Martha Kelly
Born (1968-02-24) February 24, 1968 (age 55)[1]
Torrance, California[1]
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active1994–present[2]

Martha Kelly (born February 24, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actress from Los Angeles, California,[2] best known for co-starring in the FX comedy series Baskets.[3] In 2022, Kelly was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as the drug dealer Laurie on Euphoria.

Career

Stand-up comedy

She has been featured on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's The Half Hour and Premium Blend, NBC's Last Comic Standing, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

At age 25, Kelly experimented with stand-up comedy at the Laugh Factory in her native Los Angeles. Her material and confidence slowly developed over a five-year period.[2]

Kelly first surfaced on comedy stages in Austin, Texas with HBO's Aspen Comedy Festival auditions in the fall of 1999, followed by winning Capital City Comedy Club's annual "Funniest Person in Austin" contest in April 2000.[2] Kelly was the winner of Comedy Central's 2002 Laugh Riots national comedy competition and was one of the New Faces in the Just for Laughs comedy festival that same year.[4]

Acting

After many years of performing stand-up, Kelly made her acting debut in January 2016 after long-time friend Zach Galifianakis asked her to co-star in his FX comedy series Baskets.[5] She co-stars as Martha, an insurance adjuster and friend of Chip Baskets (played by Galifianakis).[6]

In 2022, Kelly was nominated for an Emmy for her guest role as a drug dealer in the HBO series Euphoria.[7]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro Self
2017 Infinity Baby Ava
2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming Tour Guide
2019 Corporate Animals Gloria
2019 Marriage Story Nancy Katz
2023 Sitting in Bars with Cake Ruth
TBA Coyote vs. Acme

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2016–2018 Baskets Martha Brooks 40 episodes
2017, 2020 American Gods Zorya Utrennyaya 2 episodes
2018 Will & Grace Patty Episode: "Grace's Secret"
2020 Corporate Tandry Episode: "Fuck You Money'
2020 Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Stylist Episode: "Dinner Party"
2021–2022 The Great North Bethany 12 episodes
2022 Euphoria Laurie 3 episodes
2022 American Auto Barb Episode: "Employee Morale"
2022 Grace and Frankie Patty 2 episodes
2022 Hacks Barbara 2 episodes
2022 I Love That for You Pam Episode: "Daddy's Lil' Cookies"
2022 Gaslit Rose Mary Woods 5 episodes
2023 What We Do In The Shadows Energy Vampire Supreme Council Chairperson
2023 Carol & The End of The World Carol Kohl Voice Role

References

  1. ^ a b Martha Kelly’s own statement while performing at Comedy Club on State, 202 State St Madison, WI on 3/31/18
  2. ^ a b c d Wolfson, Todd (26 May 2000). "Plain Funny: Checking In With Martha Kelly, the Funniest Person in Austin 2000". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  3. ^ Egner, Jeremy (14 January 2016). "Martha Kelly in 'Baskets': Funny, if You're O.K. With That". New York Times. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  4. ^ Hipes, Patrick (29 July 2016). "Geoff Stults Jumps Into 'Granite Mountain'; Martha Kelly Joins 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Meet The Breakout Star Of Zach Galifianakis's New FX Comedy "Baskets"". 21 January 2016.
  6. ^ Sims, David (21 January 2016). "Baskets: Zach Galifianakis Is America's Sad Clown". The Atlantic.
  7. ^ Moreau, Jordan; Schneider, Michael (2022-07-12). "Emmys 2022: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved 2022-08-17.

External links

Authority control databases: Artists
Categories