Steve Carell

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Steve Carell

Steve Carell, March 2007
Born Steven John Carell
August 16, 1962 (1962-08-16) (age 45)
Concord, Massachusetts, USA
Years active 1991–present
Spouse(s) Nancy Walls (1995–)

Steven John Carell (born August 16, 1962[1]) is a Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning American comedian, actor, producer and writer, who rose to fame as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, from 1999 to 2004. Since 2005, he has starred in the American version of the television sitcom The Office, as main character Michael Scott. He has starred and co-starred in several films including Bruce Almighty, Anchorman, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine, Evan Almighty (the sequel to Bruce Almighty), Dan in Real Life and Horton Hears a Who!.

Carell has been celebrated as America's funniest man on the cover of Life Magazine. He received the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in Television Comedy for the leading role of Michael Scott in the American adaptation of Britain's comedy "The Office" (2005).

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Carell, the youngest of four brothers was born in Acton, Massachusetts, a son of Harriet T. (née Koch), a psychiatric nurse, and Edwin A. Carell, an electrical engineer.[2][3][4] Carell's maternal uncle was Stanley Koch, a glassblower who worked with Allen B. DuMont to create cathode ray tubes.[5] Carell's paternal grandfather was Italian;[2] his father was born with the surname "Caroselli", later shortening it to "Carell".[4] Carell was educated at The Fenn School and Middlesex School, where he graduated in 1980, and took part on the Junior varsity Dance team [dancer, number 22] and lacrosse teams in Concord, as well at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. He originally aspired to become a radio broadcaster, deejaying at WDUB in Granville. He returned to his radio roots on a national level by guest-hosting "American Top 40" with Ryan Seacrest on the show's Saturday, May 31, 2008 broadcast.

[edit] Early career

Prior to opting for a career as a performer, Carell worked as a mail carrier in Littleton. He later recounted that he quit after a few months because he was "very, very bad at it."[6] He also planned on attending law school, but was unable to write an explanation on an application form as to why he wanted to be a lawyer. Carell performed with Chicago troupe The Second City in 1991, where Stephen Colbert was his understudy for a time. That same year, he landed his first film work in a minor role as Tesio in Curly Sue.

In 1996, he was a cast member of the briefly aired The Dana Carvey Show. Along with fellow cast member Stephen Colbert, Carell provided the voice of Gary, half of "The Ambiguously Gay Duo", the Robert Smigel-produced animated short which was moved to Saturday Night Live in 1997. He played a supporting character on many shows including Come to Papa and the short-lived 1997 Tim Curry sitcom Over the Top. He has made numerous notable guest appearances, including on an episode of Just Shoot Me entitled "Funny Girl."

Other early screen credits include a role in Julia Louis-Dreyfus's short-lived sitcom Watching Ellie (2002 – 2003) and Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda. Carell has also poked fun at himself for auditioning for Saturday Night Live, but losing the job to Will Ferrell.

[edit] The Daily Show

Main article: The Daily Show

In 1999, he became a correspondent on The Daily Show, appearing in recurring sketches like "Even Stephven" (opposite Stephen Colbert) and "Produce Pete with Steve Carell". He remained a regular on the show until 2004.

Carell returned to The Daily Show on March 23, 2005, for a humorous piece on the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

While there, he also recorded two guest appearances as "Produce Pete" which aired on April 4, 2005, and May 3, 2005 (and was credited as a contributor).

He returned to the show as the guest on August 15, 2005, declaring that he was officially no longer with the show, ending speculation that he might return as a regular player.

Carell did another guest appearance on June 18, 2007 to promote Evan Almighty.

[edit] The Office

Main article: Michael Scott (The Office)

As superstardom hit Steve Carell, he signed a deal with NBC to star in an American adaptation of the now famous BBC hit TV show The Office, a mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium. Steve Carell plays Michael Scott, a man who strives to be everyone's friend, except Toby who is a corporate representative, and is involved in a difficult relationship with his former boss Jan Levinson, which tears him between love and work.

[edit] Mainstream success

Two supporting roles in films helped get the attention of audiences: Bruce Almighty, in which Carell plays Evan Baxter (an arrogant rival to Jim Carrey's character), who gets a humorous comeuppance while co-anchoring the news. In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Carell plays another news personality, as slow-witted weatherman Brick Tamland. In spring of 2005, Carell began playing the lead role of Michael Scott on NBC's adaptation of the British sitcom The Office. Although the series premiered to mediocre ratings, NBC renewed it for another season due to the anticipated success of Carell's movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin,[7] and the show subsequently became a ratings success. Carell won a Golden Globe and Television Critics Association award in 2006 for his Office role. He also received Emmy nominations in 2006 and 2007 for his work in the series. He played the lead role in the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which he developed and co-wrote. Although the film was a surprise success, Carell revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he has no plans to leave The Office.

Carell earned approximately $175,000 per episode of the third season of The Office, twice his salary for the previous two seasons. Carell is also allowed "flex time" during filming to work on theatrical films. Carell worked on Evan Almighty during weekdays and did The Office on weekends during its third season.[8]

Carell appeared as "Uncle Arthur" alongside Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in the 2005 remake of Bewitched. He also voiced a starring role in the 2006 computer-animated film Over the Hedge as Hammy the Squirrel. He also voiced in the 2008 animated film Horton Hears a Who! as the mayor of Whoville, Ned O'Malley. He starred in Little Miss Sunshine in 2006, as Uncle Frank. His work in the films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Bewitched established Carell as a member of Hollywood's Frat Pack group. This set of actors, headlined by Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson, has become a profitable force in modern comedy. Carell acknowledged his membership in the group in his monologue when hosting the first episode of Saturday Night Live's 31st season on October 1, 2005. Carell also mentioned that he auditioned to be a castmember on Saturday Night Live for the 1995-1996 season (season 21), but lost to Will Ferrell.

Carell appeared as the title character of Evan Almighty, a sequel to Bruce Almighty, reprising his role as Evan Baxter, now a U.S. Congressman whom God tasks with building an ark. In October 2006, Carell began shooting the film Dan in Real Life, co-starring Dane Cook and Juliette Binoche. Filming wrapped December 22, 2006, and the film was released on October 26, 2007.

Carell will play Maxwell Smart in a movie remake of Get Smart, which began filming February 3, 2007. (Filming will continue in Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Moscow, Russia).[9] In 2007, Carell was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[10][11]

Production closed down in the middle of the fourth season of The Office because of Carell's and others' refusal to cross the picket line of the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.

[edit] Personal life

Carell in March 2007
Carell in March 2007

Carell is a life-long Catholic[12] growing up as a member of St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Acton. He is married to Saturday Night Live alumna Nancy Walls, whom he met when she was a student in an improv class he was teaching at The Second City.[13] They have two children, Elisabeth Anne (born May 25, 2001) and John (born June 2004). Walls appeared with him on The Office as his realtor and short-lived girlfriend, Carol Stills. Like her husband, Walls had been a Daily Show correspondent. Carell is a skilled ice skater, which was used in a Season Two episode of The Office, then later referenced by Jan in a Season 4 episode.

Carell is also an avid hockey fan, and even played in net as a kid. He still plays in a mens league in Los Angeles where he lives with his family.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Golden Globes

Main article: Golden Globe Award

Won:

Nominated:

  • 2007: Best Performance by an actor in a TV series Musical or Comedy (for The Office)
  • 2008: Best Performance by an actor in a TV series Musical or Comedy (for The Office)[14]

[edit] Emmy Awards

Nominated:

  • 2006: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (The Office)
  • 2007: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (The Office) - Since Ricky Gervais was not at the ceremony to receive his trophy for 'Extras', presenters Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert chose instead to present it to their "good friend," Steve Carell.

[edit] Writers Guild of America

Won:

Nominated:

[edit] Television Critics Association

Won:

  • 2006: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Comedy (for his role as Michael Scott in The Office)

[edit] Screen Actors Guild of America

Won:

  • 2007: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (part of ensemble cast for Little Miss Sunshine)
  • 2007: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (part of ensemble cast for The Office)

Nominated:

  • 2007: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

[edit] MTV Movie Awards

Won:

  • 2006: Best Comedic Performance for the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Nominated:

[edit] Teen Choice Awards

Won:

  • 2007: Choice TV Actor: Comedy for The Office

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Bruce Almighty Evan Baxter Supporting role
2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Brick Tamland Supporting role
Sleepover Officer Sherman
2005 Melinda and Melinda Walt Wagner Bit role
Bewitched Uncle Arthur Cameo
The 40-Year-Old Virgin Andy Stitzer Lead role/Co-writer
2006 Over the Hedge Hammy (voice)
Little Miss Sunshine Frank Ginsburg Ensemble cast
2007 Evan Almighty Evan Baxter Lead role
Knocked Up Himself Cameo
Dan in Real Life Dan Burns Lead role
2008 Horton Hears a Who! Ned O'Malley: Mayor of WhoVille (voice)[15]
Get Smart Maxwell Smart Lead role

[edit] Salary

  • The Office (Season 3) - $175,000 an episode (renegotiated in 2006).[16] In an Entertainment Weekly interview, he commented on his salary, saying "You don't want people to think you're a pampered jerk. Salaries can be ridiculous. On the other hand, a lot of people are making a lot of money off of these shows."[17]
  • The Office (Seasons 1, 2) - $76,000 an episode
  • Evan Almighty - $5,000,000
  • The 40-Year-Old Virgin - $500,000

[edit] References

  1. ^ Holloway, Diane (2005-08-16). Steve Carell's 42, a 'Virgin' and the worst boss ever. Austin-American Statesman.. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
  2. ^ a b http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/stevecarell.htm
  3. ^ Steve Carell & Harriet Carell
  4. ^ a b Gostin, Nicki. "As Nice as He Is mean", Newsweek, 2007-06-22. Retrieved on 2007-06-30. 
  5. ^ Steve Carell Biography
  6. ^ Interview: Steve Carell (March 20, 2006). InFANity: The Office, TV Guide Channel.
  7. ^ "'Office' promotions pay off in a big way", Chicago Tribune weblog, posted February 23, 2006
  8. ^ "Carell's 'Office' Work Pays Off", @TV.com, dated June 8, 2006
  9. ^ GET SMART
  10. ^ abc7.com: Film Academy Invites 115 New Members 6/19/07
  11. ^ Academy Invites 115 to Become Members
  12. ^ Fischer, Paul. "Interview : Steve Carell", Moviehole, 2007-06-21. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. 
  13. ^ Interview: Steve Carell (January 11, 2006). The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC.
  14. ^ Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2008 Golden Globe Awards For The Year Ended December 31, 2007. HFPA (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
  15. ^ Carrey and Carrell to Voice Horton!
  16. ^ Steve Carell Gets Richer Deal for 'The Office' Andreeva, Nellie; June 8, 2006; Backstage.com: The Actor's Resource
  17. ^ Lynette, Rice (March 30), “Deal or No Deal”, Entertainment Weekly: 34 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Office (U.S. TV series)
Episodes
Crew
Cast
Characters
Writers
Elements
Awards
Preceded by
Jason Bateman
for Arrested Development		 Golden Globe - Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
2006
for The Office		 Succeeded by
Alec Baldwin
for 30 Rock


Persondata
NAME Carell, Steve
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Carell, Steven John
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 16, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Concord, Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH