Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong garnered her first taste of national limelight in fall 2012 as one of a long line of Chicago comic actors to people the cast of NBC's weekend comedy showcase "Saturday Night Live" (1975- ). Strong cut her teeth as a child actor in Chicago regional stage productions before going on to enjoy stints with some of the city's comedy institutions, including the iO Theater and The Second City. Her talents garnered the attention of longtime "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels, and she found herself vaulted to the Saturday night television comedy staple. Immediately making an impact with timely impersonations of Rachel Maddow and the "cougars" of the General Petraeus cheating scandal, Strong found herself singled out by media wags as a new talent to watch on a show already chock full of comedic talent.