Maria Christina Thayer, an American actress and comedian, was born in Portland, Oregon. During her early life, her family owned a bee farm in the small town of Boring, east of Portland. Later, they relocated to Minnesota, where she attended Apple Valley High School and excelled in the award-winning forensics program, the National Forensic League, and was even crowned Homecoming Queen.
Thayer went on to study acting at The Juilliard School in New York. She first gained public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series Strangers with Candy in 1999. She has since appeared in a range of comedy films, including Hitch, Accepted, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where she played a woman on holiday with her new husband, played by Jack McBrayer.
In 2009, Thayer appeared in the film State of Play as Sonia Baker, the researcher and mistress of a congressman. She has also had roles in numerous television series, including a lead role on the Adult Swim series Eagleheart from 2011 to 2014, and a lead role as Abbey Logan on the comedy series. In 2015, she played the title role in the movie Night of the Living Deb.
Starting in 2015, Thayer starred in the TruTV sitcom Those Who Can't as an incompetent teacher at a Denver high school.
