Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell | |
|---|---|
 Will Ferrell at the UK premiere for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | |
| Born | John William Ferrell |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (193cm) [1] |
| Spouse | Viveca Paulin (2000 - present) |
John William "Will" Ferrell (born July 16, 1967 [1]) is an Emmy and Golden Globe nominated American comedian, impressionist and actor who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
Biography
Ferrell was born in Irvine, California to Lee Ferrell (a keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers) and Kay Overman. He attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School and University High School in Irvine, where he was a kicker for the varsity football team, and still holds the school record for most field goals made. [2] He became interested in performing while making his school's daily morning announcements over the public address system in disguised voices. [citation needed] He then 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 1989, Ferrell developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings. In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class. On December 19, 2006, Will Ferrell announced that he would make a book, entitled "Will Ferrell, the Comedy Revealed". No word on publisher or editor. "[3] On March 7, 2004 their son Magnus Paulin Ferrell was born. On December 30, 2006, Paulin gave birth to another son Mattias Ferrell, just after 2 a.m. [4]
Saturday Night Live
Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 (he was chosen over future co-star Steve Carell). He had planned to perform a comedy bit to win a spot on the show from producer Lorne Michaels who traditionally sits down for a final interview with prospective cast members. It was Will's idea to arrive with a suitcase full of Monopoly money and say, "I'm prepared to do anything to be on this show, Mr. Michaels." After bringing the suitcase to the audition and subsequent meetings, it became apparent that there would be no need for the suitcase bit and Will aborted the idea.
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),
- announcer Harry Caray (even after Caray's death),
- 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,
- U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno
- convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski
- game show host Alex Trebek, and
- professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura.
His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant "Dissing Your Dog", 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. In one sketch, he reprised his role as Robert Goulet, advertising a series of crooned ringtones. Also on the same episode, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came onstage playing the cowbell.
Movie career
During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: A Night at the Roxbury, Dick, Drowning Mona, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.
Shortly after he left Saturday Night Live, Ferrell starred in the films Old School, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Elf. All three films were box office successes, making Ferrell a movie superstar. In 2005 Ferrell had roles in five films: Kicking & Screaming, Melinda and Melinda, The Producers, Bewitched, and Wedding Crashers.
In 2006, Ferrell starred in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Stranger Than Fiction; both received critical and box office success.
On December 27, 2006 TheMagazine named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue. [5]
Death hoax
An announcement on I-Newswire.com reported that Ferrell had died in a paragliding accident. The site accepts press releases from users for publication on its website. A user submitted the aforementioned hoax, which was published before its factual inaccuracy was noticed. The story was further propagated when it appeared on Google News. This may perhaps be related to his role in the movie Wedding Crashers where he crashes the funeral of a man who died in a hang gliding accident, and then remarks on the stupidity of someone dying in a hang gliding accident. [6]
Awards and nominations
Nomination:
- 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)
Nomination:
- 2001:Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program (for Saturday Night Live)
One win:
- 2005:Worst Screen Couple (with Nicole Kidman, for Bewitched)
One win:
- 2001:Funniest Male Performer in a TV Special (Leading or Supporting) Network, Cable or Syndication(for Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2000)
Nominated
- 2001:Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a TV Series (for Saturday Night Live)
Nominated:
- 2005:Best Comedic Performance (for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
- 2005:Best On-Screen Team (with Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
- 2005:Best Musical Performance (with Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
Nominated:
- 2004:Best Comedic Performance (for Elf)
Nominated:
- 2004:Best Comedic Performance (for Old School)
- 2004:Best On-Screen Team (with Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn for Old School)
Nominated:
- 2006:Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical (for Stranger Than Fiction)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Land of the Lost | Rick Marshall | (status unclear) |
| Step Brothers | Unknown | (announced, also writer) | |
| Semi-Pro | Jackie Moon | (pre-production) | |
| 2007 | Blades of Glory | Chazz Michaels | (post-production) |
| 2006 | Stranger Than Fiction | Harold Crick | |
| Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | Ricky Bobby | (also writer) | |
| Curious George | Ted/The Man in the Yellow Hat | (voice only) | |
| 2005 | The Producers | Franz Liebkind | |
| Winter Passing | Corbit | ||
| Wedding Crashers | Chazz Reinhold | (uncredited) | |
| Bewitched | Jack Wyatt/Darrin | ||
| Kicking & Screaming | Phil Weston | ||
| The Wendell Baker Story | Dave Bix | ||
| 2004 | Melinda and Melinda | Hobie | |
| Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie | Ron Burgundy | (also writer) | |
| Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Ron Burgundy | (also writer) | |
| Starsky & Hutch | Big Earl | (uncredited) | |
| Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party | Himself | (documentary) | |
| 2003 | Elf | Buddy | |
| Old School | Frank Ricard | ||
| 2002 | Boat Trip | Brian's Boyfriend | (uncredited) |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Mugatu | |
| Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly | ||
| 2000 | The Ladies Man | Lance DeLune | |
| Drowning Mona | Cubby the Funeral Director | ||
| 1999 | Superstar | Sky Corrigan/God | |
| Dick | Bob Woodward | ||
| Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Mustafa | ||
| The Suburbans | Gil | ||
| 1998 | A Night at the Roxbury | Steve Butabi | (also writer) |
| The Thin Pink Line | Darren Clark | ||
| 1997 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Mustafa | |
| Men Seeking Women | Al | ||
| 1995 | Bucket of Blood | Young Man | |
| Criminal Hearts | Newscaster |
Television work
- Saturday Night Live (cast member from 1995-2002)
- Cow and Chicken (1997-2001) (voice in various episodes)
- Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2000 (2000)
- Undeclared (Guest star)
- The Oblongs (2001-2002) (voice)
- Family Guy (2000-2001) (voice in various episodes)
- MTV Movie Awards Matrix Reloaded parody as the Architect
- Strangers with Candy (Guest star)
- King of the Hill (voice)
- The Tom Green Show (Guest star)
- The Naked Trucker Show (Guest star)
Salary
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) $20,000,000
- Bewitched (2005) $20,000,000
- Kicking & Screaming (2005) $20,000,000
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) $12,000,000
Trivia
- According to Forbes Magazine, Ferrell was the best-paid actor of 2005, with a salary of $40 million. [7]
- He once called Jim Carrey the funniest man alive.
- Will Ferrell is often noted as looking very similar to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. [8] [9]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com
- ^ http://talk.ocregister.com/showpost.php?p=382645&postcount=3
- ^ http://www.celebritywonder.com/html/willferrell.html
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20005718,00.html
- ^ http://www.wearethemagazine.com/0103/themagazine.htm
- ^ "Will Ferrell Isn't Dead and Google Hasn't Hired A 15 Year-Old"; Ryan, Jack; March 15, 2006; The Post Chronicle
- ^ http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/forbes/P147872.asp
- ^ http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-1/1162568924197380.xml&coll=6
- ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/15873280.htm
External links
- American voice actors
- American comedians
- American film actors
- American impressionists (entertainers)
- Austin Powers actors
- Bewitched actors
- Saturday Night Live cast members
- View Askew actors
- University of Southern California alumni
- Delta Tau Delta brothers
- People from Irvine, California
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Frat Pack