David Cross biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Comedian, writer and actor David Cross was born on April 4, 1964, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Barry and Susie Cross. Though the family moved often, Cross spent most of his childhood in the greater Atlanta area. Cross enrolled at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983, but dropped out in 1985 to pursue a career in comedy.

'Mr. Show'

In 1992, Cross moved to Los Angeles, California. Not long after, he began appearing on the short-lived MTV skit comedy series The Ben Stiller Show (1992-1993) alongside a handful of burgeoning comedic actors, including Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and Bob Odenkirk.

Cross and Odenkirk went on to create and star on the HBO cult hit comedy series Mr. Show (1995-1998), which featured Cross's wildly imaginative, concentric and off-beat skits, as well as elaborate musical numbers and recurring odd-ball characters. The show also featured the Actor's Gang alum Jack Black, who was relatively unkown at the time, with shorts chronicling Black and actor Kyle Gass's bizarre acoustic metal duets at open mic nights as the band Tenacious D—spurring Tenacious D's unlikely rock stardom and, in turn, Black's movie career. Despite the show's devoted following, the network never gave Mr. Show much promotional support, and the series only lasted for four seasons.

Continued Commercial Success

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Cross appeared in several small but memorable film roles, including in The Cable Guy (1996), Waiting For Guffman (1996), Men In Black (1997), Ghost World (2000), Scary Movie II (2001) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He also appeared in semi-recurring TV roles, including on The Drew Carey Show, NewsRadio and Just Shoot Me.

In 2002, Cross signed to Sub Pop Records, a Seattle-based indie rock label, and released the double-live comedy album Shut Up You F*cking Baby which showcased the comedian's signature conversational style and scathing socio-political and cultural observations. Cross and Odenkirk also took Mr. Show live on the road for the Mr. Show: Hooray For America tour, playing to sold-out houses along the pseudo-college club circuit. Also in 2002, the critically shunned Mr. Show spin-off film Run Ronnie Run!, featuring Cross in the lead role, was released on DVD.

In 2003, Cross released Let America Laugh, a DVD documenting his U.S. stand-up comedy tour of traditionally rock-oriented venues. He also landed a starring role on the highly rated FOX sitcom Arrested Development; he played Tobias Funke—one of his most beloved characters to date—on the show, which also featured Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera and Jason Bateman.