Image: Earwolf Studios, Noël Wells (2015, cropped), CC BY 2.0.
Noël Wells has built a career that goes far beyond stand-up comedy or television acting. The San Antonio-born performer is an actress, comedian, writer, director, musician, and voice artist whose work spans everything from Saturday Night Live to the animated Star Trek universe.
She gained widespread recognition playing Rachel in Netflix's Master of None, but her creative journey began years earlier with homemade comedy videos and performances in Los Angeles.
Since then, Wells has written and directed her own film, released an album, and voiced one of the most recognizable characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Early Life and Texas Roots
Noël Wells was born on December 23, 1986, in San Antonio, Texas. She grew up in Victoria, a South Texas city roughly 115 miles southeast of San Antonio.
Her family background includes Tunisian and Mexican heritage, and she developed an interest in performing and storytelling while growing up in Texas.
After attending Memorial High School in Victoria, Wells enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.
She graduated in 2010 with degrees in Plan II Honors and Radio-Television-Film, combining a liberal arts education with studies in media production.
During college, she became involved in comedy and filmmaking, developing the skills that would later help her create original sketches and independent projects.
After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment.
Building a Comedy Career Before Saturday Night Live
Wells began attracting attention through comedy performances and self-produced online videos.
She trained and performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles, where she developed her sketch comedy and improvisation skills.
She also posted character sketches and celebrity impressions on YouTube.
These videos allowed her to experiment with different comedic styles and reach audiences without waiting for opportunities from television networks or production studios.
Her impressions, particularly of actresses Zooey Deschanel and Lena Dunham, helped showcase her ability to capture recognizable personalities.
The combination of online comedy and live performances eventually opened the door to national television.
Joining Saturday Night Live in 2013
In September 2013, Wells joined NBC's Saturday Night Live as a featured cast member for its 39th season.
The opportunity introduced her to a much larger audience and placed her alongside established comedians on one of America's longest-running sketch comedy programs.
During her season, Wells performed celebrity impressions and appeared in a variety of sketches.
However, her time on the show was brief.
She departed in 2014 after one season, joining several cast members who were not retained for the following year.
Although SNL was an important milestone, Wells's career would soon take a different direction.
Her next major role allowed her to demonstrate her abilities as a dramatic and comedic actress.
Her Breakthrough Role in Master of None
In 2015, Wells starred opposite Aziz Ansari in the Netflix comedy-drama Master of None.
She played Rachel Silva, a music publicist who develops a relationship with Ansari's character, Dev Shah.
The series explored modern relationships, careers, family expectations, and the uncertainties of adulthood.
Rachel became one of the show's central characters during its first season, with Wells bringing humor and emotional depth to the role.
Unlike the exaggerated personalities she often portrayed in sketch comedy, Rachel was a grounded character dealing with recognizable relationship challenges.
Wells returned for the show's second season in 2017.
Master of None received widespread critical acclaim and won multiple Emmy Awards during its run.
For Wells, the series demonstrated that she could move comfortably between sketch comedy and character-driven storytelling.
Writing, Directing, and Starring in Mr. Roosevelt
Wells expanded her career in 2017 with the independent comedy Mr. Roosevelt.
The film marked her feature-length directorial debut, and she also wrote the screenplay and played the lead character.
The story follows Emily Martin, a struggling comedian living in Los Angeles who returns to Austin after learning that her former boyfriend's cat has died.
Back in Texas, Emily must confront her past, reconnect with old acquaintances, and reconsider the direction of her life.
Filmed in Austin, Mr. Roosevelt draws on the city's atmosphere and creative community.
The movie premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2017, where it won the Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight and the Louis Black Lone Star Award.
Its reception helped establish Wells as a filmmaker capable of developing her own projects rather than working exclusively as an actress.
Voicing D'Vana Tendi in Star Trek: Lower Decks
John Manard / WikiPortraits, Noël Wells at Dragon Con (2026), CC BY-SA 4.0.
In 2020, Wells joined the cast of Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series set within the Star Trek universe.
She voiced D'Vana Tendi, an enthusiastic Orion Starfleet officer serving aboard the USS Cerritos.
Tendi's optimism, curiosity, and enthusiasm for scientific discovery made her a central character in the series.
The role allowed Wells to bring her comedic timing to animation while exploring a character who developed considerably throughout the show's run.
Star Trek: Lower Decks aired for five seasons, concluding in December 2024.
Wells voiced Tendi throughout the series, which combined science-fiction adventures with humor and references to the broader Star Trek franchise.
The role introduced her to another audience and became one of her longest-running television performances.
Exploring Music with It's So Nice!
Wells has also pursued music alongside acting and filmmaking.
In August 2019, she released her debut album, It's So Nice!, featuring original songs that explored relationships, uncertainty, and personal experiences.
The album marked a departure from the sketch comedy and television roles for which she was best known.
Its sound drew on indie pop and singer-songwriter traditions, emphasizing melody and reflective lyrics.
Through music, Wells found another way to express ideas that did not necessarily fit into a television sketch or screenplay.
Her work as a recording artist demonstrated the range of creative interests that have shaped her career.
Other Film and Television Work
Beyond her best-known projects, Wells has appeared in several other films and television productions.
Her credits include the 2015 romantic comedy The Overnight, the 2017 film The Incredible Jessica James, and appearances in television comedies.
She has also contributed voice performances to animated projects, including Craig of the Creek.
These roles reflect her versatility across live-action comedy, independent filmmaking, and animation.
Rather than remaining associated with a single television character, Wells has continued exploring different forms of storytelling.
Noël Wells's Creative Career and Texas Connection
Although Wells built much of her professional career in Los Angeles, Texas remains an important part of her background and creative history.
She was born in San Antonio, grew up in Victoria, and studied at the University of Texas at Austin.
Her decision to set and film Mr. Roosevelt in Austin also brought her work back to a city where she had spent her college years.
From making independent comedy videos to starring in a Netflix series, directing a feature film, releasing music, and joining the Star Trek franchise, Wells has developed a career across several creative fields.
Her journey shows how a performer can build on an early breakthrough while continuing to pursue new interests.
For San Antonio and South Texas audiences, Noël Wells represents a familiar local connection to a much wider entertainment world.
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