Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, fashion designer, and producer. A two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, she has also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades.

She began appearing in television and films in the late 1990s, and first gained nationwide recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000–2007). From 2007 to 2009, she appeared as Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? before being cast as Molly Flynn on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly (2010–2016), the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as two other nominations during subsequent seasons. She has also been nominated five times (in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017) for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her five appearances as a host on Saturday Night Live, eventually winning the Emmy in 2017.

McCarthy achieved widespread recognition and critical acclaim for her performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011); for her work in the film, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA nomination, and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2013, she co-starred in the comedy films Identity Thief and The Heat. She has appeared in supporting roles, including The Nines (2007), The Back-up Plan (2010), Life as We Know It (2010), This Is 40 (2012), and The Hangover Part III (2013). In 2014, McCarthy starred in the comedy Tammy and the comedy-drama film St. Vincent. In 2015, she headlined the action comedy film Spy, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination. In 2016, she starred in the comedy films The Boss and Ghostbusters. In 2017, she played White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in several episodes of Saturday Night Live.

McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone founded On the Day, a production company. In 2015, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, launched her clothing line, Melissa McCarthy Seven7, and was named the third highest-paid actress in the world by Forbes. In 2016, Forbes named her the world's second highest-paid actress in the world, with earnings of $33 million.