Maya Rudolph was born in Gainesville, Florida, on July 27th, 1972, to Dick Rudolph, a music producer, and soul singer Minnie Riperton. In 1973 Maya, her parents, and her older brother Marc moved to California to further Minnie's music career. Here Minnie recorded "Lovin' You," her most famous single, in which one can hear her sing "Maya, Maya, Maya" at the end of the song; Riperton claimed that this song was used as a lullaby for Maya.

During adolescence, Maya attended St. Augustine by the Sea School, where she met childhood friend Gwyneth Paltrow. The Paltrows and the Rudolphs became family friends and, in 2000, Dick Rudolph and Maya filled the role of Music Supervisors on the Bruce Paltrow-directed film Duets, which starred Gwyneth.

In 1990, Maya enrolled at the University of California at Santa Cruz, majoring in photography. It was here that Maya formed the band Supersauce with fellow students. After graduation in 1994, Maya left the band and soon joined the Rentals, fronted by Weezer Basist Matt Sharp. Maya was featured on the 1999 release "Seven More Minutes," where she sang backup vocals on "Barcelona" and "My Head is in the Sun." Maya began touring with the group, singing backup and playing Moog synthesizer. When the Rentals disbanded, Maya decided to pursue her dream of a career in comedy, joining the famed troupe the Groundlings.

On May 6, 2000, Maya joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and has since become one of that show's most popular performers. Favorite sketches include a dead-on impression of fashion diva Donatella Versace; high school flake Megan, the host of her own morning talk show, Wake-up WakeField; and one of the members of the R&B parody Gemini's Twin.

In 2005, Maya gave birth to her first child with director Paul Thomas Anderson; in 2006, she was cast in the film A Prairie Home Companion, directed by the legendary Robert Altman and based on the NPR show by Garrison Keillor.
Is the daughter of the late singer Minnie Riperton, best known for her 1975 #1 pop hit "Lovin' You." At the end of the song, Riperton can be heard singing "Maya Maya, Maya Maya...." First impression on Saturday Night Live was of MTV VJ Ananda Lewis. The episode was when John Goodman hosted and Neil Young was the musical guest. Keyboardist and a singer for the Weezer spin-off band the Rentals. She toured with the group in 1996 and sang on its latest album. Daughter of Dick Rudolph and Minnie Riperton. Childhood friends with Gwyneth Paltrow. Brother Marc is a music engineer. Graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a BA in photography in 1994. Played with the pop group the Rentals, which opened for Alanis Morissette in 1994. Attended St. Augustine by the Sea School with Gwyneth Paltrow. Is a vegetarian. Appeared with Donatella Versace at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion awards. Formed and sang in the jazz-funk band Supersauce while attending the University of California at Santa Cruz. She left the band when she graduated and later joined the Rentals singing backup vocals on the album "Seven More Minutes." She can be heard on "Barcelona" and "My head is in the Sun." Rudolph left the rentals to join the Groundlings to pursue a career in comedy, which eventually led her to Saturday Night Live. Often does impressions of Christina Aguilera and Donatella Versace on Saturday Night Live. Voted #20 on Entertainment Weekly's list of Funniest People in America in April 2004 First child, daughter Pearl, with boyfriend Paul Thomas Anderson, born October 2005.