Early life

Dratch was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, the daughter of Elaine Ruth (née Soloway), a transportation director, and Paul Dratch, a radiologist.

Her younger brother, Daniel, is a television producer and writer, most recently on Anger Management. Dratch grew up the "class clown type", attending William Diamond Middle School and Lexington High School in Massachusetts. She has said that even in her high school's plays she gravitated towards participating in comedies over dramas.

Dratch attended the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in the fall of 1986, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1988, where she majored in drama and psychology and was a member of the improvisational comedy group "Said and Done".

Career

Dratch was a member of the mainstage cast of the Second City comedy troupe for four years. She received the Joseph Jefferson award for Best Actress in a Revue for the latter two revues in which she performed: Paradigm Lost and Promisekeepers, Losers Weepers. At Second City, she performed alongside future SNL head writers Adam McKay and Tina Fey, as well as future 30 Rock performer Scott Adsit. The first incarnation of her SNL "Wicked" sketch was performed in Second City's Paradigm Lost. In addition to acting, Dratch also played the cello onstage. The theater also hosted the first incarnation of Dratch & Fey (her critically praised two-woman show with Tina Fey), which was later performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, where it was dubbed "the funniest thing to be found on any New York comedy stage" by Time Out New York.

Dratch has appeared in several movies, including Martin & Orloff, The Hebrew Hammer, Down with Love, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Click, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Spring Breakdown, and My Life in Ruins. She also has joined fellow SNL cast members on A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T.: Improv, which aired September 7, 2005, on the Bravo channel. Dratch also made television appearances on NBC's Third Watch and in a recurring role on The King of Queens (playing Denise, the on-off girlfriend of Spence, who worked in a bowling alley). Other television appearances include Monk, Frasier, Wizards of Waverly Place, 30 Rock, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Inside Amy Schumer, Ugly Betty, and, more recently, in season five of The Middle. She recently appeared online with comedian Billy Eichner in a spoof of Jay-Z's and Alicia Keys's "Empire State of Mind", titled "Forest Hills State of Mind."

Dratch was originally cast in the role of Jenna on 30 Rock, and the original pilot episode features her in the role. It did not test well, and the role was recast. She went on to play a variety of small guest roles in several episodes of the first season, including Barbara Walters, Elizabeth Taylor, a cat trainer, a custodian, a blue monster, and a doctor.

On March 19, 2012, Dratch's memoir, Girl Walks Into A Bar: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle was published. In it, Dratch recounts her experiences after being recast in the 30 Rock pilot, including the birth of her first child.

Saturday Night Live

Her tenure at SNL spanned 1999 to 2006. Dratch's recurring characters included Denise, a Boston teen; Sheldon, the junior-high-school boy from Wake up, Wakefield; one of the Luvahs (with Will Ferrell, as two pretentious professors); Abe Scheinwald, a Hollywood producer with a terrible acquisition record; and, perhaps most memorably, Debbie Downer, a depressed woman who creeped others out with disturbing non sequiturs. In December 2011, she made a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live's Christmas show, hosted by former cast member Jimmy Fallon.

Personal life

Both of Dratch’s parents were Reform Jews. Dratch attended Hebrew school and had a Bat Mitzvah. She is non-observant as an adult, and instead characterizes the faith she was born into as part of her cultural heritage.

As she discusses in her book, Girl Walks Into a Bar ..., Dratch met John Wahl, a Californian consultant in the natural foods industry, in a bar in 2009. Six months later, Dratch learned she was pregnant, and on August 24, 2010, gave birth to a boy, Eli Benjamin. In an October 2010 interview, Dratch told People that her pregnancy at age 44 shocked her, because she “had bought into all this stuff about, ‘Once you’re over 40 ...’” and had “gone through the whole process of letting go of ” Wahl has since moved to New York City to be closer to Dratch and their son.

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999-2006	Saturday Night Live	Herself/Various (including Debbie Downer)	1999-2001: Featured Player 2001-2006: Repertory Player Cameos in 2010 and 2011
2000	Third Watch	Darla	Season 2, Episode 10: "History"
2002	Kim Possible	Adrena Lynn	Voice Role, Episode: "All the News"
2002-2004	The King of Queens	Denise Ruth Battaglia	Six Episodes: Season 5, Episode 5: "Mammary Lane" Season 5, Episode 19: "Cowardly Lyin'" Season 5, Episode 21: "Clothes Encounter" Season 5, Episode 23: "Dog Shelter" Season 6, Episode 3: "King Pong" Season 6, Episode 22: "Alter Ego"
2004	Soundtracks Live	Dorothy Baker	TV Movie
2004	Monk	Julie Parlo	Season 2, Episode 13: "Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny"
2004	Game Over	Alice Smashburn	Regular Cast Voice Role
2004	Frasier	Horny Date	Season 11, Episode 18: "Match Game"
2005-2006	O'Grady	Brooke	Voice Role, Two Episodes: Season One, Episode 13: "Remotes" Season Two, Episode: "The Fly"
2006-2012	30 Rock	Various Roles	Originally cast as Jenna DeCarlo, later recast. Appearances: Season 1, Episode 1: "Pilot" (as Gretta Johanssen) Season 1, Episode 2: "The Aftermath" as Maria Season 1, Episode 6: "Jack Meets Dennis" as Elizabeth Taylor Season 1, Episode 7: "Tracy Does Conan" as the Blue Man Season 1, Episode 8: "The Break-Up" as Pamela Smew Season 1, Episode 9: "The Baby Show" as Greta Johanssen Season 1, Episode 10: "The Rural Juror" as Barbara Walters Season 1, Episode 13: "Up All Night" as Vlem Season 1, Episode 14: "The C Word" as Greta Johanssen Season 1, Episode 15: "Hard Ball" as Martha Blanch Season 1, Episode 21: "Hiatus" as Dr. Beauvoir Season 5, Episode 4: "Live Show" as Jadwiga Season 5, Episodes 20/21: "100" as the Blue Man and Greta Johanssen Season 6, Episode 4: "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" as Not Kenneth (voice, uncredited)
2008	Aqua Teen Hunger Force	Robot Wife	Voice Role Season 5, Episode 2: "Robots Everywhere"
2008	Squidbillies	Hippie Woman	Voice Role Season 3, Episode 6: "Earth Worst"
2008	Assy McGee	Various Roles	Voice Role Season 2, Episode 5: "Pegfinger" (as Brenda Sanchez) Season 2, Episode 7: "Vowel Play" (as Ling) Season 2, Episode 8: "Hands Up" (as Mrs. Sanchez) Season 2, Episode 10: "Showdown in Magic City" (as Brenda Sanchez) Season 2, Episode 5: "The Ballad of Blind Anthony" (as Peabo) Season 2, Episode 14: "Squirrels"
2008	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Actress Aang	Season 3, Episode 17: "The Ember Island Players"
2008	The Consultants	Allie	TV Movie
2008	Superjail!	Various Roles	Voice Role (uncredited) Season 1, Episode 3: "Ladies Night"
2008-2009	Wizards of Waverly Place	Future Harper	Season 2, Episode 37: "Future Harper"
2009	Ugly Betty	Penny Meadows/Mindy Meadows	Season 3, Episode 24: "The Fall Issue"
2009	Sherri	Teacher	Season 1, Episode 13: "Indecision '09"
2010	Delocated	Cellist	Season 2, Episode 4: "Mixer"
2010-2013	Fish Hooks	Koi/Esmargot/Koi's Mom	Voice Role, 28 Episodes.
2011	Funny or Die Presents	Dirkson	4 Episodes in Season 2 (2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9)
2011	Lady Friends	Lisa	TV Movie
2012	Up All Night	Linda	Season 2, Episode 3: "Swingers"
2012	Suburgatory	Paula Weingelb	Season 2, Episode 3: "The Witch of East Chatswin"
2012	The Cleveland Show	Maggie	Season 4, Episode 6: "'Tis the Cleveland to Be Sorry"
2013-2014	The Middle	Principal Barker	2 Episodes: Season 5, Episode 3: "The Potato" Season 5, Episode 12: "The Carpool"
2013-2014	The Awesomes	Joyce Mandrake/Tom Boy	Voice Role 12 Episodes; Recurring Role.
2014-2016	Broad City	Linda Lodi	2 Episodes: Season 1, Episode 3: "Working Girls" Season 3, Episode 5: "2016"
2014	The Neighbors	Pearl	Season 2, Episode 18: "A Night in (Lou Ferrigno's Hibachi) Heaven"
2014	Inside Amy Schumer	Lisa	Season 2, Episode 4: "Boner Doctor"
2014	Bob's Burgers	Jodi	Voice Role, 2 Episodes: Season 4, Episode 9: "Slumber party Season 5, Episode 7: "Tina Taylor Soldier Spy".
2014	Dead Boss	Christine	TV Movie
2015	Parks and Recreation	Roz	Season 7, Episode 7: Donna & Joe
2015	Salem Rogers: Model of the Year 1998	Agatha Todd	Lead role
2015	Last Week Tonight with John Oliver	Guest Star	Season 2, Episode 25: Wanda Jo Oliver Season 2, Episode 26: Wanda Jo Oliver Season 2, Episode 35: Wanda Jo Oliver
2015	Unforgettable	Rosie Webb	Season 4, Episode 1 Season 4, Episode 2

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Serious Business	Jude Rusell
2002	Martin & Orloff	Southern Woman
2003	The Hebrew Hammer	Tikva
2003	Down With Love	Gladys
2003	After School Special	Mrs. Greitzer
2003	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	Reiner's Secretary
2004	Freshman Orientation	Very Drunk Chick
2004	Looking for Kitty	Julie
2005	Her Minor Thing	Caroline
2005	Winter Passing	Female MC
2006	Click	Alan/Alice
2006	The Pleasure Drivers	Counter Monkey
2007	I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry	Benefits Supervisor Sara Powers
2008	Bill	Doctor Robardo	Short Film
2008	Harold	Ms. Vicky Norris
2009	Spring Breakdown	Judi Joskow	Also a Writer and Producer
2009	Love N' Dancing	Kalle
2009	I Hate Valentine's Day	Kathy Jeemy
2009	My Life in Ruins	Kim Sawchuck
2011	Just Go with It	Kirsten Brant
2012	Teacher of The Year	Assistant Principal	Short Film
2012	That's My Boy	Phil's Wife
2013	Syrup	Clerk
2014	A Little Game	Aunt Diane
2015	The Grief of Others	Madeleine Berkowitz
2015	Sisters	Kelly
2016	Hurricane Bianca		Post-Production

Web

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Submissions Only	Fiona Evans	Webseries Season 1, Episode 6: "Somethin' Else"
2015	The Dratchelor	Herself	Funny Or Die web series

Awards and Nominations

• 1997 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Revue for Paradigm Lost (won)
• Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Revue for Promisekeepers, Losers Weepers (won)
• 2006 Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedian (nominated)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]