Tig Notaro: New Queen of Zombie Zingers
By Kirsten Howard
Beloved stand-up comic Tig Notaro has infiltrated the world of genre streaming with ease.
50-year-old Tig Notaro is now a familiar face to genre fans, but her career started a long way from sci-fi, horror and action fare.
After dropping out of high school, she became a band manager in the 90s, and eventually moved to Los Angeles where she decided to try stand-up comedy.
She became notable on the comedy scene for her deadpan style, and released a debut stand-up album called Good One in 2011.
In 2012, Notaro was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She integrated her cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery into her stand-up routine.
A critically acclaimed performance where she discussed her cancer battle was released under the title ‘Live’ in 2012.
Notaro worked on TV projects like The Sarah Silverman Program, Inside Amy Schumer and Transparent.
She has also hosted two popular podcasts - Don't Ask Tig and Professor Blastoff.
In 2018, Notaro landed an unexpected role in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery as Chief Engineer Jett Reno.
She quickly became a fan favorite character, forming a missing piece of the ensemble puzzle and bringing much-needed wit to Discovery’s more serious storylines.
Notaro delivers a standout performance in Netflix’s new action-horror movie Army of the Dead.
In the streaming service’s latest zombie outing she plays Marianne Peters, a helicopter pilot always on hand with a wisecrack.
Notaro wasn’t originally in the film. Zack Snyder cast her to replace comedian Chris D'Elia after he was hit with claims of sexual harassment towards women.
The director digitally erased D’Elia from Army of the Dead during the pandemic and reshot the part with Notaro.
The internet was blown away by this new side of Notaro and she has expressed surprise and confusion about trending online as a “sexy mf”.
Notaro is thought to be reprising the role of Peters in an Army of the Dead animated prequel series called Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas.