Will Ferrell is an American comedian, actor, and writer with a net worth estimated of $80 million. He was born on July 16th, 1967 in Irvine, Ca. His mother Betty Kay was a school teacher and his father Lee Ferrell Jr. played guilter for The Righteous Brothers. He spent much of his yough in Irvine where he would go on to attend University high school. During his high school years Will did the daily annoucements over the public acess system. He would the annoucements in different voice. This was one of the first signs that Ferrell would go on to being a performer. Ferrell attributes his sense of humour to growing up in Irvine. He felt that Irvine was a very bland place to live and used comedy as a way to get through everyday life. After high school Will attended the University of Southern California where he majored in Sports Broadcasting . The acting bug took ahold of him when noticed that he drew big laughs while ad-libbing during one of his classes. Ferrell would go onto get a degree in Sports Information but the acting bug and the comedy scene called his name.

In 1990 after graduating he studied improv at the world renowned “Groundlings”. The Groundlings is a improv comedy group located in Los Angeles. Their alumni include former Saturday Night Live members, Laraine Newman, Phill Hartman, and Jon Lovitz. It was here where he would work the stage with friend and future Saturday Night Live member Chris Kattan. On the Groundling stage Ferrell would perfect a variety of characters. While his time with the Groundlings he also appeared on the televisions shows “Grace under fire” and “Living Single”. It wasn’t long before Ferrell caught the ey of Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels who invited Ferrell to New York to audition for his show.

In 1995 Will Ferrell joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. It took a while for him to find his place on the show. Some even said that he was the worst cast member to ever to appear on the show. Luckily for Ferrell the comedy’s Gods shined on him because he soon found his footing with the show. He went on to become who many consider the greatest performer to ever grace Saturday Night. He won the audience over with a hoard of character his most famous playing one half (Steve) of the Butabi Brothers along with Chris Katan. In 1998 they released the film “A Night at the Roxbury” based on the popular characters. Ferrell’s real claim to fame on the show lied in his impression where he would lovingly lampoon hall of fame baseball broadcaster Harry Caray, Alex Trebek, Janet Reno, Neil Diamond, Robert Goulet, and even President Bush. During his time here he became one of very few cast members to be nominated for an Emmy for his performance on the show. Hollywood began knocking on his door as he appeared in bits parts in films such as “Dick”. The call of Hollywood became very strong and the producers of the show desperate to keep Ferrell on made him the highest paid actor to ever appear on the show with a salary of $350,000. But good things have to come to an end and after seven long seasons with SNL left the show. He recieved a farwell segment on his final show and his the only cast member to ever have that for him.

After SNL Ferrell appeared in bit parts in numerous films and television programs. He had his first big sucess in 2003 with the frat boy comedy “Old School”. Ferrell followed it up with the family friendly “Elf” which would also go on to acclaim and sucess. But it wasn’t until 2004 that Will Ferrell exploded to the top. It was that year that he released “Anchorman: The Legned of Ron Burgundy”. In addition to starring in the picture Ferrell co-wrote it with friend and former Saturday Night Live director Adam Mckay. Mckay also directed the film. The two would later collaborate on “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Step Brothers” both films would go on to fincial sucess. The two next venture “The Other Guys” which is scheduled for a 2010 release. The two would even launch the comedy streaming video website “Funny or die” in 2007. Outside of his work with Mckay he has starred in the comedies “Blades of Glory”, “Semi-Pro”, and “Kicking and Screaming”. Ferrell is also a member of what Hollywood insiders call “The Frat Pack”. The Frat Pack is a group of comedian men who include Ben Stiller, the Wilson brothers, Vince Vaughn, and Jack Black to name a few. These actors frquently appear in each other’s films. Beyond comedy Ferrell has proven himself with more serious fare in “Stranger than fiction” and “Winter Passing”. In 2009 Ferrell took on the Broadway stage with his one man show entitled “You’re Welcome America. A final night with George W. Bush”. The show comically chronicled the final days of George W Bush in office. Ferrell’s performance earned him a Tony nomination. To this day Ferrell continues to spread laughter in all forms of media.

He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Viveca Paulin and their three sons.