25 Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California.
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1.
Will Ferrell
A graduate of the University of Southern California, Will Ferrell became interested in performing while a student at University High School in Irvine, California, where he made his school's daily morning announcements over the public address system in disguised voices. He started as a member of the Los Angeles comedy/improvisation group The Groundlings...
2.
Lisa Kudrow
Actress, Analyze This
Hardly the dumb blonde of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Lisa Marie Diane Kudrow was born in Encino, California on July 30, 1963. Her father, Lee, was a physician and her mother, Nedra, was a travel agent. Lisa was raised in Tarzana and played varsity-level tennis in high school and college, and is a pool shark who has mastered some of the more difficult trick shots (so beware)...
3.
Jack Black
Actor, Kung Fu Panda
Jack Black was born in California, and attended the University of California at Los Angeles. While at UCLA, he was a member of Tim Robbins's acting troupe and it was through this collaboration that led to his 1992 film debut in Bob Roberts. Although he was just a background voice in his first film...
4.
Adam Carolla
Writer, The Hammer
Adam Carolla was born in Los Angeles but raised in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and later North Hollywood. His mother was a recipient of welfare with a degree in Chicano studies, his dad was a psychologist, and he got where he is today, he says, in spite of them. After Adam graduated from North Hollywood High School...
5.
Cheryl Hines
Actress, The Ugly Truth
Cheryl Hines is from Tallahassee, Florida, USA. She went to West Virginia University, Florida State University and graduated from the University of Central Florida. She studied theater and television production, but it wasn't until she moved to L.A. and studied at The Groundlings Theater that she felt she'd really learned anything about comedy...
6.
Phil Hartman
Actor, Pee-wee's Playhouse
Philip Edward Hartmann was born on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His surname was originally "Hartmann" but he later dropped the other "n" -- the reason of which is unknown. As one of the eight children of Rupert and Doris Hartmann, Phil was a very caring and sensitive person and was described as "very sweet and kind of quiet." Although he was born in Canada...
7.
Jimmy Fallon
Actor, Fever Pitch
Jimmy Fallon was born in 1974 in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in Saugerties, New York, which is in upstate New York. He's since done stand up, impressions and characters across the country, in some of the biggest comedy clubs, such as the Improv (in Los Angeles) and Caroline's Comedy Club (in New York City)...
8.
Jon Lovitz
Actor, Happiness
“ American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. ” - comedyguyyy
9.
Cheri Oteri
Actress, Liar Liar
Cheri Oteri was born on 19th September 1962, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, graduating from Archbishop Prendergast High School, then moved to Los Angeles when she was 25, where she worked in Promotions for A&M records for 4 years, and joined up with the Groundlings...
10.
Kristen Wiig
Actress, Bridesmaids
Kristen Carroll Wiig was born on August 22, 1973 in Canandaigua, New York, to Laurie and Jon J. Wiig. The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before settling in the Rochester, New York. When Wiig was 9 years old, her parents divorced and she lived with her mother and older brother Erik. After graduating from Brighton High School in Rochester...
11.
Julia Sweeney
Actress, Pulp Fiction
Benevolent, sweet-faced, actress and comedienne Julia Sweeney, who was born in 1959 in Spokane, Washington, is normally identified with one single, highly unappetizing androgynous character. This sniveling, chunky-framed, springy-haired, plaid shirt-wearing, grotesque-looking character named Pat was the basis of many hilarious sketches that toyed with revealing his/her true gender...
12.
David Banks
Actor, Young Death
David Roy Banks is an American actor. Currently best known for his role as Lane Hayes in Cut! He studied at the Groundlings and has appeared in over 100 commercials. Banks was born in Petaluma, California, the son of Tom Banks and Alyne Banks. His father Tom Banks was the Exec. at Foote Cone & Belding San Francisco...
“ American actor and comedian. Banks is well known for his performance in several funny commercials. He has appeared in over 100 commercials. He studied at the Groundlings. His father Tom Banks was the Exec. at Foote Cone & Belding San Francisco, and later moved on to Grey Advertising. He was responsible for California Raisins, Bank Of America, C&H Sugar, and many more. David has appeared in commercials with companies like Coors Light, Samsung, Bojangles, Reebok, Motorola, Best Buy, Hoover, Little Caesars, Citibank, Milk, etc. Some time later he started to appear in feature films: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Will to Power, In 30 Minutes, Doing Hard Time, Coffin,Halloween Party. ” - comedyguyyy
13.
Chris Parnell
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Chris Parnell enrolled at Germantown High School where he took drama and auditioned for every play. In 1985, when he was a senior at Germantown, he was voted "Most Talented" by his classmates. Right after graduating high school, Chris attended North Carolina School of Arts in Winston-Salem...
14.
Jennifer Coolidge
Actress, American Pie
Jennifer Coolidge is a versatile character actress and experimental comedienne, best known for playing Stifler's mom in American Pie. She was born on August 28, 1961, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Her father, Paul Coolidge, was a plastics manufacturer. Young Coolidge was dreaming of becoming a singer...
15.
Eliza Coupe
Actress, What's Your Number?
Eliza grew up in Plymouth, New Hampshire and graduated from Plymouth Regional High School. She has suffered from dyslexia since childhood. In 2003, she toured France playing a soldier in an all-female version of King Lear. She married Randall Whittinghill an Acting Coach in L.A. She performed as...
16.
Will Forte
Actor, MacGruber
Forte was age 32 before he came to the public's attention on Saturday Night Live, but had been working in comedy since 1997. Forte is the son of artist Patricia and financial broker Orville Willis Forte III (divorced) and has one older sister, Michelle. A creative and artist child, in high school he...
“ Orville Willis Forte is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber, as well as for the role of Paul L'Astnamé, Jenna Maroney's cross-dressing boyfriend, on NBC's 30 Rock. ” - comedyguyyy
17.
Brian Palermo
Actor, The Social Network
Brian was born and bred in New Orleans. He got into theatre while at the University of New Orleans where he earned a B.A. in Drama and Communications. Moving out to Los Angeles after graduation, Brian starting taking classes and performing with many improvisational comedy groups in town including L.A...
18.
Dax Shepard
Actor, Idiocracy
Dax Shepard was born in 1975 in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. With both parents working in the automotive industry, his first love was cars. He graduated in 1993 from Walled Lake High School, and moved to California in 1995. He graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a degree in Anthropology. While attending UCLA he trained at The Groundlings Theater for improv and sketch comedy...
19.
Paul Reubens
Actor, Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Born in Peekskill, New York, on August 27, 1952, Paul Reubenfeld grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents owned a lamp store. During winters, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus called Sarasota home, and young Paul counted such big-top families as the Wallendas and the Zacchinis among his neighbors...
22.
Pat Morita
Actor, The Karate Kid
Abundantly busy and much loved Asian-American actor who became an on-screen hero to millions of adults and kids alike as the wise and wonderful Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, the sparkling Noriyuki Morita was back again dishing out Eastern philosophy and martial arts lessons for The Karate Kid, Part II and The Karate Kid, Part III...
23.
Edie McClurg
Actress, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Edie McClurg began her performing career at age five with the oxymoronic Kansas City Rhythm Kids. She retired when the dance teacher was arrested on a morals charge for "dating" the tall and lissome, yet underage, star dancer in the troupe. That girl's big number culminated with a back-bend where Edie drank a soda upside down (of course)...
24.
Michael Hitchcock
Actor, Waiting for Guffman
Michael Hitchcock was born in Defiance, Ohio and later raised in Western Springs, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He attributes many of his offbeat characters on his midwestern upbringing. Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University's School of Speech and a Master of Fine Arts degree from U.C.L.A.'s film school...
25.
Michael McDonald
Actor, Austin Powers in Goldmember
Michael McDonald was born and raised in Fullerton, Orange County, California. He graduated from USC with a degree in Business and became a loan officer at a bank in Los Angeles. A friend took him to see a sketch comedy/improv show at L.A.'s famous Groundling Theater, and everything changed for him. McDonald quit his job as a banker...
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