John William Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, to Betty Kay (Overman), a teacher, and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a musician. His parents were originally from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ferrell became interested in performing while a student at University High School in Irvine, where he made his school's daily morning announcements over the public address system in disguised voices. He started as a member of the Los Angeles comedy/improvisation group The Groundlings, where fellow cast members Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and former Saturday Night Live (1975) repertory players such as Laraine Newman, Jon Lovitz and Phil Hartman began their careers. It was there he met Chris Kattan and the two became good friends and both went on to Saturday Night Live (1975) later. He has also appeared on several television programs, including Strangers with Candy (1999), Grace Under Fire (1993) and Living Single (1993) during his time at The Groundlings. Will also lent his voice to the armless and legless dad of cartoon family "The Oblongs".

In 1995 he became a feature cast member at Saturday Night Live (1975) during the show's rapid re-casting. He was declared quite possibly the worst cast member ever during his first season. However, his talents of impersonations and range of characters shot him forward to making him arguably the greatest Saturday Night Live (1975) cast member ever. During his seven year run he is one of the few cast members to ever be nominated for an Emmy for a performance and played George W. Bush during the 2000 elections. He has appeared in every Saturday Night Live (1975) movie since his premiere on the show in 1995. In 2002 he left Saturday Night Live (1975) and was the only cast member to ever receive a farewell from all the current cast members at the end of the season finale show. Since leaving the show Will has pursued a career in films. In 2000, he married Viveca Paulin, and lives in L.A.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Will Ferrell at an event for Land of the Lost (2009)

Upgrade membership to get access to client roster details.

Upgrade to see how you're connected to other professionals through your credits.

Upgrade membership to unlock contact and representation information.

Upgrade membership to unlock box office data.

Upgrade membership to add and manage your images.

Select your profession and Known For titles

Access full contact and representation details

Find the right people with Discover advanced search

View contact info and get hired with IMDbPro

Add your primary image and get discovered

Find contact info for agents and management

View connections to industry professionals

See who's working on in-development titles

Upgrade your membership to view client lists.

Upgrade membership to access historical STARmeter charts for yourself and other professionals.

Get insights on who this person is frequently credited with.

Upgrade membership to add and manage demo reels.

Will Ferrell in Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2025)

Will Ferrell in SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (2025)

Will Ferrell and Chris Parnell in SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (2025)

Will Ferrell, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz in SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (2025)

Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz in SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (2025)

Reese Witherspoon, Will Ferrell, Margot, and Glen Wilson

John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, and Sacha Baron Cohen in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Paul Rudd in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in Blades of Glory (2007)

Christina Applegate, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Paul Rudd in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village

How the Best Racing Films Raise the Stakes

Will Ferrell(I)

Will Ferrell(I)

Known for

Credits summary

Photos1257

Videos196

STARmeter

Contacts