Tina Fey

Not only did Tina Fey make history when she became the first-ever female head writer for Saturday Night Live in 1999, she also helped revive the floundering sketch-comedy series. The self-declared ubernerd wouldn't be seen on screen until 2000, when she began coanchoring Weekend Update, where her sexy smirk and librarian glasses inspired countless crushes. Fey was instrumental in bringing several funnywomen to the show, including Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch. In 2004, she made her screenwriting and movie-acting debut with Mean Girls. The next year, she took a break to give birth to a daughter, but six weeks later she was back deadpanning one-liners on late-night TV. In 2006, she created and starred in her own series, 30 Rock, a behind-the-scenes comedy about an SNL-type show. Ironically, her new prime-time duties prompted her to leave her SNL behind.