Flo is a fictional salesperson character appearing in more than 100 advertisements for Progressive Insurance since 2008. At this age, she approaches her work a lot calmer and saner than she would have in her twenties, when she would have wasted her money on "sweater capes and mid-sized winter boots," according to her. During that time she worked odd jobs and went on a ton of auditions, eventually landing a gig with Theatreworks USA, which is how got into the stage actors union. It is Stephanie Courtney, and she is a New York native comedian and actress who has a net worth of $6 million dollars. Aside from performing in other people's work, Courtney penned a play of her own titled Those Courtney Girls. Courtney also told The JV Club that she returned to France her junior year of college for a semester abroad, living with her host family in the city of Avignon for five months. Progressive wasn't her first commercial Courtney's first commercial was for Bud Light back in 1999. Stephanie Courtney — best known for playing the advertising character Flo in television and radio commercials for Progressive Insurance — was killed in … Once upon a time, Flo wandered into an abandoned house in the woods. Stephanie Courtney is known for her skills and talents as an American actor as well as a comedian. [1] In 1992, she graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in English, where she played Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Her first commercial was less innocent. Stephanie Courtney and Kristen Schaal in Mad Men (2007) People Stephanie Courtney, Kristen Schaal. That insurance-obsessed character has been played by actor Stephanie Courtney since 2008. Courtney was born in Stony Point, Rockland County, New York, the youngest of three children[3] of a high school history teacher father and a singer mother. "That was my first audition, and it was just like this crazy Superbowl commercial. TV commercial "Progressive Mobile is Really Catching On," with Stephanie Courtney (as "Flo"), Christina Masterson, Lenny Jacobson, and Wang Chung singing their 1986 hit "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (voiceover), for the Progressive Insurance Mobile App. Stephanie Courtney is an American actress and comedian, best known for her portrayal of ‘Flo’ in the commercials for ‘Progressive Corporation.’ Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family, personal life, career, and achievements. And then that dried up, and then I had to call back to all my day jobs," she joked to Clevaland.com. Flo. Stephanie Courtney TV. Stephanie Courtney who plays Flo of the Progressive commercials auditions for a new commercial.FULL EPISODE! Courtney is also noted for her recurring roles on several television series, including the voices of Renee the Receptionist and Joy Peters on the Adult Swim comedy Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004–06), Marge on the AMC drama Mad Men (2007), and Diane on the ABC comedy Cavemen (2007). See more ». Here are a few interesting tidbits we've discovered about her. Courtney's definitely had success outside of advertising work. Stephanie Courtney is an actress and comedian who’s best known for playing the fictional insurance salesperson for Progressive Insurance, where she has appeared in over 100 advertisements for the company since 2008. Courtney's comedy career began in 1996, with an invitation from a friend to perform on a show called Newborn Comics—Actors Who Stand Up! "What they were looking for was basically a friendly neighborhood waitress; she is super friendly and nice, almost to the point of madness, and I was like, 'I can do that.' Stephanie Courtney: This actor plays the infamous Flo in Progressive Insurance commercials. Since that fateful audition, Courtney has continued to be an integral voice in how the character of Flo has progressed. Crew look, according to People "I'm sort of East Coast so I like the off-white and the navy blues and the low-key preppy kind of thing," she tells the magazine, also noting that she "barely gets recognized in public.". At their urging, she enrolled at Binghamton University in New York, where she earned her English degree. This year's commencement ceremony featured a special address from Progressive Insurance spokeswoman, Stephanie Courtney, a.k.a. Company execs saw the opportunity to "surround Flo with characters to play off and offered other opportunities to expand Flo's story." And I was like, I'll quit all my day jobs! Courtney didn't walk into that audition with the mindset that she was going to be playing this character for the next decade. Aside from her commercials, Courtney's other TV … I loved everything about it, and I was never bored by it.". On a table she found three policies, one that was … Ads. In an interview with Advertising Age, Progressive CMO Jeff Carney says, "Flo was an accident." [1], During her early time in Los Angeles she worked odd jobs, including catering, to support herself.[3]. Flo was just supposed to be a friendly cashier in the superstore, but Courtney brought the character to life when she ad-libbed the line, "wow, I say it louder." Courtney's first commercial was for Bud Light back in 1999. With Flo, she was sort of originally this perfect little Number One employee, but the power has gotten to her." Progressive TV Spot, 'Flotection'. A quick glance at her IMDb page shows she's been on Mr. Show with Bob and David, Angel, Tom Goes to the Mayor, and 2 Broke Girls, to name a few. But not many of us know anything about Stephanie Courtney, the actress who has portrayed Flo in dozens of Progressive television commercials since 2007. She has appeared in such films as The Brothers Solomon, Blades of Glory, The Heartbreak Kid, Melvin Goes to Dinner, and Fred: The Movie. If none of those shows rings any bells, then you may recognize her from some of the movies she's appeared in, such as For Your Consideration, The Brothers Solomon, or The Heartbreak Kid, in which she appeared in scenes with Ben Stiller. From there, it was the typical working actor's grind—more odd jobs, auditions, and small parts—until she made her way out to Los Angeles. She told lohud.com that the theater was an early obsession, stemming from frequent family trips to Broadway, including the time she was inspired by a young Kevin Kline's performance in The Pirates of Penzance. She was really excited about it because the commercial aired during the Super Bowl that year. Courtney recalled her awkwardness as an American not exactly assimilating well to french culture. Commercials. Progressive TV Spot, 'Double Life'. When Courtney's father, a high school history teacher, had the opportunity to take a sabbatical year and travel to France to get his master's degree in European History, he took his entire family along. For doing all these sh! According to Celebrity Net Worth, Courtney earns $1 million per year for playing Flo from Progressive. According to The Epoch Times, on May 27, 2014, eBuzzd—a site notorious for spreading false rumors—published an article stating that Courtney died in a car accident while driving her Lexus LX in New York. Basically all the buildings and the birds are singing in her mind." "I ate, like, olympic amounts of bread and cheese, and then I outgrew all of my clothes," she joked, adding, "and I remember, I was so sad, like, I really looked like Gerard Depardieu. I wish I could take some of that net worth and put it into a much better cause than the Flo & … Progressive Snapshot TV Spot, 'Peer Pressure'. I would even show up to rehearsals I wasn't supposed to be at. While there, she performed in many plays, even portraying Elizabeth Proctor in a production of The Crucible, before graduating in 1992. It was actually stand-up that brought Courtney out to California, which, in turn, lead her to her true comedic love: improv. She is a sister-in-law of guy Stevenson. [3] There she met the theater's lighting director, Scott Kolanach,[6] whom she married in 2008. Stephanie Courtney is an American actress and comedian, best known for playing the advertising character Flo in television and radio commercials for Progressive Corporation beginning in 2008. About Stephanie Courtney. Near the end of the ad, she can be spotted in … After graduating from college, she studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City for two years. Portrayed by actress and comedian Stephanie Courtney, the character has developed a fan base on social networks and has become an iconic advertising mascot. Courtney is also noted for her recurring roles on several television series, including the voices of Renee the Receptionist and Joy Peters on the Adult Swim comedy Tom Goes to the Mayor, Marge on … I couldn't afford a haircut, like, no makeup, and I'd like mope around France because I felt so bad about myself.". HOLLYWOOD, California –. Since that fateful audition, Courtney has continued to be an integral voice in how the character of Flo has progressed (pun intended). The play didn't do very well there, according to Courtney, but she did have the chance to meet Fred Armisen, co-creator of Portlandia, and Darlene Hunt, creator of Showtime's The Big C, while she was there. "The writers are very open to what I think; there may be some improv here now and then, that is encouraged, by the way," Courtney says, adding, "All of us were working so hard to find out who this person was and what the boundaries were. Courtney was born on Feb. 8, 1970, in Stony Point, … In 2009, Courtney told Cleveland.com about the backstory she envisioned for Flo, saying, "When I picture Flo in life she drives her little Mini Cooper around town and it's basically like when Bob Hoskins drove into Toontown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. That was essentially the birth of Flo., as company execs then saw the opportunity to "surround Flo with characters to play off and offered other opportunities to expand Flo's story." If you've ever had a moment where you've thought, "Where else do I know her from?," it's probably from one of the 30 shows she's appeared in since 1998. [1] She joined the training program of the improvisational and sketch comedy group The Groundlings, and in 2004 became a member of its 30-person main company. I figured I'm not a face that makes people want to buy Lysol. *ty commercials? Her real name is Stephanie Courtney, a comedian and actress from Los Angeles who has taken the insurance world by storm. Although no tricks or prosthetics are used, transforming into Flo takes a lot of time and make-up. "Meet Progressive's Flo: Standup Comic Stephanie Courtney", "Until Flo Ebbs, Progressive Will Capitalize on Her Popularity", "Actress-comedian Stephanie Courtney finds her niche with insurance commercials", "Get That Life: How I Became "Flo" From the Progressive Commercials", "5 Things to Know About TV's Progressive Insurance Lady", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephanie_Courtney&oldid=1017145845, Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alumni, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Episode: "Eat Rotten Fruit from a Shitty Tree", Episode: "And the Wedding Cake Cake Cake", Episode: "Fred Armisen Wears Black Jeans & Glasses", Episode: "Troubled Times: Part 2 – Murder & Deception", This page was last edited on 11 April 2021, at 02:48. We're guessing that "net earnings to hours put in" ratio has shifted a bit. 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