Will Ferrell
☼ Born on 16 December 1967, in Irvine, California, USA
Biography
John William Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, to Betty Kay (Overman), a teacher, and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a musician. His parents were originally from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ferrell became interested in performing while a student at University High School in Irvine, where he made his school's daily morning announcements over the public address system in disguised voices. He started as a member of the Los Angeles comedy/improvisation group The Groundlings, where fellow cast members Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and former Saturday Night Live (1975) repertory players such as Laraine Newman, Jon Lovitz and Phil Hartman began their careers. It was there he met Chris Kattan and the two became good friends and both went on to Saturday Night Live (1975) later. He has also appeared on several television programs, including Strangers with Candy (1999), Grace Under Fire (1993) and Living Single (1993) during his time at The Groundlings. Will also lent his voice to the armless and legless dad of cartoon family "The Oblongs".
In 1995 he became a feature cast member at Saturday Night Live (1975) during the show's rapid re-casting. He was declared quite possibly the worst cast member ever during his first season. However, his talents of impersonations and range of characters shot him forward to making him arguably the greatest Saturday Night Live (1975) cast member ever. During his seven year run he is one of the few cast
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members to ever be nominated for an Emmy for a performance and played George W. Bush during the 2000 elections. He has appeared in every Saturday Night Live (1975) movie since his premiere on the show in 1995. In 2002 he left Saturday Night Live (1975) and was the only cast member to ever receive a farewell from all the current cast members at the end of the season finale show. Since leaving the show Will has pursued a career in films. In 2000, he married Viveca Paulin, and lives in L.A.
In the role of actor
Despicable Me 4 (03/07/2024)
Gru and his family are forced into witness protection in Despicable Me 4. Gru (Steve Carell) is in danger when his newly caught archnemesis Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), a flamboyant human-cockroach hybrid, escapes from prison and vows revenge with his girlfriend Valentina (SofÃa Vergara). Anti-Villain League head Silas Ramsbottom (Steven Coogan) relocates Gru, his […]
Strays (17/08/2023)
A newly stray dog decides to seek revenge against his former owner in Strays. Reggie (Will Ferrell) is a naive Border Terrier in a neglectful relationship with his owner Doug (Will Forte). Reggie ends up being abandoned in a city ally, where he ends up befriending street-smart Boston Terrier Bug (Jamie Foxx), who teaches him […]
Barbie (22/07/2023)
The signature doll from Mattel hits the big screen with Barbie. In Barbieland, Barbie (Margot Robbie) lives a perfect existence with President Barbie (Issa Rae), author Barbie (Alexandra Shipp), physicist Barbie (Emma Mackey), and doctor Barbie (Hari Nef). Barbie is the unrequited object of affection of Ken (Ryan Gosling), who has to compete with Ken […]
Downhill (13/02/2020)
A man’s act of cowardice during an avalanche causes tensions with his wife in Downhill. Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete (Will Ferrell) are a couple who have gone on a ski trip to Austria with their two kids, as a way for Pete to get over the recent death of his father. However, tensions quickly rise […]
Buddy (23/04/2019)
The relationship between six guide dogs on their owners are explored in Buddy. Even though guide dogs are a necessary need of their owners, the connection that develops between the two are often deeper than any other relationship in their lives. Filmmaker Heddy Honigmann follows six guide dogs and what what they mean to their […]
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (14/02/2019)
The population of Bricksburg have to deal with alien invaders in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Five years after Taco Tuesday, repeated attacks by Duplo invaders have turned Bricksburg into “Apocalypseburg.” Despite the town now being a desolate dystopia, Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) remains forever optimistic and even builds a house for himself and Wyldstyle, aka Lucy (Elizabeth Banks). […]
The LEGO Movie (09/02/2014)
The classic building blocks receive their own film adaptation in The LEGO Movie. Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is an ordinary construction worker, who loves following the daily routines required for every citizen in his city. However, one night he comes across a woman named Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who is searching for the Piece of Resistance, […]
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (22/12/2013)
Nine years later, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his news team return in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. After getting fired from his anchoring position and splitting up with his wife Veronica (Christina Applegate), a down on his luck Ron Burgundy is recruited by Freddie Shapp (Dylan Baker) to report the news on the new […]
The Other Guys (08/08/2010)
Of the two buddy cop movies to be released this year, I am inclined to say that I prefer Cop Out to this one. While the critics absolutely loathed Kevin Smith‘s film, at least it had a clear intention what it was out to do. As for The Other Guys, I am still trying to […]
Despicable Me (17/07/2010)
It may not be Pixar, but I thought that Despicable Me was a very decent animated film. It’s also the first of two animated films this year to feature a villain in the lead role (the other being Megamind). The villainous aspect is part of what makes this film fun to watch, since the character of […]
Step Brothers (04/08/2008)
Earlier this year when I was talking about Semi-Pro, I stated that I thought Will Ferrel’s routine was getting old. After seeing Step Brothers, I still have yet to be convinced otherwise. Before I say anything else, I should state that I thought Step Brothers was an incredibly funny movie. However, it was also an […]
Semi-Pro (01/03/2008)
Over the years we’ve seen Will Ferrell play a soccer coach (Kicking and Screaming), Nascar Driver (Talladega Nights), and a figure-skater (Blades of Glory). Now, we get to see him as a basketball player. I will be first to say that this brand of Will Ferrell humour is starting to get old. While I did […]
Blades of Glory (31/03/2007)
My first thoughts on this film was that it was essentially “Zoolander on Ice,” with all the homoerotic overtones and such. In fact, it’s those overtones where most of the comedy in the film is derived. I would definitely say that my biggest laughs came from the skating scenes. The rest of the film was […]