Stephanie Courtney (born February 8, 1970)[1] is an American actress and comedian, best known for playing the advertising character Flo in television and radio commercials for Progressive Corporation beginning in 2008.
Courtney was born in Stony Point, Rockland County, New York, the youngest of three children of a high-school history teacher father and a singer mother.
[4][1] In 1992, she graduated with a degree in English from Binghamton University, where she played Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, affirming her decision to be an actress.
[1] While working as a secretary for Smith Barney chairman Robert F. Greenhill, Courtney studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
[4] She has appeared in such films as The Brothers Solomon, Blades of Glory, The Heartbreak Kid, Melvin Goes to Dinner, and Fred: The Movie.