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Orville Willis "Will" Forte IV (born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, impressionist, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work on television as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and as the creator and star of the sitcom The Last Man on Earth. After obtaining a history degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and becoming a financial broker, Forte changed his career path to comedy and began taking classes with the improvisational comedy group the Groundlings in Los Angeles.
He soon found he favored writing best, and he worked as a writer and producer on That '70s Show before he auditioned for Saturday Night Live (SNL). He joined in 2002, spending eight years as a cast member on the show. He was well known for his more offbeat sketches. His most famous role on the show led to a feature film adaption, MacGruber (2010), that preceded his departure from the program. Forte took various roles in comedy films before his turn to drama in the film Nebraska (2013), which attracted critical acclaim. Forte created, writes, and stars in his own television sitcom, The Last Man on Earth, which premiered on Fox in 2015; he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, for acting and writing for the series.
Early Life[]
Orville Willis Forte IV was born in Alameda County, California, to Patricia C. (née Stivers), an artist and former schoolteacher, and Orville Willis Forte III, a financial broker. He was raised in Moraga, California, before moving to Lafayette, California. He went by Billy in his early years until he was teased at school for it also being a girl's name, at which point he decided he would from there on be known as Will.
Forte has described himself as a "really happy kid," whose parents were "wonderful" and created a "very loving environment." He was interested in comedy from a young age, growing up idolizing comedians Peter Sellers, David Letterman, Steve Martin, and the sketch-comedy television series Saturday Night Live. He often pranked his parents, and would record himself performing imaginary radio shows. He did aim to be a comedian, however, and he initially wanted to become a football player.
Forte was a "a laid-back teen with a lot of friends," and a member of the varsity football and swim teams at Acalanes High School, from which he graduated in 1988. He was voted "Best Personality" by his graduating class, and served as class president. He had no ambitions for a television or film career, though his mother noticed a "creative streak" in him. Following high school, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and completed a degree in history. Planning to follow his father, he became a financial broker at Smith Barney Shearson in Beverly Hills, but felt "miserable" during his time there.[3] He started writing while he was at Shearson, and he co-wrote a feature-length script. On the subject of writing, Forte remarked, "I discovered that I loved it more than anything I had ever done in my life." He had been encouraged to attempt comedy during his years at university, and he decided to change his career to become a writer-performer.
Career[]
Early career (1997–2001)[]
Forte was a performer with the Groundlings, where he was discovered for SNL
He began taking classes at the Groundlings in Los Angeles, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school, while tutoring children to make ends meet. Forte's first successful foray into comedy was 101 Things to Definitely Not Do If You Want to Get a Chick, a comic book he produced that details incompetent men. The comics landed him his first professional job writing for The Jenny McCarthy Show, a short-lived variety show starring Jenny McCarthy. Shortly thereafter, he was asked to submit a packet to the Late Show with David Letterman and was told Letterman responded favorably to the cartoons. After only nine months at Letterman, he was "let go" from the job. He has recalled his stint on the program as unpleasant, noting that he did not have enough experience in writing. "What an honor to work at that show but I don't think I was fully mentally prepared. [...] I always wonder what it would be like if I’d had a couple more years of experience before going there."
He returned to Los Angeles, where he began performing with the Groundlings' Main Company, alongside comedians such as Maya Rudolph, Cheryl Hines, and Jim Rash. He tried stand-up comedy three times, mostly at open mic nights, but quit when he was voted into the Main Company. He joined the writing teams of two unsuccessful sitcoms, including The Army Show and Action. Eventually, Forte got jobs writing for 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show, two successful programs. He loved writing but had mostly given up on acting, aside from his performances with the Groundlings. While performing with the troupe in 2001, he was spotted by Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Forte felt his confidence was higher than usual, as That '70s Show had been picked up for two more years. He was invited to audition for SNL, which he regarded as unexpected.
At his audition for SNL, he performed multiple original characters, including Tim Calhoun, a speed reader, a prison guard, in addition to impressions of singer Michael McDonald and actor Martin Sheen. His final character was an older piece from his days with the Groundlings, in which he portrays a gold-painted street performer who performs fellatio to pay for his face paint, which devolves into a song needlessly uttering the words "cock" and "face paint" dozens of times. He felt his time to shine as a performer was already over, as he was in his thirties when he auditioned. To his surprise, he was offered a chance to be on the show, but declined, opting instead for the financial stability of his work at That '70s Show. He felt working for SNL could not live up to the idealized version he had dreamed of, but he later realized he would be making a mistake.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Around the World in 80 Days | Young Bobby | |
| 2006 | Beerfest | Otto | |
| 2007 | The Brothers Solomon | Dean Solomon | Also writer |
| 2008 | Baby Mama | Scott | |
| 2008 | Extreme Movie | Writer | |
| 2009 | The Slammin' Salmon | Horace the Lone Diner | Cameo |
| 2009 | Brief Interviews with Hideous Men | Subject #72 | |
| 2009 | Fanboys | THX Security Guard #4 | |
| 2009 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | Joe Towne | Voice |
| 2010 | MacGruber | MacGruber | Also writer |
| 2011 | A Good Old Fashioned Orgy | Glenn | |
| 2012 | Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie | Allen Bishopman | |
| 2012 | Rock of Ages | Mitch Miley | |
| 2012 | That's My Boy | Phil | |
| 2012 | The Watch | Sergeant Bressman | |
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Male Cheerleader | Uncredited |
| 2013 | Run & Jump | Ted | |
| 2013 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Chester V | Voice |
| 2013 | Life of Crime | Marshall Taylor | |
| 2013 | Nebraska | David Grant | |
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Abraham Lincoln | Voice |
| 2014 | She's Funny That Way | Joshua Fleet | |
| 2015 | Don Verdean | Pastor Fontaine | |
| 2015 | Staten Island Summer | Griffith | |
| 2015 | The Ridiculous 6 | Will Patch | |
| 2016 | Keanu | ||
| 2020 | Scoob! | Shaggy Rogers | Voice |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Jenny McCarthy Show | Writer | |
| 1997–2001 | Late Show with David Letterman | Snow Shovel Murder Victim | Uncredited; Episode: "Robert Pastorelli/Craig Kilborn/Live"; also writer |
| 1998 | The Army Show | Writer | |
| 1999–2000 | Action | Writer | |
| 1999–2001 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Writer | |
| 2000 | God, the Devil, and Bob | Writer | |
| 2001–2003 | That '70s Show | Writer and producer | |
| 2002–2003 | Clone High | Abe Lincoln (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 2002–2010 | Saturday Night Live | Various | 157 episodes; also writer |
| 2006 | Campus Ladies | Stuart | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | Alien (voice) | Episode: "Antenna" |
| 2007 | Flight of the Conchords | Ben | Episode: "The Actor" |
| 2007 | Tim and Eric Nite Live! | Emanuel Melly | Episode #1.5 |
| 2007–2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Will Grello / Pall Willeaux / J.J. Pepper / Dr. Reid Tamaranda | 6 episodes |
| 2007–2012 | 30 Rock | Thomas / Paul L'astname | 13 episodes |
| 2008–2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Randy Wharmpess | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Young Person's Guide to History | Comte de Buffon (Frenchman) | Episode #1.1 |
| 2009 | Sit Down, Shut Up | Stuart Proszakian (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 2009–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Principal Wally Farquhare / Various voices | 22 episodes |
| 2009–2015 | American Dad! | Various voices | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | The Life and Times of Tim | Chipper (voice) | Episode: "Unjustly Neglected Drama" |
| 2010 | WWE Raw | MacGruber | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Funny or Die Presents | Cast (Scott & Behr) / Sleeping Celebrity | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Squidbillies | Tom Treebow | Episode: "Lean Green Touchdown Makifying Machine" |
| 2010–2013 | Conan | Ted Turner | 14 episodes |
| 2011 | Parks and Recreation | Kelly Larson | Episode: "Time Capsule" |
| 2011 | Allen Gregory | Ian / Stuart Rossmyre / Sid Lampis (voices) | 7 episodes |
| 2011, 2015 | The League | Chuck | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2012 | Up All Night | Reed | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Chet Barnsider / Felix Dewhurst | 2 episodes |
| 2012–2016 | Gravity Falls | Tyler the Cute Biker (voice) | 12 episodes |
| 2012–present | Lab Rats | Eddy / Viral Eddy (Teddy) / Cheddy (voices) | 20 episodes |
| 2013 | Drunk History | Edwin Booth | Episode: "Washington D.C." |
| 2013 | Bob's Burgers | Kurt / Mr. Grant (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Kroll Show | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | The Awesomes | Malocchio Jr. (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2014 | The Simpsons | King Toot (voice) | Episode: "Covercraft" |
| 2015–present | The Last Man on Earth | Phil Miller | Also creator, writer and executive producer |
| 2015–present | Moonbeam City | Rad Cunningham (voice) |
Gallery[]
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| For the full image gallery of Will Forte see Will Forte/Gallery. |