Lori Hammel was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She is known for her work on Burn After Reading (2008), 30 Rock (2007) and The Following (2015). She grew up in North Dakota and began competing in ...Show More
Lori Hammel was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She is known for her work on Burn After Reading (2008), 30 Rock (2007) and The Following (2015). She grew up in North Dakota and began competing in talent shows at age 12 and performing professionally with a country-western band at age 15. As a precocious teen, Lori joined nearly every club in her hometown - she sang the national anthem at summer rodeos, put on puppet shows for the local children and cheered on her fellow classmates as a wrestling, basketball and football cheerleader. While visiting New York City on a college trip, she saw her future in the city that was home to her childhood memories of watching "Sesame Street". Film work includes playing a morning show host in Ethan and Joel Coen's feature film "Burn After Reading"; "An Invisible Sign"; "She's Lost Control" (2014 Berlin Film Festival, SXSW); "Burning Up!" (2014 Katra Festival) and playing the title role in "Coney Island Queen" (2014 Cannes Shorts Corner). Upcoming indie features include "Cheerleader" and a turn as a reporter in the thriller "Rapid Eye Movement" starring François Arnaud. Lori's TV appearances include "30 Rock", "The Colbert Report", "As the World Turns", "The Following", "The Today Show" and Season 2 of "Difficult People" starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner. Lori was thrilled to work on camera with Tina Fey, Michael Hitchcock ("Glee"), Rob Riggle ("The Daily Show") and The Whitest Kids U' Know in the Comedy Central pilot "Boyfriendz" directed by Ryan McFaul ("Inside Amy Schumer"). Lori made her Broadway debut in the international hit "Mamma Mia". A deft and nuanced comedienne, Lori performed in such stage shows as the Tony Award®-winning "Forbidden Broadway", as Ethel Mertz in the national tour of "I Love Lucy Live" and Carol Brady with a Lady Macbeth twist in the Off Broadway mash up "The Bardy Bunch". Lori's improvisational skills are delightfully apparent as recurring political pundit Leslie Hillerman on the Onion News Network series "In The Know" and in "Margo Rose Reports", a successful web series Lori created, produced and starred in as the voraciously clueless NY2 Broadway reporter Margo Rose Ferderer. Lori showed her serious side as a dramatic actress in the 2013 Off Broadway world premiere of the family drama "Unbroken Circle". In the 2012 world premiere of the drama "Handicapped People in their Formal Attire" by Kathryn Grant she gave a "heartbreakingly honest performance" (Curtain Up) as the conflicted, bitter sister playing opposite Rachel Pickup. In August of 2015 she was given an Excellence in Acting Award at the New York International Fringe Festival for her performance in Gary Apple's "Hell is for Real". Other acting awards include "Forbidden Hollywood" (Jeff Award & After Dark Award), "Little Me" (Jeff nomination) and "Singin' in the Rain" (Jeff nomination & After Dark Award). She is the 2014 recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Joseph C. Riley Service Award. She co-authored the critically acclaimed guidebook Minding The Edge: Strategies for a Fulfilling, Successful Career as an Actor (Waveland Press 2012) and is a contributing author for Acting for the Stage (Focal Press 2017). Hide
