The Comedy Genius of Melissa McCarthy

Few actresses have made such a phenomenal impact on the silver screen in recent years as Melissa McCarthy. In contrast to the often anodyne on-screen persona of many of Hollywood’s leading female stars, McCarthy manages to conjure up an irresistible blend of warmth, originality and humour.

The Illinois native is cousin to actress and model Jenny McCarthy, but whereas her cousin is renowned for her glamour, Melissa McCarthy has managed to rise to celebrity status thanks to her diverse acting ability and hilarious on-screen presence.

It was the popular American TV series The Gilmore Girls that first catapulted McCarthy to the public’s attention. The quickfire dialogue of the show was perfectly suited to McCarthy’s role of the scatterbrained Sookie St James, but greater fame was in store for McCarthy with the release of the smash hit film Bridesmaids.

The 2011 comedy movie cast the star as the brilliantly outspoken friend of lead actress Kristen Wiig, and her show-stealing performance even earned her an Academy Award nomination that year.

The film became a surprise global hit earning nearly $150 million in box office takings and even creating a spin-off slot machine game at Royal Vegas Casino. The Bridesmaids game features alongside a range of other film-themed games at Royal Vegas Casino such as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 that all utilise popular motifs from these films to create an exciting and fun way for movie fans to play. The site also features a range of welcome bonuses and can even be played on mobile devices too. So although McCarthy’s character in Bridesmaids didn’t manage to make it to Las Vegas due to a hilarious in-flight incident, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the gambling action.

From the success of Bridesmaids, McCarthy became one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses. Despite the controversy created by film critic Rex Reed’s controversial comments about her weight, McCarthy continued her trailblazing path with memorable roles in films such as This Is 40, The Heat, St Vincent, and she even appeared on the front cover of Elle Magazine.

But McCarthy’s looks to have her biggest challenge yet with the announcement that she would be taking a lead role in the highly anticipated Ghostbusters reboot. It’s a massive coup for the star as the movie will feature an all-female cast and will be directed by Paul Feig whose previous hits include That Thing You Do, Knocked Up and of course, Bridesmaids.

And with the announcement of McCarthy’s own clothing line due to hit stores later this year, it looks like we haven’t seen the last of this amazing actress yet.