[10] She holds a Bachelor of Arts in theater, as well as a minor in journalism, from Truman State University, where she originally enrolled as a pre-law history major.

[11] While attending college at Truman State University, Fischer performed with a touring Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre group.

[12] Upon her move to Los Angeles in 1998, she began performing Commedia dell'arte with the Zoo District Theatre Company, and was noticed by a talent agent during her appearance in their musical adaptation of the 1922 film Nosferatu.

Her first paying film role was in a sex education video for psychiatric patients upon their release from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

[14] Three years elapsed from the time she arrived in California until she landed her first televised speaking role, playing a waitress on the TV sitcom Spin City in 2001.

"[17] Using a camera she'd given Gunn as a wedding present, she filmed preliminary improvisational interviews with her friends in the faux documentary format that would later bring her fame on The Office.

"[19] In 2005, after a succession of mostly improvised auditions similar to her LolliLove experience, Fischer landed the role of Pam Beesly on what became the NBC hit The Office, based on the original BBC series.

"[14] While looking for acting work, Fischer herself spent several years as a receptionist and administrative assistant in Los Angeles offices, much like her television counterpart, and thus felt she was well suited to the role.

[21] In January 2008, the cast of The Office won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 14th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

"[22][23][24] Fischer appeared on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2006, participating in the series' eighth tournament, shot in New Orleans, Louisiana, and playing for Catholic Charities USA's Tsunami Relief.

[25] In December of that year, during the Writers Guild of America strike, Fischer appeared at Sacred Fools Theater Company in episode 25 of Darque Magick, a serialized play written and directed by Jenelle Riley.

[27] The following year, she filmed supporting roles in three feature films: The Brothers Solomon, with Will Arnett and Will Forte; Blades of Glory, with Arnett, Will Ferrell, Jon Heder and Amy Poehler; and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, with John C. Reilly, with whom she co-starred again in 2008's The Promotion, also starring Seann William Scott.

[33] She was named a producer of the mid-August through October 2010 run of the critically acclaimed play Sad Happy Sucker, written by her husband Lee Kirk and directed by friend Sean Gunn; it previously ran as a theatre workshop in February and March 2007.

[35] She was named an official spokeswoman for Proactiv Skincare Solutions that year[36] and was announced as the voice behind the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Grilled Cheese Academy website in 2010.

[38] After finishing The Office, Fischer starred in the off-Broadway play Reasons to Be Happy, written and directed by Neil LaBute, which ran from May to June 2013.

[39] She starred in the world premiere of Steve Martin's comedy Meteor Shower at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, from July 30 to September 18, 2016.

She came out on stage carrying the dress she'd intended to wear and commented to the audience: "I'm mentally freaking out [because] I'm on a talk show in a towel, but I'm physically very comfortable.

[42] Their guests have included actors John Krasinski, Oscar Nunez and Rainn Wilson, and producers/directors Greg Daniels, Paul Feig and Ken Kwapis.

Future episodes, Fischer and Kinsey said, will feature new interviews, more stories from the set, their patented "deep dives" into random topics and in-depth character studies.

[56][57] They married on July 3, 2010; the wedding ceremony was officiated by their friend Jeff Probst, whom they met at a Primetime Emmy Awards party.

[64][65] Furthermore, during the engagement, Kirk made a cameo on The Office in the season six episode "The Delivery" as Clark, the male lactation consultant who examines Fischer's character, in March 2010.

[69] In October 2024, Fischer revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer a year earlier, but she was cancer-free after 12 rounds of chemotherapy, and 3 weeks of radiation therapy and lumpectomy.