Melissa Ann McCarthy born August 26 1970 is an American actress comedian producer writer and fashion designer She is the recipient of numerous accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards McCarthy was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 and she has been featured multiple times in annual rankings of the highestpaid actresses in the world In 2020 The New York Times ranked her 22 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century McCarthy began appearing in television and film in the late 1990s and first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St James on the television series Gilmore Girls 20002007 She played Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who 20072009 before starring as Molly Flynn on the CBS sitcom Mike Molly 20102016 for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011 McCarthys appearances as a host on Saturday Night Live led to a win for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017 McCarthy gained critical acclaim for her performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids 2011 receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress She went on to star in several commercially successful comedies including Identity Thief 2013 The Heat 2013 Tammy 2014 St Vincent 2014 Spy 2015 and The Boss 2016 In 2018 McCarthy received critical acclaim for her portrayal of writer Lee Israel in the biographical film Can You Ever Forgive Me 2018 earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone are the founders of the production company On the Day Productions under which they have collaborated on several comedy films In 2015 she launched her own clothing line for plussized women named Melissa McCarthy Seven7 and she received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame