Biography for
Steve Carell More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

16 August 1962, Concord, Massachusetts, USA

Birth Name

Steven John Carell

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

Steve Carell, one of American comedy's most popular faces who edited a school newspaper as a child, is now celebrated as the funniest man on the cover of Life Magazine and on NBC's SNL, where he hosted the 2005-2006 season premiere. He became an unusually versatile comic after more than two decades of improv skits and bit parts, and received the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in Television Comedy for the leading role of Michael Scott in his remake of Britain's existential comedy "The Office" (2005).

He was born Steven John Carell on August 16, 1962, into an Italian-American family in Concord, Massachusetts, USA. He was educated at The Fenn School, an all boys private school in Concord, Massachusetts, then at Middlesex School in Concord. He studied and graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, then took acting at Chicago's Second City troupe. Carell made his film debut in 1991, as Tesio in Curly Sue (1991). From 1990-1996 he taught improvisational comedy class and also performed with The Second City troupe in Chicago. During the 1990s he was writing for The Dana Carvey Show, then he had a stint as one of correspondents on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Carell shot to fame after his breakout performances as Evan Baxter opposite Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty (2003) and as Uncle Arthur opposite Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in Bewitched (2005). He co-wrote the original screenplay for the summer box-office hit The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) which was chosen as one of the Top Ten movies of 2006 by the American Film Institute. At the same time he appeared in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), an independent dark comedy that gives an unusually sharp and sarcastic view on America. In 2007 Carell reprized his role as Evan Baxer, filling Jim Carrey's leading-man shoes as a politician asked by God to build a giant ark in Evan Almighty (2007), the second installment of the "Almighty" franchise, co-starring Lauren Graham and Morgan Freeman. In 2008 he re-united with Jim Carrey in highly successful animation hit Horton Hears a Who! (2008), then appeared as Agent Maxwell Smart in popular comedy Get Smart (2008).

Steve Carell has been enjoying a happy family life with his wife, actress Nancy Carell, whom he met when she was a student in an improv class he was teaching at The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. The couple have two children, daughter Elisabeth (born in May 2001), and son John (born in June 2004). Steve Carell is living with his family in Los Angeles, California.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov

Spouse

Nancy Carell

(1995 - present) 2 children

Trade Mark

Frequently works with Will Ferrell and Stephen Colbert.

Trivia

Daughter Elisabeth Anne born in May 2001.

Graduate of Denison University, which is in Granville, Ohio.

Married to actress/writer Nancy Carell, whom he met while both were writer/performers with the famed Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, Illinois.

Son John born in June 2004.

Frequently plays news reporters.

When he attended the premiere for Bruce Almighty (2003), he came to the screening with the impression that his scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. However, his scenes were in the film, and he was pleasantly surprised.

Of Italian descent. His father, Edwin Caroselli, changed his name to Carell before Steven was born.

Was once a reporter for "The Daily Show" (1996).

Provides the voice of Gary on "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" cartoons on "Saturday Night Live" (1975).

Orignally wanted to be a lawyer, but he reached a question on an application form that said, "Why do you want to be a lawyer?" He couldn't think of anything.

Has the rare distinction of being in two movies that opened on the same day in the U.S. - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and Sleepover (2004) (July 9, 2004).

Was in three failed sitcoms before he starred in NBC's version of "The Office" (2005).

Worked the overnight shift in a Store 24 in Maynard, Massachusetts, and takes many of his characters from this experience.

Denison Univerisity is not only the alma mater of Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, it is also the alma mater of Hal Holbrook, John Davidson, John Schuck, and Tom Cotter.

Is a member of what the media refers to as the Frat Pack, along with Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and Luke Wilson. The Frat Pack name is a reference to the film Old School (2003), featuring Vaughn, Ferrell, and Luke Wilson, due to the wide number of films featuring the seven actors. Carell's Frat Pack films include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Bewitched (2005) and Melinda and Melinda (2004).

Grew up in Newton, Massachusetts.

Editor-in-Chief of his high school newspaper, Newton South's "The Lion's Roar."

Suffers from hay fever.

Attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts.

The scene on The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), where Andy has his chest hair removed, required five cameras set up for the shot. It was Carell's real chest hair which was ripped out in the scene. Carell told director Judd Apatow just before shooting the scene: "It has to be real. It won't be as funny if it's mocked up or if it's special effect. You have to see that this is really happening." The scene had to be done in one shot.

Good friends with fellow former "The Daily Show" (1996) correspondent Stephen Colbert.

Was offered a role in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) with Will Ferrell but couldn't accept due to scheduling conflicts.

Was a member of Burpee's Seedy Theatrical Co., Denison University's improv-comedy group and the oldest collegiate improv group in the country.

One of 115 people invited to join AMPAS in 2007.

He and Jim Carrey were both ice hockey goalies in their childhood.

Worked for a brief period at a post office in Massachusetts where he delivered mail using his own car since the post office did not have mail carrier vehicles. When he resigned from the position to move to Chicago, for months afterward he continued to find undelivered mail under his car seats.

He was nominated for a 1993 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Revue for "Truth, Justice, or the American Way" at the Second City Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

He was nominated for a 1994 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Revue for "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been Mellow?" at the Second City Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

He auditioned to be on the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway. Mike Myers also auditioned for it but both were unsuccessful.

Personal Quotes

I have no idea where my pathetic nature comes from. If I thought about it too long, it would depress me.

I think a character in a comedy should not know they're in a comedy.

I don't think of myself as funny- I don't fill up a room with my humor...I would fail miserably as a stand-up comedian.

You can't seem to have any sort of inhibition. Or shame. Or absolute horror at your own physical presence. I know I'm not a woman's fantasy man; I don't have to uphold this image of male beauty, so that's kind of a relief in a way.

When they approached me about who I would want writing 'Get Smart,' I suggested B.J. The episodes that he's written walk the line between intensely funny and slightly offensive. But they always fall on the side of being funny. I also suggested him because I think he's going to be someone I'll be working for someday, and I want to get on his good side now. - on his "The Office" (2005) co-star and co-writer B.J. Novak

[On life since The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) made his a movie star.] I have a helluva lot more money than I used to! That's the only perceivable difference. I will definitely be able to send my kids to college now, which was a question before. (2007)

[On playing Maxwell Smart in the upcoming Get Smart (2008).] I am sort of billing it as a comedic "Bourne Identity". [referring to The Bourne Identity (2002)] (2007)

[On being a dad] I'm already seeing my daughter's cynical sense of humor and she's 6! I bought these shoes, and I'm thinking I'm a cool dad, I'm going to show her my new half-boot shoes. So I said, "What do you think of these?" And she's like, "Mmm no, not liking them." (2007)

Salary

Evan Almighty (2007)	5,000,000
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)	$500,000

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z