Will Ferrell Biography

The American actor and comedian Will Ferrell was born John William Ferrell in 1967 in California. Long before Will Ferrell rose to fame as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, he grew up in Irvine, serving on his high school’s student council and as the captain of the school’s basketball team. Will’s talents for making others laugh was evident from early on, and he was known as a class comedian all the way up through college.

Ferrell’s initial career aspirations were in the realm of the sports industry, but after graduating with a B.A. in Sports Information in 1990, he decided to forgo a career in broadcasting and instead moved to Los Angeles to audition for the comedy troupe the Groundlings. It was with the group that he began to hone his comedic skills and garner small roles on television shows such as Living Single and Grace Under Fire. When Saturday Night Live came looking for new cast members for their 1995 season, they discovered Ferrell and asked him to join the cast.

While on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell became known for a number of his impersonations, most notably those of George Bush, Janet Reno, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, and Fidel Castro. Around this time, Ferrell also began to appear in high-grossing films, including: Austin Powers (1997), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), The Suburbans (1999), and Zoolander (2001.) 

Will Ferrell’s career began to rise even further in the new millennium, with his smash hit films Elf (2003) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004.) Since that time, Ferrell has become one of the era’s most notable comedians, appearing in or producing multiple films every year for the last decade. Other notable films from Ferrell include: The Producers (2005), Bewitched (2005), Kicking & Screaming (2005), Blades of Glory (2007), Land of the Lost (2009), The Other guys (2010), The Campaign (2012), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013.) His acting has earned him multiple award nominations, and in 2011 Ferrell was selected for the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Will Ferrell continues to act and produce. He recently made the leap to the Broadway stage, appearing in his limited engagement, one-man show, You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush. Ferrell’s most recent film is Daddy’s Home, which released in 2015. He will also appear in Zoolander 2, releasing in 2016.