John William "Will" Ferrell was born on July 16, 1967 in Irvine, California, USA. He is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American comedian, impressionist, writer and actor.

After a crowd-pleasing run on TV's Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell turned into an unexpected movie box office superstar with the hit 2003 comedies Old School and Elf. Ferrell's performing career began after college, when he joined The Groundlings, a comedy theater company based in Los Angeles. After years of improvisational comedy and the occasional TV role, he was made a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1995.

He made his film debut in the 1998 spoof A Night at the Roxbury. He also starred in Dick (1999) and the black comedy Drowning Mona in 2000. After supporting roles in 2001's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Zoolander, Ferrell landed a starring role in the hit box office comedy Old School in 2003.

Following the success of Old School, Ferrell has starred in a string of movies with mixed box-office success: Elf (2003), Bewitched (2005), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), and Stranger Than Fiction (2006).

In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class.

Filmography

• Step Brothers (2008)
• Semi-Pro (2008)
• 2007 NFL Draft (2007)
• Blades of Glory (2007)
• "The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show" (1 episode, 2007)
• "Saturday Night Live" (140 episodes, 1995-2006)
• Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
• Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
• Ricky Bobby: Sports Century (2006)
• Curious George (2006)
• The Producers (2005)
• Winter Passing (2005)
• Wedding Crashers (2005)
• Bewitched (2005)
• Kicking & Screaming (2005)
• The Wendell Baker Story (2005)
• Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004)
• Melinda and Melinda (2004)
• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
• Starsky & Hutch (2004)
• Elf (2003)
• "The Guardian" (1 episode, 2003)
• Old School (2003)
• MTV: Reloaded (2003)
• Boat Trip (2002)
• "Undeclared" (1 episode, 2001)
• Zoolander (2001)
• "The Oblongs..." (4 episodes, 2001)
• "Family Guy" (2 episodes, 2000-2001)
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
• The Ladies Man (2000)
• "Strangers with Candy" (1 episode, 2000)
• Drowning Mona (2000)
• Superstar (1999)
• Dick (1999)
• "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1 episode
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
• "King of the Hill" (1 episode, 1999)
• The Suburbans (1999)
• A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
• The Thin Pink Line (1998)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
• Men Seeking Women (1997)
• "Cow and Chicken" (1997)
• "Living Single" (1 episode, 1995)
• "Grace Under Fire" (1 episode, 1995)
• On Our Own" (1 episode, 1995)
• A Bucket of Blood (1995)
• Criminal Hearts (1995)

Awards

• MTV Movie Award Best Kiss "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" 2007
• American Comedy Award Funniest Male Performer in a TV Special "'Saturday Night Live' Presidential Bash 2000"