Amy Meredith Poehler (/ˈpoʊlər/; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress, comedian, voice artist, director, producer, and writer. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, she went to New York City in 1996 to become part of the improvisational comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. The group's act became a half-hour sketch comedy series on Comedy Central in 1998. Along with other members of the comedy group, Poehler was a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

A cast member on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008, Poehler became co-anchor of SNL's Weekend Update in 2004 alongside friend and colleague Tina Fey. She is known for voicing Bessie Higgenbottom in the 2008–2011 Nickelodeon series, The Mighty B! and Homily Clock from the American-English dub of The Secret World of Arrietty. From 2009 to 2015, she starred as Leslie Knope in the sitcom Parks and Recreation, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Musical or Comedy Series in 2014 and a Critic's Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2012.