Michael McKean

American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, and musician Michael John McKean was born on October 17, 1947. He first gained widespread fame for portraying Lenny Kosnowski on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley. He later achieved recognition for starring as David St. Hubbins in the mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap and for his frequent collaborations with director Christopher Guest. Over a career spanning screen and stage, McKean served as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, starred as Chuck McGill in the drama series Better Call Saul, and earned a Grammy Award alongside nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Born at Manhattan Women's Hospital in New York City, McKean is the son of Decca Records co-founder Gilbert S. McKean and librarian Ruth Stewart McKean. Raised in Sea Cliff, Long Island, he graduated from North Shore High School in 1965. In early 1967, he briefly performed with the baroque pop band the Left Banke, playing on the single "Ivy, Ivy." He later attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he met fellow actor David Lander.

After college, McKean performed with Lander and Harry Shearer in the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Credibility Gap. His breakthrough arrived in 1976 when he and Lander joined the cast of Laverne & Shirley as Lenny and Squiggy. The characters became widely popular and released the 1979 album Lenny and the Squigtones. After leaving the sitcom in 1982, McKean transitioned into feature films, appearing in Young Doctors in Love, Used Cars, Clue, D.A.R.Y.L., Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Earth Girls Are Easy, and Short Circuit 2, as well as starring in This Is Spinal Tap in 1984.

During the late 1980s and 1990s, McKean co-wrote and starred in the film The Big Picture, followed by roles in Flashback, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Coneheads, Airheads, Radioland Murders, and The Brady Bunch Movie. From 1994 to 1995, he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, having previously appeared as both a musical guest and a host. His television work during this era included regular and guest roles on Dream On, Tracey Takes On..., and a recurring appearance as Morris Fletcher on The X-Files.

McKean continued his association with Christopher Guest in comedic films such as Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration. For A Mighty Wind, McKean co-wrote the title song, winning a Grammy Award. He and his wife, Annette O'Toole, also co-wrote the song "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" for the same film, which received an Academy Award nomination.

McKean made his Broadway debut in 2004 as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, subsequently acting in Broadway productions of The Pajama Game, The Homecoming, Superior Donuts, The Best Man, The Little Foxes, and All the Way. From 2015 to 2018, he played Chuck McGill on Better Call Saul, receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2019. His subsequent work includes roles in Good Omens, Breeders, The Diplomat, and voicing Lou Pickles in the Rugrats franchise. McKean is also among the highest-earning contestants on Celebrity Jeopardy!, winning over one million dollars for charity.