Amy Sedaris Popular Books

Amy Sedaris Biography & Facts

Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both The Mandalorian (2019–2023) and The Book of Boba Fett (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series Strangers with Candy (1999–2000) and the prequel film Strangers with Candy (2005), which she also wrote. Sedaris appeared as Hurshe Heartshe in the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler (2013–2014), as Princess Carolyn in the Netflix animated comedy series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), and as Mimi Kanasis in the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020). She received further critical acclaim as the creator and star of the TruTV surreal comedy series At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) which earned her two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.Sedaris has appeared in various films, including Maid in Manhattan (2002), School of Rock (2003), Elf (2003), Bewitched (2005), Chicken Little (2005), Shrek the Third (2007), Jennifer's Body (2009), Puss in Boots (2011), Chef (2014), Ghost Team (2016), Handsome (2017), and The Lion King (2019). Early life Sedaris was born in Endicott, New York, the fourth of six children in a Greek Orthodox family. Her parents were Sharon Elizabeth (née Leonard), a homemaker, and Louis Harry "Lou" Sedaris, an IBM engineer. Her father was born in Cortland, New York to immigrants from Apidea in Greece, and her mother was Anglo-American from Binghamton, New York. Sedaris' mother was Protestant and her father was Greek Orthodox. Her paternal grandmother did not speak English and owned a shoe shining store in New York. Sedaris' mother died of lung cancer in 1991, while her father passed away in 2021.When she was four, her family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she grew up with her five siblings: Lisa, David, Gretchen, Tiffany, and Paul. Her sister Tiffany died by suicide in 2013. She recalled feeling weird in that new environment, as her family was not southern and followed Greek traditions. As a child Sedaris liked playing dress-up and putting on plays for her family. In her brother David's book Me Talk Pretty One Day, he noted that she would often assume characters to play pranks on her family. As a teenager, Sedaris' first job was at the local Winn-Dixie supermarket where she would make fake announcements over the loudspeaker, and for a while she was determined to work at the local women's prison in Raleigh. She attended Jesse O. Sanderson High School and was a Girl Scout until she graduated.At the age of 20, she and her mother worked together making and selling spanakopita. During that time, she was dating a man from Greece, and one evening after coming home from cooking, she found him unconscious on the kitchen floor. He had a brain aneurysm, and Sedaris spent the next three years caring for him. When they eventually broke up, Sedaris moved to Chicago with her brother David, and took classes at Second City and Annoyance Theatre. There she also worked as a waitress at Zanies Comedy Club. Career Television In the late 1980s, she was hired to perform with Second City's touring company. It was there she met Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert with whom she often collaborated later in her career. She and Dinello did not get along with Colbert at first, – but they became close friends while touring together, discovering that they shared a similar comic sensibility. Sedaris left Second City in 1993, and moved to New York City. Sedaris' first major foray into television began in 1995 on the Comedy Central sketch series Exit 57; alongside Colbert and Dinello. For her performance she was nominated for the 17th CableACE Award for Best Comedy Actress and the series was nominated for Best Comedy Series. It ran for a total of two seasons.Beginning in 1999 Sedaris played Jerri Blank, a middle-aged woman who goes back to high school in the Comedy Central comedy series Strangers with Candy. The series, which she co-wrote with Dinello and Colbert was based on Sedaris's impression of 1970s-era motivational speaker Florrie Fisher. The show ran for three seasons. In 2005, a film adaptation was released, acting as a prequel to the series.Sedaris went on to make numerous guest appearances on television programs, including Just Shoot Me! (2001), Sex and the City (2002–2003), Monk (2002–2003), Wonder Showzen (2005), My Name Is Earl (2006), Sesame Street (2006), Rescue Me (2007), The Closer (2009), The New Adventures of Old Christine (2009), The Middle (2010), Raising Hope (2011–2014), and The Good Wife (2012). She also hosted the series Film Fanatic on Trio. Sedaris' talk show appearances include Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and WTF with Marc Maron. During an appearance on Chelsea Lately, she gave host Chelsea Handler a presentation on vaginal hygiene using a plush vagina created by fashion designer Todd Oldham. In 2008, Sedaris starred as Principal Abby Hofman in the Nickelodeon television film Gym Teacher: The Movie, which was directed by her Strangers with Candy co-star and frequent collaborator Paul Dinello. In early 2010, she had a supporting character in the Canadian comedy series The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour. Later in 2010 she appeared alongside Paul Dinello in the episode "Mummified Hand", of the Discovery/Science Channel documentary series Oddities. In 2011, she appeared in a series of commercials for Downy (Lenor UK) Unstoppables, a fabric softener product. Grey Global Group designed the commercials as "kicking the old 'mom' image with spots featuring 'laundry expert' (and accomplished lifestyle guru) Amy Sedaris".In 2013, she replaced Kristen Schaal as the sex-crazed Hurshe Heartshe, in the second season of the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler. She also appeared in third and final season. That same year, Sedaris appeared in a major recurring role in the Amazon Prime Video political satire series Alpha House, which was written by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau. Sedaris played Louise Laffer, the Mormon wife of Nevada Senator Louis Laffer who lives with three other Republican senators in a town house on Capitol Hill. Sedaris later had a recurring role as Pam in the Comedy Central sitcom Broad City (2014–2019), as Rita in the Hulu dark comedy series Difficult People (2015–2017). From 2015 to 2020, she portrayed Mimi Kanasis in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, for which she earned a nomination for the Gold Derby Award for Best Comedy Guest Actress. In 2016, she made an appearance in the tragicomedy series Horace and Pete, as a character named Mara looking for a job at Horace and Pete's. She also co-starred with Chris Elliott in the Sony Crackle family comedy series Thanksgiving. In 2017, Sedar.... Discover the Amy Sedaris popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Amy Sedaris books.

Best Seller Amy Sedaris Books of 2024

  • The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden synopsis, comments

    The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden

    Phyllis Granoff

    The stories collected in this volume reflect the rich tradition of medieval Jain storytelling between the seventh and fifteenth centuries, from simple folk tales and lives of famou...

  • My Squirrel Days synopsis, comments

    My Squirrel Days

    Ellie Kemper

    Comedian and star of The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and host of The Great American Baking Show Ellie Kemper delivers a hilarious, refreshing, and inspiring collection of ...

  • My First New York synopsis, comments

    My First New York

    New York Magazine

    From the staff of New York Magazine comes the perfect gift for the Manhattanite in all of us. My First New York is a glorious collection of recollections and reminiscences as fifty...

  • British As A Second Language synopsis, comments

    British As A Second Language

    David Bennun

    David Bennun had lived in Africa his whole life. At the age of 18 he came to Britain, the mother country. The country he had read about in Punch magazine or seen in films like Char...

  • Teenage Revolution synopsis, comments

    Teenage Revolution

    Alan Davies

    When Alan Davies was growing up he seemed to drive his family mad. 'What are we going to do with you?' they would ask as if he might know the answer.Perhaps it was because he came...

  • His Royal Dogness, Guy the Beagle synopsis, comments

    His Royal Dogness, Guy the Beagle

    Camille March, Michael Brumm & EG Keller

    “Sit...Stay...Enjoy! Good reader!” Stephen ColbertThe hilarious, heartwarming, and rebarkable true story of Guy the Beagle, Duchess Meghan Markle’s rescue dog.Like all good stories...

  • Love Stinks synopsis, comments

    Love Stinks

    Adams Media

    To hell with love!"Love is a hole in the heart." Ben HechtThey say it's impossible to love and be wise. Love Stinks understands why you fell so hard in the first placeand has the ...

  • The Wreckage of My Presence synopsis, comments

    The Wreckage of My Presence

    Casey Wilson

    "Magnificent." People MagazineThe instant New York Times bestseller: Laughoutloud, deeply insightful, and emotionfilled essays from multitalented actress, comedian, podcaster, and ...

  • Brunch Is Hell synopsis, comments

    Brunch Is Hell

    Rico Gagliano & Brendan Francis Newnam

    A call to arms against BRUNCH . . . and a howto guide for fighting back, from the hosts of the hit podcast and public radio show The Dinner Party Download Society is under threat. ...

  • The Traveling Feast synopsis, comments

    The Traveling Feast

    Rick Bass

    Acclaimed author Rick Bass decided to thank all of his writing heroes in person, one meal at a time, in this "rich smorgasbord of a memoir . . . a soulnourishing, roadburning act o...

  • Holidays on Ice synopsis, comments

    Holidays on Ice

    David Sedaris

    David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favoritesas the diaries of a Macy's elf and ...

  • I Like You synopsis, comments

    I Like You

    Amy Sedaris

    The inspiration for the TV show At Home with Amy Sedaris, here is a hilarious, helpful, and informative guide on how to entertain.Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swan...

  • Simple Times synopsis, comments

    Simple Times

    Amy Sedaris

    The New York Times bestselling craft guide that inspired the hit new TV show, At Home With Amy Sedaris It's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. I...

  • Me Talk Pretty One Day synopsis, comments

    Me Talk Pretty One Day

    David Sedaris

    A new collection from David Sedaris is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris has inspired hilarious pieces, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, about his attempts to learn F...

  • Waiting for the Punch synopsis, comments

    Waiting for the Punch

    Marc Maron

    "Public figures as you rarely if ever hear them: strikingly personal, surprisingly open, and profoundly emotional." Entertainment Weekly"I’m British, so I’m medically dead inside, ...