Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (/ˈkuːlɪdʒ/; born August 28, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for playing Stifler's Mom in the American Pie films, Sophie in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, Paulette in Legally Blonde (2001) and its sequel and Hilary Duff's character's evil stepmother in A Cinderella Story (2004). She is also a regular actor in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films. Coolidge is an alumna of The Groundlings, an improv and sketch comedy troupe based in Los Angeles.
Coolidge was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gretchen (née Knauff) and Paul Constant Coolidge, a plastics manufacturer. She was raised in Norwell, Massachusetts, and is one of four children, with a brother, Andrew, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Susannah. Coolidge attended Norwell High School, the Cambridge School of Weston, Emerson College in Boston and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Her charitable work has included a history of supporting AIDS assistance and animal rights.