Will Ferrell

John William "Will" Ferrell (born July 16, 1967, in Irvine, California) is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, and writer who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and has since gone on to a successful film career, starring in the comedies A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Old School, Elf (both 2003), Anchorman (2004), Kicking & Screaming (2005), Talladega Nights, Stranger than Fiction (both 2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro and Step Brothers (both 2008). He is considered a member of the Frat Pack, a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors to emerge in the late 1990s and the 2000s including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.

Early Life
Will Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, the son of Kay (née Overman), a teacher, and Lee Ferrell, a keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers. He has Irish ancestry. He first attended elementary school at Turtle Rock Elementary School, and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine, CA. He attended University High School in Irvine, CA, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team. He told the Orange County Register that the dullness of Irvine contributed to the growth of his humor. "Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny. I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry, and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of."

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 1990, he developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings.

Saturday Night Live
Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful 7 year tenure.

During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included:

Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle of Blue Öyster Cult in the famous Saturday Night Live sketch More CowbellHis original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle, music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Greg Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant from "Dissing Your Dog", Hank of the Bill Brasky Buddies, David Leary from "Dog Show", and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that went to the big screen in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury.
 * U.S. President George W. Bush ("strategery" was one of several fake Bushisms created by *Ferrell during skits about the 2000 campaign),
 * Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray,
 * Singer Robert Goulet (crooning a cappella pieces of music by Sisqó, Baha Men, and Notorious B.I.G.),
 * Singer Neil Diamond,
 * Inside the Actors Studio personality James Lipton,
 * Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy,
 * United States Attorney General Janet Reno,
 * Convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski,
 * Game show host Alex Trebek,
 * Fictitious African-American private detective Shaft,
 * Professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura,
 * U.S. Vice President Al Gore (Darrell Hammond took over once Ferrell started playing Bush),
 * Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,
 * Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live as a guest host on May 14, 2005. During this guest stint, he reprised his role as Alex Trebek in the popular "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches and Robert Goulet, advertising a series of crooned ringtones. In the same episode, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came on stage playing the cowbell.

Ferrell became the highest paid cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.

Film
During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.

His first starring role came after his departure from SNL with Frank "The Tank" Ricard in Old School (2003). The movie "belongs to Mr. Ferrell," declared the New York Times, which described how he "uses his hilarious, anxious zealotry to sell the part." Old School was a major success and Ferrell received an MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best Comedic Performance.

The title role in Elf (2003) followed, as did another MTV Movie Awards nomination. Ferrell continued to land comedy roles in 2004 and 2005 in films such as Melinda and Melinda, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Starsky & Hutch earning himself a place among Hollywood's Frat Pack.[10] In 2005, Ferrell earned $40 million. In 2006, Ferrell starred in Stranger Than Fiction and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; 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.

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.

Role In Semi-Pro
In the movie Semi-Pro (released in theaters on February 29, 2008), Ferrell plays the part of Jackie Moon, the owner, coach, and player for the Flint Tropics.