Actor and comedian T.J. Miller was born on June 4, 1981 in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he became part of the resident comedy group, ReceSs. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, performing at different venues in his hometown for four years before moving to Chicago. From there, he brought his acts to different venues in Chicago and New York, and performed with the renowned comedy troupe Second City. He also was a part of Bullet Lounge, the resident team at IO Chicago.
Having studied classical acting at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts and circus arts at Frichess Theatre Urbain, he eventually moved towards acting. He appeared in the PBS program The Standard Deviants, which mixed educational segments with Saturday Night Live-styled humor. He made his film debut in 2008, appearing in the J.J. Abrams-produced horror hit Cloverfield. At the same time, he also made his television debut, appearing in Cloverfield as Marmaduke Brooker, the emotionally stunted and hyper-articulative son of Gracen (Fred Goss) and Leila Brooker (Faith Ford). The series was cancelled after a season due to dismal ratings.