From animated voice acting to a main cast member position on Saturday Night Live, Heidi Gardner’s career took off in 2017. Though Gardner’s career on Saturday Night Live keeps her busy, she’s a voice actress at heart. Gardner recently used her voice to play the Last Baker in the 2022 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish film.
Heidi Gardner’s quick rise to repertory status on Saturday Night Live took two seasons. Her improvisation skills earned her a spot on the most famous comedy show around, and Gardner portrays each of her main characters with hilarity. However, there are several things that you might not know about Heidi Gardner.
1. Gardner Worked At A Kansas City Theater That Set The Tone For Her Career
The interesting thing about Heidi Gardner is that she did not grow up in a major theater town. Regardless, she worked for a theater that she remembers being the reason the tone for her career was set so early. Gardner didn’t act in the theater. She did a little bit of everything but acting while she worked there. She made popcorn, sold tickets to shows, and dreamed of being the person people were watching one day.
2. Acting Did Not Interest Gardner As A Child
Heidi Gardner did not feel inspired to become an actress. Rather, she wanted to perform. Gardner wanted to tell jokes. She did play the flute growing up, and she did have a passion for music. However, she always chose to write out her own comedy sketches when she had the choice. She even performed her comedic routine in her school talent shows.
3. Gardner Was Voted By Her High School Classmates As Most Likely To Be On SNL
In 2017, Heidi Gardner became a cast member of Saturday Night Live’s wildly popular comedy show. By 2019, Gardner was upgraded to repertory status, which means she’s one of the upper-level members of SNL. This status and job are both lifelong dreams of many comedians.
When Heidi Gardner was a high school senior in 2001, she was a student at the Notre Dam de Sion, which is an all-girls Catholic school in Missouri. In the yearbook, students can vote for their classmates for different titles. Gardner’s classmates voted her the “Most Likely To Be A Cast Member Of Saturday Night Live,” but no one knew she would really go on to make that happen.
4. Gardner Quit College To Become A Hairdresser In LA
Though Heidi Gardner did attempt to go to college, she ultimately dropped out and decided to move to Los Angeles. But she did discover that she enjoyed cutting hair, so Gardner pursued a career as a hairdresser while she was in LA. She spent nine years cutting hair in a Los Angeles salon, but it was not her dream. Comedy was her dream.
A friend brought Gardner to The Groundlings Theater, and that was the moment Gardner decided that, along with comedy, becoming an actress was her dream. She wanted to join The Groundlings, but she did not have the experience. Heidi Gardner spent time taking workshops and learning the art of improvising, and that’s when she felt confident enough to audition for The Groundlings. She was accepted into their basic class.
5. Voice Acting Was Gardner’s First Real Acting Job
Comedy was always her dream, but Heidi Gardner wanted to act. She worked tirelessly to pursue an acting career, and that led her to take jobs as a voice actress. Before long, Gardner was lending her voice to animated characters on shows such as Bratz and making a living as a working actress. However, it still wasn’t exactly what she imagined for herself as an actress.
Gardner left her job as a hairstylist in 2014 and was voice acting by 2015. In 2017, she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, and the game changed for Gardner. She was suddenly in the spotlight, not just because of her voice. She used her comedic talents, acting skills, and improvisational talent to make audiences laugh. She focused, and it paid off.
6. Gardner’s Husband Is Also In The Entertainment Business As A Marvel Writer
Heidi Gardner married Zeb Wells in 2010. She met Wells while she was still a member of The Groundlings. Though he is not an actor, Wells does work in the entertainment industry. Gardner’s husband is a Marvel Comics writer. In addition to writing for the comic book series, Wells is also a director.
Furthermore, Wells is one of the co-creators of the show SuperMansion, which is an animated series. Gardner was a voice actor for SuperMansion at one point in her career. Gardner and her husband might not always work together, but their careers have intersected on more than one occasion throughout the years.
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