Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York, and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York. Wiig attended the University of Arizona, at which she majored in Fine Art. She later relocated to Los Angeles, where she broke into comedy as a member of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings and made her television debut in 2003. Wiig joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2005 and the following year she co-starred in the Christmas comedy film Unaccompanied Minors. After appearing in a series of supporting roles in comedy films such as Knocked Up, Adventureland, Whip It, and Paul, she starred in and co-wrote the screenplay for Bridesmaids, which was both critically and commercially successful.