Steve Carrell

Steve Carrell (born 16.8.1962)

Steve Carrell is an American comedian and actor. He is counted among Hollywood's 'Frat Pack': a group of comic actors including Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson.

Steve Carrell: Childhood

Steve Carrell was born to Harriet and Edwin Carrell, in Concord, Massachusetts. His father was born with the surname Caroselli but shortened it to Carrell.

Carrell studied at The Fenn School, then Middlesex School and Denison University in Ohio. His original intention had been to become a radio presenter and whilst he was at Granville, he became a DJ at WDUB.

Steve Carrell: Career

One of Steve Carell's early performances was in a musical comedy entitled Knat Scatt Private Eye. He also appeared in a TV advert for Brown's Chicken in 1989. Two years later, he worked as part of The Second City, a performing troupe in Chicago.

Carrell's first film role came in 1991, when he landed a small role in Curly Sue.

1996 saw Carrell performing in the short-lived The Dana Carvey Show, along with Stephen Colbert. The pair also provided the voices of 'The Ambiguously Gay Duo', an animated short produced by Robert Smigel.

Throughout the late 1990s, Carrell made a number of minor appearances in TV shows, such as Over The Top, Just Shoot Me and Come to Papa. He also featured in Watching Ellie, which ran from 2002-3 and starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

In 2005, Steve Carrell landed a role in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda. The film also featured Will Ferrell, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Sevigny and Amanda Peet. Carrell lost out to Will Ferrell when he auditioned for Saturday Night Live.

Later that year, Steve Carrell got his big break when NBC signed him to star in the lead role of David Brent in a remake of The Office, a British sitcom written by Ricky Gervais. The original show starred Gervais, as well as Steven Merchant, Mackenzie Crook and Lucy Davis. The US version also starred Raine Wilson and Jenna Fischer. Carrell won a Golden Globe for his performance in the show.

Prior to appearing in The Office, Carrell had been paving the way for mainstream success when he played Evan Baxter opposite Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty (He also starred in the sequel, Evan Almighty). This was followed by a critically lauded performance in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, the film also featured Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Christina Applegate and was a huge critical and commercial success.

His performance in The 40-Year Old Virgin was also a hit with both critics and audiences alike.

In the 2005 remake of Bewitched, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell appeared as the character 'Uncle Arthur', followed by voicing the role of Hammy the Squirrel in the animated Over The Edge. In 2008, Carrell provided another voice for Horton Hears A Who, which was based on a book by Dr. Seuss.

Another hit for Carrell was the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, in which he played Uncle Frank, alongside Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette and Paul Dano.

In 2007, Carrell starred in Get Smart, playing the lead role of Maxwell Smart. The film was based on a Mel Brooks' 1960s spy parody of the same name.

Steve Carrell: Personal Life

Steve Carrell and his wife, Nancy Walls, have two children together, Elisabeth Anne (b.2001) and John (b.2004).