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John William "Will" Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, and writer who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and has since gone on to a successful film career, starring in the comedies A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Old School, Elf (both 2003), Anchorman (2004), Kicking & Screaming (2005), Talladega Nights, Stranger than Fiction (both 2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro and Step Brothers (both 2008).
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Quotations
I look good I look really good. Hey everyone come and see how good I look.
(Funnels a beer). Fill it up again! Fill it up again! Once it hits your lips, it's so good!
(Reading a note he left on the etch-a-sketch) I'm sorry I ruined your lives, and crammed eleven cookies into the VCR.
(speaking to Jovi) It's just nice to meet another human that shares my affinity for elf culture.
(speaking to the store santa) You stink. You smell like beef and cheese! You don't smell like Santa.
98 percent of us will die at some point in our lives.
Encyclopedia
John William "Will" Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, and writer who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and has since gone on to a successful film career, starring in the comedies A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Old School, Elf (both 2003), Anchorman (2004), Kicking & Screaming (2005), Talladega Nights, Stranger than Fiction (both 2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro and Step Brothers (both 2008). He is considered a member of the Frat Pack, a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors to emerge in the late 1990s and the 2000s including Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.
Biography
Early life
Will Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, the son of Kay (née Overman), a teacher, and Lee Ferrell, a keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers. He has Irish ancestry. He first attended elementary school at Turtle Rock Elementary School, and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine, CA. He attended University High School in Irvine, CA, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team. He told the Orange County Register that the dullness of Irvine contributed to the growth of his humor. "Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny. I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry, and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of."
He enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he studied Sports Broadcasting and graduated with a degree in Sports Information. He is also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. After graduating in 1990, he developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings.
Saturday Night Live
Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful 7 year tenure.
During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included:
- U.S. President George W. Bush ("strategery" was one of several fake Bushisms created by Ferrell during skits about the 2000 campaign),
- Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray,
- Singer Robert Goulet (crooning a cappella pieces of music by Sisqó, Baha Men, and Notorious B.I.G.),
- Singer Neil Diamond,
- Inside the Actors Studio personality James Lipton,
- Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy,
- United States Attorney General Janet Reno,
- Convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski,
- Game show host Alex Trebek,
- Fictitious African-American private detective Shaft,
- Professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura,
- U.S. Vice President Al Gore (Darrell Hammond took over once Ferrell started playing Bush),
- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,
- Cuban President Fidel Castro.
His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle, music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Greg Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant from "Dissing Your Dog", Hank of the Bill Brasky Buddies, David Leary from "Dog Show", and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that went to the big screen in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury.
Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live as a guest host on May 14, 2005. During this guest stint, he reprised his role as Alex Trebek in the popular "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches and Robert Goulet, advertising a series of crooned ringtones. In the same episode, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came on stage playing the cowbell.
Ferrell became the highest paid cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.
Film
During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.
His first starring role came after his departure from SNL with Frank "The Tank" Ricard in Old School (2003). The movie "belongs to Mr. Ferrell," declared the New York Times, which described how he "uses his hilarious, anxious zealotry to sell the part." Old School was a major success and Ferrell received an MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best Comedic Performance.
The title role in Elf (2003) followed, as did another MTV Movie Awards nomination. Ferrell continued to land comedy roles in 2004 and 2005 in films such as Melinda and Melinda, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Starsky & Hutch earning himself a place among Hollywood's Frat Pack. In 2005, Ferrell earned $40 million. In 2006, Ferrell starred in Stranger Than Fiction and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; both received critical and box office success. Ferrell's performance in Stranger Than Fiction introduced audiences to the dramatic potential of Ferrell's acting talents. On December 27, 2006, 'The Magazine' named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue.
Ferrell appeared as part of a pre-game video package for the Rose Bowl along with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey. Ferrell also sang a song at the ESPY Awards in 2006 about Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong, and is often noted as looking very similar to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Ferrell participated in a 79th Academy Awards musical-comedy performance with John C. Reilly and Jack Black, where they sang a song about comedies being snubbed by the voters in favor of dramas.
Voice acting
Ferrell has worked as a voice actor in several animated television programs, including his portrayal of a 1950s-style father in the animated television series The Oblongs. He has had several guest appearances on Family Guy, where he played the Black Knight in "Mr. Saturday Knight", as well as Fat Greek Guy and Miles "Chatterbox" Musket in "Fifteen Minutes of Shame". Ferrell also starred as Ted (a.k.a. The Man in the Yellow Hat) in the movie Curious George.
Funny or Die
In April 2007, Ferrell launched "Funny or Die", a streaming video website where short comedy films are uploaded and voted on by users. The site features The Landlord, starring Ferrell and Funny or Die co-founder Adam McKay. Ferrell's character is harassed for the rent by his landlady, a swearing, beer-loving, two-year-old girl (played by McKay's daughter, Pearl). Child psychologists have criticized Ferrell and the McKays for child exploitation, to which McKay responded:
They followed with the release of a video entitled "Good Cop, Baby Cop" which also starred baby Pearl; the end of the video stated that this would be her final appearance and wished her a happy "baby retirement."
In September 2008, Ferrell released another video entitled "" where he takes some pressing questions and comments from his fans.
Stage career
Ferrell made his Broadway debut taking on departing U.S. President George W. Bush in a new one-man show called You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush. The show started performances on January 20, 2009 in previews — Bush’s final day in office — at the Cort Theatre and will open officially on February 1. The limited engagement will play through March 15, 2009.
East Bound and Down
Ferrell is co-producing and co-writing (with Adam McKay) a forthcoming HBO show starring Danny McBride called East Bound and Down.
Personal life
In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class. On March 7, 2004, their son Magnus Paulin Ferrell was born. On December 30, 2006, Viveca gave birth to another son, Matthias Paulin Ferrell.
In 2006, I-Newswire.com, a site which accepts press releases from users for publication, reported that Ferrell had died in a paragliding accident. The hoax was published before its factual inaccuracy was noticed. The story was further propagated when it appeared on Google News.
Ferrell is a fan of USC Trojan football, At USC, Ferrell was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and is now an active alumnus. Ferrell has worked with head coach Pete Carroll to do motivational stunts for the players during the season.
Ferrell enjoys running and has participated in several major marathons such as the Boston, New York and Stockholm Marathons.
In 2007, Autograph magazine named Ferrell the worst celebrity autographer. Its editor stated, "What's so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he'll taunt people asking for his autograph." In response, Ferrell has stated, "I don't know how I got on the list. I sign a lot of autographs," but has admitted to taunting autograph-seekers: "I do. I really do. I'm like, 'How badly do you want this autograph?' 'Are you sure?' 'You say you're my biggest fan, really, prove it.' I'll do things like that. They have to earn it."
Ferrell had noted that, though he was well known for his SNL impersonation of President George Bush, he chose not to meet the President on several occasions, unlike his SNL predecessor Dana Carvey's famous chummy relationship with George Bush, Sr., for both professional and political reasons: "I declined, partly out of comedic purposes, because when I was on the show Saturday Night Live at the time, it didn't make sense to really meet the people that you play, for fear of them influencing you. And then the other side of it is, from a political standpoint, I don't want to meet that guy."
Awards and nominations
Emmy Awards
Nominated:
- 2001: Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program (for Saturday Night Live)
ESPY Awards
Won:
Golden Globe Awards
Nominated:
- 2006: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (for The Producers)
- 2007: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (for Stranger than Fiction)
James Joyce Award
MTV Movie Awards
Won:
Nominated:
Razzie Awards
Won:
Nominated:
Satellite Awards
Nominated:
Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards
Won:
- 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Funniest Mo-fo
- 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Most Viral Video
Teen Choice Awards
Won:
Nominated:
Filmography
Television work
Salary
External links
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