American actor Tony Hale was born on September 30, 1970 in West Point, New York. He spent his childhood, however, in Tallahassee, Florida, where he trained at the Young Actors Theatre, and eventually participated in numerous musicals and stage plays. In 1992, he graduated from Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, with a journalism degree; he later took further studies at the Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He then moved to New York, where he founded a Christian ministry where artistic Christians like him meet.
Hale started acting for the screen in 1995, appearing in the television movie The Least of These. Most of his early screen appearances were comprised of minor roles on film and television, with a few notable standouts, including a 1999 television commercial for Volkswagen where he is seen dancing along to the Styx song “Mr. Roboto.” He shot to popularity in 2003, when he joined the cast of the award-winning comedy Arrested Development. His role as Buster Bluth, the socially inept and immature son of George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and Lucille (Jessica Walter), endeared him to viewers and was acclaimed by critics, too. The series, however, was cancelled due to low ratings in 2006, despite an acclaimed run.
Hale’s popularity due to Arrested Development led to many other roles. He starred in the films Stranger than Fiction and RV, and also played guest roles in Stacked and Big Day. His next regular television role came in 2007, when he joined the cast of Andy Barker, P.I. There, he plays Simon, the owner of the rental store in the building where Andy (Andy Richter) works. The film geek, he designates himself as his partner in investigations. The series was commissioned for only six episodes, and was cancelled immediately after, due in part to dismal audience ratings.