Wonder Woman of the Week: Melissa McCarthy

The Wonder Woman this week is one of the women dominating contemporary television and film through a wide range of characters from international spies to restaurant head chefs, but there is more to Melissa McCarthy than the "spice" she adds to Saturday Night Live. Born in Chicago and training in acting in Los Angeles, Melissa McCarthy's first major success came with her role as the head chef Sookie in Gilmore Girls.

While McCarthy's role in Gilmore Girls was an underground success, the show's end in 2007 sent McCarthy into an Odyssey of searching for a new home in film and television to attach herself to. After several guest appearances in television and film portraying minor characters, McCarthy broke into both film and television major roles almost simultaneously with her roles in the TV show Mike and Molly and hit movie Bridesmaids.

The combined positive feedback from both her new roles in television and film earned McCarthy further roles in both industries which led to a series of roles in new Hollywood productions and a regular spot as recurring special guest on Saturday Night Live- often portraying White House Communications Director Sean Spicer.