Will Ferrell
American comedian and actor known for SNL and comedy films.
John William Ferrell was born on July 16, 1967, in Irvine, California. His mother, Betty Kay, taught at an elementary school and a community college, while his father, Roy Lee Ferrell Jr., played saxophone and keyboards for the Righteous Brothers. Both parents came from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and moved west in 1964. Ferrell’s background includes English, German, and Irish ancestry. As a baby, he had pyloric stenosis and underwent surgery to fix it. He has one younger brother, Patrick.
When Ferrell was eight, his parents divorced amicably. He later recalled trying to see the bright side—two Christmases—but noted that his father’s unpredictable show-business income and long absences made him want a stable job instead of an entertainment career. He attended Culverdale Elementary and Rancho San Joaquin Middle School in Irvine, then University High School, where he played as a kicker on the football team, also played soccer, captained the basketball team, and served on the student council. In third grade, he discovered he could make classmates laugh by pretending to hit his head or tripping on purpose. He credited the dullness of his safe, planned suburb for fueling his humor: with no real drama, he created his own by cracking up friends. During his senior year, he and a friend performed comedy skits over the school intercom with the principal’s approval, and he also did skits in talent shows. Classmates voted him “Best Personality.”
Ferrell studied sports broadcasting at the University of Southern California, joined Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and pulled pranks like dressing as a janitor to wander into friends’ classes or streaking across campus with fraternity brothers. He interned at a local TV sports department but disliked the work. After earning a B.A. in sports information in 1990, he decided against broadcasting. He worked as a hotel valet (on his second day, he tore a baggage rack off a van by driving under a low beam) and as a Wells Fargo teller, where he came up short $300 the first day and $280 the second—not theft, just carelessness. Encouraged by his mother to pursue what he liked, he moved to Los Angeles in 1991, auditioned for the comedy group The Groundlings, and spent time there developing improvisation skills.
Ferrell first gained notice in the mid-1990s as a cast member on *Saturday Night Live*, where he performed from 1995 to 2002. After that, he starred in a series of comedy films. His role in the 2003 film *Old School* helped place him in the “Frat Pack,” a group of leading Hollywood comic actors from the late 1990s and 2000s that includes Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd, and the Wilson brothers. In 2007, he co-founded the comedy website Funny or Die with former writing partner Adam McKay.
His comedy film credits include *A Night at the Roxbury* (1998), *Elf* (2003), *Anchorman* (2004), *Kicking & Screaming* (2005), *Talladega Nights* (2006), *Blades of Glory* (2007), *Step Brothers* (2008), *The Other Guys* (2010), *Get Hard* (2015), and *Barbie* (2023). He also took dramatic roles in *Stranger than Fiction* (2006), *Everything Must Go* (2010), and *Downhill* (2020). He voiced characters in *Curious George* (2006), *Megamind* (2010), the *Lego Movie* franchise (2014–2019), and *Despicable Me 4* (2024). He starred in and produced the documentary *Will & Harper* (2024) with writer Harper Steele.
Ferrell has won six Primetime Emmy Awards and a British Academy Television Award, and has been nominated for two Golden Globes and a Tony Award. He earned four of those Emmys as a producer on the drama series *Succession* (2018–2023) and for the specials *Live in Front of a Studio Audience* (2019–2022). He also produced the series *I’m Sorry* (2017–2019), *Dead to Me* (2019–2022), and *Drunk History* (2013–2019). On Broadway, he received a Tony nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event for his satirical portrayal of George W. Bush in *You’re Welcome America* (2009). In 2011, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2015, he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named British GQ’s comedian of the year.
- born
- July 16, 1967
- field
- Actor, comedian, writer, producer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Saturday Night Live cast member (1995–2002), leading roles in comedy films, co-f
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
John William Ferrell was born on July 16, 1967, in Irvine, California, to Betty Kay Overman, a teacher who taught at Old Mill School elementary school and Santa Ana College, and Roy Lee Ferrell Jr., who played saxophone and keyboards for the Righteous Brothers. His parents were both natives of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and moved to California in 1964. Ferrell's ancestry includes English, German, and Irish. As an infant he suffered from pyloric stenosis and had a pyloromyotomy to correct the condition. He has a younger brother, Patrick. When he was eight years old, his parents divorced amicably; Ferrell said, 'I was the type of kid who would say, "Hey, look at the bright side! We'll have two Christmases."' He attended Culverdale Elementary, Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, and University High School in Irvine, where he was a kicker for the varsity football team, played on the soccer team, was captain of the basketball team, and served on the student council. He called third grade 'a pivotal year,' realizing he could make classmates laugh by pretending to smash his head against the wall or tripping on purpose. In his senior year, he and a friend performed comedy skits over the school's intercom system with the principal's cooperation. He was voted 'Best Personality' by his classmates. He enrolled at the University of Southern California, studied sports broadcasting, and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After graduating with a B.A. in sports information in 1990, he worked as a hotel valet (where on his second day he tore a baggage rack off a van by trying to drive under a low beam) and as a Wells Fargo teller (coming up short $300 the first day and $280 the second). In 1991, encouraged by his mother, he moved to Los Angeles and successfully auditioned for The Groundlings. With fellow Groundlings member Chris Kattan, he created the Butabi Brothers. He joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002, becoming the highest paid cast member in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.
Reader's Guide
Ferrell first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where he performed from 1995 to 2002. He made a name for himself with impersonations including U.S. President George W. Bush, Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray, singer Robert Goulet, singer Neil Diamond, Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, game show host Alex Trebek, fictitious private detective John Shaft, professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and Cuban President Fidel Castro. His original characters included Morning Latte co-host Tom Wilkins, Mister Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle, music teacher Marty Culp, cheerleader Craig Buchanan, and night clubber Steve Butabi. One of his most memorable SNL characters is Dale McGrew, a 'highly patriotic' office worker wearing a half t-shirt and short shorts that Ferrell improvised into a thong just before the skit aired live, leading to genuine laughter from the cast and guest host Seann William Scott. After starring in the 2003 comedy film Old School, Ferrell became considered a member of the 'Frat Pack', a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson. He founded the comedy website Funny or Die in 2007 with his former writing partner Adam McKay. Ferrell has starred in comedy films such as A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Elf (2003), Anchorman (2004), Kicking & Screaming (2005), Talladega Nights (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010), Get Hard (2015), and Barbie (2023). He has also taken dramatic roles in Stranger than Fiction (2006), Everything Must Go (2010), and Downhill (2020). He has voiced roles in Curious George (2006), Megamind (2010), The Lego Movie film franchise (2014–2019), and Despicable Me 4 (2024). He also starred in and produced the documentary Will & Harper (2024) with writer Harper Steele. Ferrell has received four Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as a producer on the drama series Succession (2018–2023) and for the specials Live in Front of a Studio Audience (2019–2022). He also produced the series I'm Sorry (2017–2019), Dead to Me (2019–2022), and Drunk History (2013–2019). For his work on Broadway he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event for his satirical portrayal as George W. Bush in You're Welcome America (2009).
Did You Know?
- Ferrell's father, Roy Lee Ferrell Jr., played saxophone and keyboards for the Righteous Brothers.
- As an infant, Ferrell suffered from pyloric stenosis and had a pyloromyotomy to correct the condition.
- In his senior year of high school, Ferrell and a friend performed comedy skits over the school's intercom system with cooperation from the principal.
- Ferrell became the highest paid cast member on Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.
- He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event for his satirical portrayal of George W. Bush in You're Welcome America (2009).
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