The daughter of glass-breaking soul songstress Minnie Riperton, Maya Rudolph began her career following in her mother's musical footsteps. After college Maya played with alterna-pop group The Rentals but soon left the group to join the California comedy-training group The Groundlings. The Florida filly landed her first role as a delivery nurse in the movie Gattaca (1997). A throwaway role in As Good As It Gets (1997) followed, then Maya's musical talents were put to good use as music supervisor on the karaoke-kamikaze flick Duets (2000), starring childhood pal Gwyneth Paltrow. That year also saw Maya latch on with Saturday Night Live, where her multi-dimensional talents really flourished as she did impressions of everyone from fashion freak Donatella Versace to pop tart Christina Aguilera. With parts in SNL-alum Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates (2004) and Will Ferrell's Anchorman (2004), Maya's future as a song-and-joke hottie seems secure.