Arden Myrin (pronounced /məˈriːn/; born December 10, 1973) is an American comedian and actress known for her role on the television show MADtv.

Biography

Early years
Myrin was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, a seaside fishing village. She was the younger of two children; her father was an accountant, and her mother was a real estate agent. As a child, she staged her neighborhood plays, and she enjoyed seeing Annie on Broadway. She attended the Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where she graduated in 1988. She then attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts for high school.

Afterwards, she attended Colorado College, a small liberal arts school, where she received a degree in theater and studio arts and she was elected commencement speaker at her graduation. During one college break, Myrin began to study improvisational comedy and worked as an intern on NBC's Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 1993-94, where she admits she "mostly ran the Xerox machine".

Soon after graduation, Myrin briefly moved to Chicago when she became a member of the Improv Olympic and later re-located to Los Angeles where she was part of the same group. One of her memorable standup comedian acts included a section of her own life experiences called “Straight Outta Lil' Compton”. Myrin also trained with the L.A. Comedy troupe The Groundlings.

Personal life
On December 30, 2007, Myrin married Dan Martin, a comedy writer she first met in 2001.

Career

Early career
Myrin returned to New York and appeared in commercials while working as a waitress and taking acting classes. She caught a break when two casting directors sent an agent to see her newly minted stand-up comedy act, which netted her an agency contract. Since then, she has shelved her standup career.

She has appeared in many films, including Kinsey and What Women Want. Notable television credits include the regular role of Abby on Working and guest roles on Friends and Reno 911!.

MADtv
Myrin officially joined the cast of MADtv in 2005 as a repertory performer for the eleventh season and remained with the show until it was canceled in 2009. Her characters included "Crafty Gal Kendra" and Alana from "Holly Meadow Estates". Her impersonations included Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Smith, Jillian Barberie, Katherine Heigl, Tara Reid, Cindy McCain, Alex Borstein (as Lois Griffin from Family Guy), Goldie Hawn, Ali Lohan, Avril Lavigne, Lily Allen, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Jamie Lynn Spears, Emily Osment, Portia de Rossi, Katy Perry, and Melanie Griffith.
Characters:
* Alana (Holly Meadow Estates)
* Kendra (Jazzed for Crafts)
* Lindsey (Apple iPad)

Current projects
Most recently, Arden has become a frequent panelist on E!'s Chelsea Lately roundtable. She has also appeared twice as a guest on popular internet podcast Two Jacks in the Hole.