Will Ferrell - Biography

Last Editor: jvanabs				Will Ferrell Biography -   Name : Will Ferrell Birthdate : July 16, 1967 Birthplace : Irvine, California Real name : John W. Ferrell Education : University High School, Irvine, California (1986) University of Southern California, Los Angeles; majored in sports journalism (BS) Occupation : Actor, Comedian Wife : Viveca Paulin, actress; born in 1969; met in 1995 while attending acting class; dating since 1996 Claim to Fame : Regular cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live (1995-2002) Wife : Viveca Paulin, actress; born in 1969; met in 1995 while attending acting class; dating since 1996 Claim to Fame : Regular cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live (1995-2002)

Will Ferrell Trivia -

Will Ferrell lives in both Los Angeles and New York City. While he was in high school, Will made the daily morning announcements over the public access system in disguised voices. This is how he first became interested in performing. He graduated from University High School in Irvine, California. [1986] His father, Lee, was a longtime keyboardist and saxophonist for The Righteous Brothers. He graduated from University of Southern California with a degree in Sports Information. Former member of The Groundlings. Celebrity impersonations include Alex Trebek, Jesse Ventura, Charlton Heston, Mark McGwire, George W. Bush, Janet Reno, Harry Caray and (perhaps most famously) James Lipton. He is brother of Patrick Ferrell. His wife is Swedish. He became "Saturday Night Live" (1975)'s highest paid cast member ever in 2001. Producers were desperate to keep him, resulting in a salary of over $350,000. Final appearance on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) on May 18, 2002, followed by career move into full-time movie-acting. He can be heard (uncredited) in the movie Kingpin (1996) in the background during the final bowling scene between Bill Murray and Woody Harrelson's characters yelling, "Ernie, you're the man!" He competed at the Boston Marathon. His official time was 4 hours, 2 minutes and 29 seconds. [21 April 2003] He and his wife Viveca Paulin ran the Boston Marathon on April 21, 2003. He and his wife Viveca Paulin ran in the New York City Marathon in 2001, finishing together in 5 hours, 1 minute and 56 seconds. He is a member of the Delta Tau Delta international fraternity. He studied at USC in the hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. He graduated and interned at NBC Sports, but then drew laughs after ad-libbing a joke on-air during one of his broadcasting courses and switched to comedy. He was not a class clown in high school but a scholar and an athlete. His son, Magnus Paulin Ferrell, born on March 7, 2004. He weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. He was voted the 3rd funniest person in America by Entertainment Weekly. He played NWA-TNA announcer Don West on "Saturday Night Live" (1975). His style is unique among modern movie funnymen, a majority of whom have some sort of background in stand-up comedy. Ferrell's humor is character-driven and his genius lies in his improvised riffs from the minds of his typically cracked characters. His appearances on talk shows are often awkward, as he is uncomfortable appearing in public as himself. He is a member of what the media refers to as "The Frat Pack", along with Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Steve Carell, Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson. The "Frat Pack" name is a reference to the film Old School (2003) featuring Vince Vaughn, Ferrell and Luke Wilson, due to the wide number of films featuring the seven actors. Ferrell's "Frat Pack" films include Zoolander (2001), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Starsky & Hutch (2004) and Wedding Crashers (2005). He was ranked #51 in Premiere's 2004 Power 100 List. It is his first appearance on the list. In Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) he played Marshal Willenholly, a reference to Marshall, Will, and Holly from the TV show "Land of the Lost" (1974). It has now been announced that Ferrell will play Marshall in the movie adaptation of _Land of the Lost (2007)_. He was ranked #38 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #51 in 2004. He once said that one of his favourite films is Patton (1970) He is a member of an adult soccer league that plays at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences - an exclusive private school in Santa Monica, California. He was ranked #34 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #38 in 2005. He is of Irish descent. He has two sons -- Magnus and Mattias. Mattias was born on December 30, 2006. He has three dogs. His mother is Kay Overman. Aside from University High School where he graduated, he also attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School Irvine. A kicker for the Varsity football team, and still holds the school record for the most field goals made. He was chosen over future co-star Steve Carell in 1995 to join SNL. Will has said on the Old School (2003) DVD commentary that his nationalities are Irish and Filipin. He was named #74 out of 137 on Entertainment Weekly's Must List (2004). He has a surgical scar on his upper right abdomen from a surgery he had as a baby to treat pyloric stenosis, a condition that causes frequent vomiting. Every summer Will and his wife celebrate mid-summer in Sweden, a typical Swedish tradition. He is only seven years younger than Jane Lynch who plays his mother in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). 2007 - Ranked #17 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood. December 2007 - According to Forbes, his movies averaged $8 of gross income for every dollar the actor got paid. In January 2008 he spent two weeks traveling throughout Ireland with his dad, Lee, and brother Patrick. His first son was born during the filming 'Kicking and Screaming,' which is why it is his favorite of the films he appeared in. He said that he is eager for his son to see it, because he will always associate it with his birth. He  has played the son of two The Godfather (1972) cast members: James Caan in Elf (2003), and Robert Duvall in Kicking & Screaming (2005). He has been attacked by animals in several of his films. He is attacked by grizzly bears (while filming giant pandas) in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), a cougar in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), a grizzly bear in Semi-Pro (2008), etc... He worked as a teller at Wells Fargo when he was in high school. He has a brief cameo in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) as a man chasing a lawnmower down a flight of stairs during a parody of The Untouchables (1987). Will is a fan of the soccer clubs Celtic (from Glasgow) and Chelsea (From London). Can be seen wearing the jerseys from the clubs at events on TV.

Will Ferrell Detailed Biography -

He was born in Irvine, California on July 16, 1968. His career first started at the University of South California where he graduated with a degree in Sports Information. After his graduation, he started working as a sportscaster on a weekly cable show, but then later found his interests in acting and stand-up comedy. He then enrolled in some acting classes. In only one short year of training, he was invited to join The Groundlings. The Groundlings are a small comedy improve group. Working with The Groundlings quickly lead to his discovery by the world famous comedy show, Saturday Night Live or SNL. From then on, he was an unknown comedian making his way to the top. After a few years of working with SNL, he was offered to be a main character in the movie A Night At The Roxbury. In 1995 Will became a feature cast member at Saturday Night Live during the show's rapid recasting. 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 SNL cast member ever. While Ferrell has portrayed many unforgettable characters; among his most popular recurring personas include: his send-up of President George W. Bush, musical middle school teacher Marty Culp with wife Bobbi (played by Ana Gasteyer), Professor Klarvin the overly amorous "lover" and husband to Virginia (played by Rachel Dratch), and Spartan Spirit cheerleader Craig. Among his many impressions are Attorney General Janet Reno, who ended her tenure with the Clinton administration by doing the twist with Will live on "Saturday Night;" Alex Trebek; "Inside the Actors Studio" host James Lipton; lounge singer Robert Goulet and the late great Chicago Cubs sportscaster, Harry Caray. Ferrell's latest films are the new Kevin Smith film "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and the Ben Stiller comedy "Zoolander". In 1998, Ferrell brought his swinging SNL character to the big screen in "A Night at the Roxbury" which he co-wrote with fellow cast member Chris Kattan and Steve Koren. He has also appeared in SNL Studios features "The Ladies Man" and "Superstar". In 1997, Ferrell made his feature film debut as 'Mustaffa' in the hit comedy "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery". He returned in the blockbuster sequel "The Spy Who Shagged Me".