Michael Cera biography

"Even making a tape, reading the lines with my mom, was so much fun," recalled Cera, who was one of the first actors cast in the show. To maintain some sort of normal family life, Cera and his mom relocated to Los Angeles during the show's production. During this time he also completed his high school degree online.

While the program shed the celebrity spotlight on Cera, Arrested Development never gained the audience share that FOX demanded. In 2006,

despite a heap of critical praise, not to mention six Emmy awards and two Golden Globes, the show came to an end.

Career Breakthroughs

Still, in terms of professional development, the program was nothing but a boost for Cera and his career. A year after the show's cancelation, the actor co-starred with Jonah Hill in the 2007 smash hit, Super Bad, which chronicles a single night in the life of two awkward high school seniors. That same year, Cera turned in another big performance as the friend and impregnator of his best friend in Juno, a surprise hit that earned some $200 million in the box office and nabbed Cera a nomination from the Canadian Comedy Awards.

Other movies followed, including Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist (2008), Year One (2009), and Youth in Revolt (2009). And after months of buzz, in early 2009, Cera finally signed on to do a movie version of Arrested Development. There's also been talk of Cera playing Gilligan in the upcoming remake of Gilligan's Island.

Demonstrating a desire to take on a smaller, under-the-radar projects, Cera has appeared in a host of low budget, quirky productions including a medical satire, Children's Hospital, produced for the Web, and a hilarious recreation of the famous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. In 2006 he teamed up with friend and fellow actor Clark Duke to create a series of comedic sketches that appeared on their Web site, clarkandmichael.com, and eventually the CBS Internet channel, Innertube.

In many ways, the sometimes nervous, sometimes awkward characters Cera plays on screen are a reflection of his own personality. Cera, who plays guitar and is in a band, still seems humbled by his success. Surprised by it even. "I've been kind of insanely lucky," he has said. "You don't have much control, but I've been in these movies that I really like and everyone else seems to like, too, which is kind of crazy."

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