Melissa Ann McCarthy is an American actress, writer, producer, and fashion designer. She is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, from eight nominations. She also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades. She began appearing in television and films in the late 1990s, and first gained nationwide recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls.