<P> Kelly Erin Hannon (born May 1, 1986) is a fictional character from the U.S. comedy television series The Office . She is the office receptionist for the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc., a position previously held by Pam Beesly before she quit to go work for the Michael Scott Paper Company . </P> <P> Erin is portrayed by Ellie Kemper . She is an original character, although her closest equivalent in the British version of the series would be Mel the receptionist, who appears briefly in The Office Christmas specials, as Dawn Tinsley's replacement . </P> <P> Erin Hannon is the receptionist hired to replace Pam Beesly (after Kevin's brief stint in the job) in "Dream Team". She first appears in "Michael Scott Paper Company", and is referred to by her middle name, Erin, to distinguish her from Kelly Kapoor . Although at times rather intellectually challenged, with her cheerful, silly demeanor, and childlike naïveté, Erin is usually the most consistently nice, optimistic Dunder - Mifflin employee . Contrasting with her predecessor, Pam, she not only loves being a receptionist but admires her coworkers including Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute . </P> <P> In a deleted scene from "Niagara", she admits she was born four months prematurely and could not eat hard foods until she turned 6 . "St. Patrick's Day" reveals further that she was sick and in the hospital between the ages of 3 and 6 . She grew up in foster families and has said that when she was younger "my hair was my room", i.e., the place she hid from stress and trauma . In "WUPHF.com", she said all of her peers were getting their drivers licenses eight years ago which would give her a birth year of approximately 1986 . It is hinted that Erin was brought up in a very religious Christian household, as seen in "Nepotism", when Michael argues with the staff about nepotism and defends it by saying the Person God sent to help Earth was His Son, Jesus Christ, which Erin claims is a "really tight argument", and another example is in "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager", when she is shocked to learn Gabe is an atheist, and is even more shocked when he states there might be a God, but he does not believe it is just some "guy with a long white beard ." </P>

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