Steve Carell biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Actor and comedian. Born Steven John Carell on August 16, 1962, in Concord, Massachusetts. Carell was the youngest of Edwin and Harriet Carell's four sons. Steve's father, whose family traces its routes back to Italy, changed his last name from Caroselli before Steven's birth.

As a student, Carell attended The Fenn School, a private school for boys in Concord, Massachusetts, then Middlesex School, also in his hometown, before heading out to Ohio to attend college at Dennison University. For Carell the plan, initially at least, was never the bright lights of show business. Instead he set his sights on a legal career, taking classes at Dennison as a pre-law student. He spent his off-time doing sketch comedy, becoming a member of the country's oldest colegiate improv group, Burpee's Seedy Theatrical Company.

"I was actually filling out my law school applications," Carell later recalled. "And I got to the essay question, which was, 'Why do you want to be an attorney?' And I couldn't answer it. I really didn't know. And I went in and talked to my parents and they asked me, like, 'What do you enjoy doing?' 'What have you always liked to do?' And I said, 'Well, I've always liked to act. I mean, it's always been fun.' And they're the ones who said, 'Well, then do it.'"

Turn to Comedy

What that meant, however, was anything but instant stardom. Carell, who graduated from Dennison in 1984, patched together a living, eventually making his way out to Chicago. By 1991, he'd put together a strong enough resume to become a cast member of the well-regarded Second City comedy troupe. His career there would span almost a decade, as Carell performed with and taught for the troupe.

While in Second City, Carell's work and life took dramatic leaps forward. He started to make television and movie appearances, including a minor role in the 1991 John Hughes film, Curly Sue. He also started to earn more name recognition as a writer and performer on The Dana Carvey Show.

Carell was also experiencing success in his romantic life; while teaching a course at Second City, he met student Nancy Walls, a comedy writer and actress. The two began dating, and were married in 1995.

The Daily Show

In 1999, Carell and Walls moved to New York City along with another Second City alumnus, Stephen Colbert, to join the cast of the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central's fake news program. Over the next five years, Carell, who played one of the show's correspondents, filed some of the program's more memorable field reports. He interviewed political heavyweights such as Arizona Senator and Presidential hopeful John McCain, but also lesser-known, eccentric newsmakers. His deadpan humor, and penchant for placing himself in absurd situations, was a perfect for the program and its growing audience. "The best [interviews] were when we were taking the piss out of someone who deserved it—anyone intolerant or racist," Carell later told Esquire. "Those people were fair game. I always had a bad taste in my mouth when we had to go out and make fun of someone who was just eccentric or crazy through no fault of their own. It was just shooting fish in a barrel. So I always tried to make myself the butt of the jokes, to act the idiot, which probably wasn't too much of a stretch."

Breakout Role

In 2005, Carell moved to network television for a starring role in the new NBC sitcom, The Office. The show, based on a BBC comedy of the same name, cast Carell in the role of Michael Scott, a mid-level sales manager for a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

In an age when networks were struggling to find hits, The Office proved to be one of television's more successful comedies. But just as Carell was beginning to enjoy popularity for his small screen efforts, he began looking to take on more ambitious projects. This meant tackling films such as the 2003 comedy, Bruce Almighty, starring Jim Carrey. He then delivered another funny supporting performance as Uncle Arthur in Bewitched (2005), starring Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman. That same year, Carell headlined in the comedy of the summer, The 40 Year Old Virgin, a film he also co-wrote.

Film Career

In the years that followed, Carell continued to stay busy. In addition to his role on The Office, Carell has taken on a steady stream of film work including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2005), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Dan in Real Life (2007), Horton Hears a Who (2008), Get Smart (2008) and Date Night (2010).

Carell and his wife have two children: Elisabeth (born in May 2001) and John (born in June 2004). The family currently lives in Los Angeles.

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