Our Favorite Under-the-Radar UCB Alums

Amy Poehler. Aubrey Plaza. Kate McKinnon. You know and love these now-famous folks who once traipsed beer-stained floors as part of a UCB improv team. But what about the UCB all-stars whose names you may not recognize, but who consistently put you in stitches when they contribute writing, guest spots, or bit parts to some of your favorite movies and TV shows? In this post, we’re celebrating the “that guy”s of UCB. Behind every great comedy star, there’s a gaggle of great character actors, collaborators, and former improvisers that keep you laughing consistently even if they aren’t in the spotlight.

Lennon Parham

After a brief stint teaching French through Teach for America, Parham began performing comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. While with UCB, she starred in the two-person show The Adventures of Lock & Kay, and the one-woman show She Tried to be Normal. You have probably seen (and loved) Parham on shows like Veep, Parks & Recreation, Arrested Development, and Review.

Jason Mantzoukas

That’s the guy from The League, right? Correct. But he also began performing with UCB in 1998, where he held down a spot on one of the theatre’s earliest house teams. You’ve seen him on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Modern Family, but you’ve also enjoyed his comedic talent as a writer — Mantzoukas has penned comedy as a hired gun for shows including Portlandia and Children’s Hospital.

Rob Riggle

Riggle, a retired Marine Corps Reserve officer, is best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show from 2006 to 2008, and for his memorable roles in The Hangover, 21 Jump Street, and Step Brothers. He’s been working in comedy since landing at UCB in 1997, where he met Rob Huebel, his soon-to-be companion in the improvisational sketch group Respecto Montalban. Many of us at Woolly will always love him for his appearances as Schmidt’s cousin on New Girl.

Adam Pally

Pally has been performing as an improv and sketch comic at UCB in New York since 2002 and continues to perform in shows such as “Death by Roo Roo” and “ASSSSCAT 3000” at the company’s LA branch. He’s better known as Max Blum (Happy Endings) and Dr. Peter Prentice (The Mindy Project). Last year Pally and a few comedy friends live-streamed a 50-hour Entourage binge-watching marathon, which you can watch here. It’s way funnier than it sounds.

Sasheer Zamata

Zamata is one of our picks for “next UCB player to blow the f**k up.” She’s been performing with UCB since 2009, and in 2014 Zamata joined the cast of SNL during its 39th season. This last season, she was promoted to repertory player…and she was hilarious. Keep an eye out for her!