Jack McBrayer

Jack McBrayer
McBrayer (2007)
Born	(1973-05-27) May 27, 1973 Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1999–present[1]

Jack McBrayer (born May 27, 1973) is an American comedic actor, noted for his absurdly cheerful, overtly polite and almost childlike persona, who gained national exposure for his characters on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He is known for portraying Kenneth Parcell on the television series 30 Rock, a role for which he received an Emmy nomination in 2009 at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.^[2] He currently stars in the Adult Swim series The Jack and Triumph Show as a fictionalized version of himself, and in the Disney XD original series Wander Over Yonder, voicing the title character Wander. He is also notable for voicing Fix-It-Felix Jr. in the Disney animated film Wreck-It Ralph.

Life and career

McBrayer was born in Macon, Georgia, and moved to Conyers, Georgia when he was 15. He studied theater administration at the University of Evansville,^[3] worked at The Second City and IO Theater (1995–2002),^[3] an experience that introduced him to 30 Rock creator Tina Fey and prepared him "100%" for his role on her show.^[1]

McBrayer appeared in over 80 sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2002–04), often lampooning his own Southern upbringing by playing stereotypical hillbilly characters. On August 10, 2007 and September 20, 2008, he made a cameo appearance on Late Night playing Kenneth Parcell from 30 Rock. During the first appearance, O'Brien remarked to him, "I thought you were above this now." McBrayer later reprised his role as Kenneth twice (November 24, 2009 and January 13, 2010) after O'Brien's switch to The Tonight Show, and has appeared on Conan's Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour at stops in Eugene, Oregon, Universal City, California (on the Universal Studios lot where O'Brien taped Tonight), and the final tour stop in Atlanta, in his home state of Georgia.^[4][5]

McBrayer also had a minor recurring role as a waiter at the Bluth family's country club in Arrested Development. In 2008, he was featured throughout the video for "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey. During the shooting for the video, it is reported McBrayer accidentally hit Carey in the face with a Frisbee.^[3] McBrayer also appears in the first episode in the fifth season of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as a spokesman in a spoof advertisement for the fictional "Diarrhea-phragm."^[6] He worked as a voice actor in the American animated series Ugly Americans^[7] and appeared in the 2010 film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore with a recurring role on the second season of Phineas and Ferb, playing the part of Irving, a fan of Phineas and Ferb. He also regularly appears in the skit "Knock Knock Joke of the Day" on the hit children's television show, Yo Gabba Gabba! since season 2^[8] and stars in Craig McCracken's new TV show Wander Over Yonder on the Disney Channel. In the fall of 2012, Jack lent his voice to the Disney animated film Wreck-It Ralph, playing the title character's close friend and video game opponent 'Fix-It Felix, Jr.' McBrayer was so proud to play a part of a Disney character because at a young age he loved the Disney movies. More recently, he has starred alongside Los Angeles Clippers player Blake Griffin in Kia commercials, and in 2013 appeared in a commercial for Barnes & Noble. His Adult Swim series The Jack and Triumph Show premiered in February 2015.

Filmography

References

External links

• Jack McBrayer at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with McBrayer on The Sound of Young America
• Entertainment Weekly interview with Jack McBrayer and the actors who portray TV assistants Lloyd ("Entourage") and Marc ("Ugly Betty").