Born on August 16, 1962 in Acton, Massachusetts, Steven John Carell, who is of Italian ancestry, was educated at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. Before becoming the popular celebrity he is today, he began as a mail carrier in Littleton, Massachusetts, but quit after realizing how bad he was at it. He then opted to attend law school, but couldn't fill out the portion of the application form which asked why he wanted to be a lawyer. He then ventured into acting, joining the Chicago troupe, The Second City in 1991, and subsequently landing his first film project, a minor role in Curly Sue.
Carell broke out into television as a cast member of the short-lived The Dana Carvey Show. This was succeeded by a number of short stints, including those in Saturday Night Live, Over the Top, Come to Papa, Just Shoot Me!, Watching Ellie and Melinda and Melinda.
Carell gained further recognition after playing supporting character Evan Baxter in the film Bruce Almighty. He also garnered attention in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, where he played weatherman Brick Tamland. In 2005, he got his major break as he landed the lead role of Michael Scott on NBC's remake of the British sitcom, The Office. For his performance, he won a 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Comedy.
Aside from the success in his acting career, Carell was also recognized with a Writer's Guild of America nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the summer box-office hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin from Universal Pictures, which was made possible through the help of co-writer Judd Apatow. The film also garnered the attention of Broadcast Film Critics Association, which recognized it as Best Comedy Film, and was listed as one of the Top 10 Movies of 2005 by the American Film Institute.
Carell's work does not stop there as he also lent his voice to the character Hammy in DreamWorks' animated feature, Over the Hedge. He also worked with Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette in the independent film Little Miss Sunshine, which was followed by his work on Evan Almighty, wherein he reprises his role of Evan Baxter. In 2007, he landed the lead role in the comedy Dan in Real Life. This was followed by voicing the Mayor of Whoville in the Dr. Seuss-based film Horton Hears a Who! in 2008. That year, he starred opposite Anne Hathaway and Dwayne Johnson in the crime comedy film Get Smart. He was also nominated for another Emmy Award, as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in The Office.
Spouse:
Nancy Walls (1995 - present)
Daughter Elisabeth Anne born in May 2001.
Graduate of Denison University, which is in Granville, Ohio.
Married to actress/writer Nancy Walls, 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.
Of Italian descent. His father, Edwin Caroselli, changed his name to Carell before Steven was born.
Attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts.
He and Jim Carrey were both ice hockey goalies in their childhood.
Good friends with with fellow former "The Daily Show" (1996) correspondent Stephen Colbert
2010: Despicable Me (pre-production) (voice) - Groo
2005-present: "The Office" - Michael Scott
2008: Get Smart - Maxwell Smart / Agent 86
2008: Horton Hears a Who!(voice) - The Mayor of Whoville
2007: Dan in Real Life - Dan Burns
1996-2007: "Saturday Night Live" - Gary (13 episodes)
2007: Evan Almighty - Evan Baxter
2006: Hammy's Boomerang Adventure (voice) - Hammy
2006: Little Miss Sunshine - Frank Ginsberg
2006: Over the Hedge (voice) - Hammy
2006: American Storage - Rich
2005: The 40 Year Old Virgin - Andy Stitzer
2005: Bewitched - Uncle Arthur
1999-2005: "The Daily Show" - Correspondent (346 episodes)
2004: Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie - Brick Tamland
2004: Melinda and Melinda - Walt Wagner
2004: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Brick Tamland
2004: Sleepover - Officer Sherman
2003: Bruce Almighty - Evan Baxter
2002-2003: "Watching Ellie" - Edgar (10 episodes)
2003: Street of Pain - Mark
1999: Suits - United Standards 2
1998: Tomorrow Night - Mail Room Guy Without Glasses
1996: "The Dana Carvey Show" - Various Characters (6 episodes)
1991: Curly Sue - Tesio
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.
