Her real name is Elizabeth Stamatina, but most of us know her as Tina Fey. The force-to-be-reckoned-with — an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright — arguably got her start when she broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improv group The Second City, home to countless other comedic greats. Fey then joined Saturday Night Live as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, appearing as co-anchor in the Weekend Update segment and, later, developing a satirical portrayal of 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in subsequent guest appearances. Speaking of, we have a list below of her finest on-screen efforts to date, including her recent, hilarious supporting turn in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

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5 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015)

     Universal Television  

Rescued after 15 years in a cult, the beloved Kimmy Schmidt decides to reclaim her life by venturing to New York, where she experiences everyday life with wide-eyed enthusiasm. That’s the premise of the acclaimed single-cam sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which we adored during its Netflix run during the 2010s. In season 1, Fey made an awards-caliber appearance as Kimmy’s lawyer — clearly a take on famous prosecutor Marcia Clark. Fey then returned for an arc in season 2 as Kimmy’s therapist, who has some emotional baggage of her own. She steals the show in each episode where she graces the screen.

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4 Only Murders in the Building (2021-)

     20th Television  

Continuing with the Fey trend of appearing in non-30 Rock series as supporting, scene-stealing characters, there’s also Only Murders in the Building, whose critically acclaimed second season just concluded. The series tells the story of three strangers who live in the same building, the Arconia, and have one thing in common: they are obsessed with a true-crime podcast. They are suddenly brought together to solve a murder that happens inside their building, fueled by their love of murder mysteries and desire to make their own podcast. However, there’s a catch (among many): There’s already a successful true-crime podcaster, Cinda Canning (Fey), an arrogant narcissist who might do just about anything to nab a good story. Fey is pitch-perfect in the role starting with season 1, so it was a hoot seeing her more heavily-involved return in the second season.

3 Saturday Night Live (as Sarah Palin, 2008)

     Broadway Video  

Fey first portrayed Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live in September 2008, going on to win a Primetime Emmy Award for her impersonation the following year. She would ultimately play the role several times through 2016. It was an SNL staple, and we hope the cherished parody makes a small-screen return.

In fact, the real Palin recently made a speech at Trump rally, and Fey fans quickly turned to social media urging her to come out of SNL retirement to reprise her role as the former Alaska governor. One Twitter user even joked that the rally speech was actually a cold open from SNL: “The worst @nbcsnl cold opening ever! Tina Fey going off script & rambling is kinda amusing but Alec Baldwin looks awful & can’t remember his lines.”

2 Mean Girls (2004)

Starring Lindsay Lohan at the peak of her superstardom, leading the charge as the new kid and an incredible villain-turned-victim role from Rachel McAdams as the leader of a tight social clique, Mean Girls is a rite of passage to watch for young folks everywhere. The women characters in the film are not all particularly likable, but they are relatable. In addition to penning the laugh-out-loud funny script, Fey also co-stars as a quick-witted math teacher. Her on-screen chemistry with the young Lohan is just one highlight from the film. And who can forget the conference Fey’s character holds in the gymnasium, with the girl who “doesn’t even go here”? Thanks to Fey, Mean Girls is relentlessly quotable.

1 30 Rock (2006-2013)

This sitcom from the 2000s was rightfully showered with awards during its run on NBC. 30 Rock — which takes its name from a nickname for NBC headquarters — is based on Fey’s real-life experiences in her stint as a writer for Saturday Night Live. The popular workplace comedy follows the writing staff of an imagined sketch-comedy series and the screwball executives that make it possible. The show features incredible characters and a star-studded cast including Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer.

“They are different,” Fey once told NPR on working with Baldwin and Morgan. “It’s funny because it’s rare that we’re all three together. The way that things are scheduled, I’ll go on and it’s either a day of all me and Alec … or all me and Tracy. It’s fun when we’re all together … but we kind of know each other by now, and we know the rhythm of who likes to shoot their coverage first and who likes to wait and go second.”