Will Ferrell is one of the most beloved comedic actors of all time. He has been entertaining audiences for decades with his unique brand of humor, often playing outrageous and silly characters that are full of heart.
Ferrell was born in Irvine, California in 1967 to Betty Kay Overman and Lee Ferrell. His mother worked as a teacher while his father had a career as a musician. From an early age, Will developed an interest in comedy which he cultivated during high school at University High School in Irvine where he joined The Groundlings improv troupe. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Southern California where he majored in Sports Broadcasting before dropping out after three years to pursue acting professionally.
He first gained recognition when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1995 and quickly became one of its most popular stars due to his hilarious skits such as “Celebrity Jeopardy” and “The Roxbury Guys” alongside Chris Kattan and Jimmy Fallon. While on SNL, Will also began writing films such as A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1999) along with Mike Myers, and Zoolander (2001).
After leaving SNL in 2002, Ferrell went on to have a prolific film career starring alongside some other great comedians like John C Reilly who starred opposite him several times including Step Brothers (2008), Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006) and Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004). Other memorable roles include Elf (2003), Stranger Than Fiction (2006), Blades Of Glory (2007) and Get Hard (2015). He also co-founded Funny or Die Productions which produces many successful projects including Drunk History & Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. In 2018 Ferrel won an Emmy award for Best Actor In A Comedy Series for his performance on IFC’s Portlandia show.
Will is not only known for being funny but also philanthropic work; donating money to cancer research organizations like Stand Up To Cancer among others. He continues to entertain us today with new movies, tv shows, stand up comedy specials & more.
All things considered there may be no better way than summing up this icon with words from another icon : “You’re my boy Blue!”
After graduating high school Ferrell went on to study Sports Broadcasting at the University of Southern California before doing an internship with SNL creator Lorne Michaels which eventually led him to his big break when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1995.
During his time at SNL Will won over audiences with his spot-on impressions – including President George W Bush – and memorable characters like Craig Buchanan – a deranged cheerleader who loves pom-poms a little too much! His success at SNL catapulted him into leading man status when he made the jump from television to film with 2003’s Old School which grossed $75 million worldwide against its modest budget. He followed this up with more successful comedies such as Anchorman (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Daddy’s Home 2 (2017).
When it comes to awards recognition Will has been nominated for numerous accolades throughout his career including two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety or Music Program for hosting Saturday Night Live along with seven Golden Globe nominations all within Best Actor categories between 2004-2011. Most recently Ferrell reprised his role as “Mugatu” alongside Ben Stiller in Zoolander 2 (2016). He also starred alongside Amy Poehler and Tina Fey in Sisters (2015) while voicing Lord Business / President Businessin 2014’s hugely successful animated flick The Lego Movie.
Outside of acting Will is actively involved philanthropically having founded Funny or Die -a website aimed at raising money for various charities through humorous videos featuring himself & other top comedians– along with cofounding Cancer For College which provides scholarships to cancer survivors looking further their education after completing treatment. With no signs of slowing down anytime soon we can be sure that Will will continue making us laugh both on screen & off well into the future!
