caption children birth_place television birth_date spouse yearsactive birthname image article_title name occupation alma_mater
borstein at the 2010 comic con in san diego 2 highland park , illinois , u.s. '' '' shameless '' , '' getting on '' madtv '' , '' family guy '' , 15 february 1973 jackson douglas -lrb- m. 1999 -rrb- 1993 -- present alexandrea borstein alex borstein by gage skidmore 3.jpg alex borstein
 alex borstein actress , comedian , producer , writer san francisco state university acme comedy theatre
alex borstein

alexandrea `` alex '' borstein -lrb- born february 15 , 1973 -rrb- is an american actress , writer , producer , and comedian .
she is well known for her long-running role as lois griffin on the animated television series `` family guy '' , and as a cast member on the sketch comedy series `` madtv '' .
a native of deerfield , illinois , borstein is a graduate of san francisco state university , where she studied rhetoric .
she was trained in improvisational comedy at the acme comedy theatre , near hollywood , california , and was selected to join `` madtv '' after being scouted by talent agents who noticed her work at the theatre .
she was a writer and voice actor for several television shows , including `` casper '' , `` pinky and the brain '' , and '' '' , before joining the cast of `` madtv '' as a featured player , and later as a repertory player in 1997 .
