday Night Live | Cast Member | 30 episodes (2 seasons) |
| 2008 | The Great Buck Howard | Charity | |
| Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Various | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Bride Wars | Stacy | Screenwriter |
| Julie & Julia | Regina | ||
| Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Neighbor Lady ("Pie Sniffer" sketch) | 1 episode | |
| 2010 | Freak Dance | Rich Lady | |
| Glenn Martin, DDS | Various Voices | 2 episodes | |
| Killers | Kristen | ||
| The Life & Times of Tim | Various Voices | 2 episodes | |
| 2011 | Bored to Death | Patti Stevenson | 1 episode |
| NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Ghost Gabber | 1 episode | |
| Retired at 35 | Amy Robbins | 1 episode | |
| 2011–present | Happy Endings | Penny Hartz | Series Regular |
| 2012 | Ass Backwards | Chloe | Screenwriter |
| My Mother's Curse | Amanda | Post-Production |