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Will Ferrell Biography
John William "Will" Ferrell (born July 16, 1967) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American comedian, impressionist, writer and actor who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and has since gone on to a successful film career. He has worked as a voice actor as well, including the 50s style father in the animated series The Oblongs. He most recently starred in Blades of Glory.
Early life
Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, to Lee Ferrell, a keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers, and Kay (née Overman), a teacher. He had his schooling in Rancho San Joaquin Middle School and University High School in Irvine, where he was a kicker for the varsity football team. He 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.
Saturday Night Live career
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.[citation needed] After a successful 7 year tenure, Ferrell left SNL in 2002.
Movie career
During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Zoolander. In 2005, Ferrell earned $40 million. After this series of roles, Ferrell was dubbed one of the Hollywood Frat Pack, a group of actors who frequently co-star in film comedies. In 2006, Ferrell starred in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Stranger Than Fiction; both received critical and box office success. Ferrell's performance in Stranger Than Fiction introduced audiences to the dramatic potential of Ferrell's acting talents. On December 27, 2006 'The Magazine' named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue.
In March of 2007, Ferrell, along with Jon Heder, co-starred in Blades of Glory. In 2005, Ferrell was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Ferrell has played two characters with the first name "Chazz": Chazz Reinhold in Wedding Crashers and Chazz Michael Michaels in Blades of Glory. Ferrell appeared as part of a pre-game video package for the Rose Bowl along with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey. Ferrell also sang a song at the ESPY Awards in 2006 about Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong, and is often noted as looking very similar to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Ferrell participated in a 79th Academy Awards musical-comedy performance with John C. Reilly and Jack Black, where they sang a song about comedies being snubbed by the voters in favor of dramas.
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.
Funny or Die
In April 2007, Ferrell launched "Funny or Die", a streaming video website where short comedy films are uploaded and voted on by users. The site features The Landlord, starring Ferrell and Funny or Die co-founder Adam McKay. Ferrell's character is harassed for the rent by his landlord, a swearing, beer-loving two-year-old girl (played by McKay's daughter, Pearl). Some child psychologists have criticized Ferrell and the McKays for what they viewed as exploitation of the child, (Today Show June 7, 2007) but Adam McKay responded by stating that "Fortunately she is in this great stage now where she repeats anything you say to her and then forgets it right away, which is key. She has not said the 'B-word' since we shot the thing." They recently released a video entitled "Good Cop, Baby Cop" which also starred baby Pearl. The end of the video stated that this would be her final appearance and wished her a happy "baby retirement."
Personal life
In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class. On March 7, 2004 their son Magnus Paulin Ferrell III was born. On December 19, 2006, Will Ferrell announced that he would write a book, entitled Will Ferrell, the Comedy Revealed. There is no word on a publisher or editor. On December 30, 2006 just after 2 a.m., Paulin gave birth to another son, Mattias Ferrell.
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| Will Ferrell biography |
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