Wendi McLendon-Covey
The actress who brought Beverly Goldberg to life and broke out in Bridesmaids.
Wendi McLendon-Covey is an American actress and comedian, born October 10, 1969, in Bellflower, California. She is known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles, most notably playing family matriarch Beverly Goldberg on the ABC comedy series The Goldbergs from 2013 until 2023. For that role, she was nominated for two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. A native of Long Beach, California, she graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2000 before becoming a member of The Groundlings, an improvisational comedy group in Los Angeles, where she remained until 2009.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Wendi McLendon
- Born
- 10 October 1969
- Birthplace
- Bellflower, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actress
- comedian
- property manager
- former academic journal editor
- Years active
- 2001–present
- Education
- California State University, Long Beach
- Spouse
- Greg Covey (1996)
Lore & Background
McLendon-Covey's career began while she was still a Groundlings member, starring as Deputy Clementine Johnson in the improvisational series Reno 911! from 2003 to 2008, and later returning for its 2020–2022 revival. She had a breakout performance in the 2011 comedy film Bridesmaids, which led to a string of film roles including What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012), The Single Moms Club (2014), Blended (2014), Think Like a Man Too (2014), Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015), Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), What Men Want (2019), Sylvie's Love (2020), Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), and Elemental (2023). In 2019, she played a leading role in the independent drama film Blush. Since 2024, she has starred as Joyce in the NBC mockumentary sitcom St. Denis Medical.
Reader's Guide
McLendon-Covey's tenure on The Goldbergs lasted ten years, with 229 episodes produced. She also served as a producer and later as an executive producer of the series. Her portrayal of Beverly Goldberg earned her Critics' Choice Television Award nominations in 2014. In 2020, she co-hosted the pop culture podcast Generation Ripe with Dfernando Zaremba. She has been married to property manager and former corporate executive Greg Covey since 1996. Greg has Parkinson's disease. McLendon-Covey's filmography includes a dramatic role as Mark Felt's secretary Carol Tschudy in the political thriller Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (2017) and a leading role in the independent drama Blush (2019).
Did You Know?
- McLendon-Covey was a classmate of Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig at The Groundlings before starring alongside them in Bridesmaids.
- She worked as an editor for California State University's academic journal of social work until 2012, even after her acting career had taken off.
- McLendon-Covey co-hosted the pop culture podcast Generation Ripe from April 2020 to July 2022.
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