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| Tim Meadows | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tim Meadows |
| Birth date | 5 February 1961 |
| Birth place | Byron, Illinois |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Notable works | Saturday Night Live, The Ladies Man, Mean Girls, The Goldbergs |
Tim Meadows
Tim Meadows is an American actor, comedian, and writer noted for his long tenure on Saturday Night Live and extensive work across film, television, theater, and voice acting. Born in Byron, Illinois and rising through the Chicago improv and comedy scene, he became a recognizable ensemble performer on mainstream sketch comedy and a character actor in both comedic and dramatic projects. Meadows's career spans collaborations with major institutions and creators in contemporary entertainment including networks such as NBC, Fox, and Netflix, and filmmakers from Tommy Chong to Terry Zwigoff.
Meadows was born in Byron, Illinois and raised in a Midwestern setting influenced by local community institutions. He attended local schools before enrolling at Western Illinois University, where he studied theater and participated in collegiate performing arts programs. After moving to Chicago, he trained and performed with prominent improv and sketch comedy institutions, including Second City and other regional companies that served as pipelines to national television and film.
Meadows's professional trajectory began in regional comedy clubs and ensemble companies that led to guest spots and auditions for national sketch programs. His breakthrough came via auditions for Saturday Night Live, which launched broader opportunities in Hollywood and independent film. Over subsequent decades he balanced recurring series roles on network sitcoms, guest appearances on cable and streaming dramas and comedies, and steady work in feature films. Meadows has worked with directors and creators from Lorne Michaels to Tina Fey, contributing as a performer and occasionally as a writer in writers’ rooms and production environments.
Meadows joined Saturday Night Live during the late 1980s and became one of the show's longest-serving cast members. During his tenure he collaborated with fellow cast members including Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Dennis Miller, Norm Macdonald, and writers associated with the show’s evolving eras. Meadows developed recurring characters and celebrity impressions that appeared on NBC’s late-night sketch program, participated in ensemble pieces, and contributed to the show's commercial and cultural footprint through national tours and compilation releases. His stay on the program coincided with SNL periods that featured musical guests from MTV-era acts to established recording artists, and with guest hosts from Hollywood and politics alike.
After SNL, Meadows transitioned to film roles including leading and supporting parts in studio comedies and independent features. He starred in projects such as The Ladies Man and appeared in ensemble casts for films like Mean Girls and other studio comedies. On television, Meadows held recurring and series-regular roles on sitcoms and dramas across networks including NBC, ABC, Fox, HBO, and Netflix. Notable TV credits include a long-running role on The Goldbergs as a recurring character, guest arcs on series produced by creators like Chuck Lorre and Greg Daniels, and voice roles on animated series for Adult Swim and family-oriented streaming platforms. Meadows’s screen work spans collaborations with performers such as Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and directors including Paul Feig.
Meadows has returned periodically to live performance, appearing in regional and New York theater productions with companies that stage contemporary plays and musicals. His theater credits include roles in productions that toured or appeared in Off-Broadway venues, and he has participated in benefit performances and staged readings connected to organizations such as Roundabout Theatre Company and Chicago-based institutions. In voice acting, Meadows has contributed to animated features and series, lending his voice to characters in productions affiliated with studios like DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Animation, and independent animated projects.
Meadows keeps aspects of his private life relatively low-profile compared with his public career. He has maintained ties to his Midwestern roots and to the Chicago comedy community where he trained. Meadows has participated in charity events, live benefit shows, and public appearances supporting arts education and community theater programs connected to institutions and nonprofits, including regional arts councils and university performing arts departments.
Throughout his career Meadows has received recognition from industry and community organizations for his contributions to sketch comedy and ensemble performance. Honors include nominations and awards from institutions that recognize television achievement, comedy writing, and ensemble cast work, along with lifetime achievement acknowledgments from regional comedy festivals and performing arts groups. His long-standing tenure on Saturday Night Live and continued presence across film and television have been cited in retrospectives and critical surveys of late-20th- and early-21st-century American comedy.
Category:American actors Category:American comedians Category:Living people Category:1961 births