Editing Tina Fey (section)

== Upper Darby Childhood ==

Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born on May 18, 1970, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia suburb where she would grow up and attend public schools. Her father's Greek heritage and her mother's German background provided the family dynamics that her comedy would later explore. The suburban setting—neither urban enough for gritty realism nor affluent enough for glossy privilege—shaped a perspective that her work would translate into comedy accessible to middle-American audiences.<ref name="fey"/>

Upper Darby High School, which she attended alongside classmate Cat Deeley, provided the setting for formative experiences that her comedy has referenced. Her involvement in theater and comedy during high school suggested the direction her career would take, while the suburban normalcy of her upbringing provided contrast with the entertainment industry she would eventually dominate. The Philadelphia-area identity that this upbringing established remains evident in sensibilities that distinguish her work from coastal elites whose experiences differ markedly.<ref name="lane">{{cite book |last=Lane |first=Kliph |title=Stand-Up Comedy: A Comprehensive History |year=2019 |publisher=University Press |location=Chicago}}</ref>

Her education at the University of Virginia and subsequent training at Chicago's Second City developed abilities that her Philadelphia-area youth had initiated. The improv skills she acquired in Chicago, combined with the writing ability that academic training had developed, prepared her for the "Saturday Night Live" opportunity that would launch her national career. But the sensibility she brought to that work—the outsider perspective, the appreciation for the ordinary—reflected the suburban Philadelphia upbringing that preceded her professional training.<ref name="fey"/>