Steve Carell is one of the most versatile comedic actors in Hollywood. He’s widely recognized for portraying Michael Scott in the American version of The Office television series. Carell has received numerous accolades for his acting in film and television. He was born on August 16, 1962, in Massachusetts, as the youngest of four brothers. His father, Edwin, was a mechanical engineer, and his mother, Harriet Theresa, was a psychiatric nurse. In high school, Carell played ice hockey and lacrosse. He also took up playing the fife (a small flute similar to the piccolo) with his family.
With an interest in history, Steve received a degree in the subject from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in 1984. While there, Carell was a member of Burpee’s Seedy Theatrical Company, a student-run improvisational comedy troupe, while being a goalie on the school’s Big Red hockey team for four years. He even was a disc jockey for the school’s campus radio station WDUB under the name “Sapphire Steve Carell.”
Steve’s Early Career
Early in his performing career, Carell acted onstage in a touring children’s theater company. He later starred in the comedy musical Knat Scatt Private Eye and in a television commercial for Brown’s Chicken in 1989. Carell made his film debut in a minor role as Tesio in 1991’s family comedy Curly Sue. It was in 1996 that Steve was a cast member of The Dana Carvey Show, a short-lived sketch program that lasted one season. Though the comedy program only lasted seven episodes, it has been credited with forging Carell’s career. Steve went on to star in several back-to-back comedy films in the 2000s, including 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the fan-favorite The 40-Year-Old Virgin a year later, Evan Almighty, Get Smart, and Date Night.
He’s got 84 acting credits below his belt. Take a look at our top 5 picks of Steve Carell’s funniest roles in movies (Not that that is the reason why The Office isn’t included here.)
