Steve Carell

Steven John Carell (born August 16, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for playing Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2011, 2013), where he also worked as a producer, executive producer, writer, and director. Carell has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for The Office, and was named "America's Funniest Man" by Life.

Carell was born in Concord, Massachusetts, to Edwin A. Carell, a mechanical engineer, and Harriet Theresa Carell, a psychiatric nurse. His heritage includes Italian, German, and Polish ancestry; his family surname was changed from Caroselli in the 1950s. Raised Catholic, he attended Nashoba Brooks School, The Fenn School, and Middlesex School. Carell later attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he participated in an improvisational comedy troupe, played hockey, and worked as a campus radio disc jockey, graduating with a history degree in 1984.

Carell worked briefly as a postal mail carrier before focusing on acting. His early career included touring with a children's theater company, appearing in a 1989 commercial for Brown's Chicken, and performing with Chicago's The Second City in 1991. After making his film debut in Curly Sue, Carell gained recognition on the sketch series The Dana Carvey Show in 1996. From 1999 to 2005, he gained further prominence as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Carell achieved film success as Brick Tamland in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and starred in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), which he co-wrote. In 2005, he began starring as Michael Scott in NBC's The Office, earning a Golden Globe Award and six consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations. His comedic film projects during this period included Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), Get Smart (2008), Date Night (2010), and Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011). He also began voicing Gru in the Despicable Me franchise in 2010.

Carell transitioned to dramatic roles with his portrayal of John Eleuthère du Pont in Foxcatcher (2014), earning Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations. He continued with biographical dramas, playing Mark Baum in The Big Short (2015) and Bobby Riggs in Battle of the Sexes (2017), both yielding Golden Globe nominations. His other films include Café Society (2016), Last Flag Flying (2017), Vice (2018), Beautiful Boy (2018), and Asteroid City (2023).

Carell co-created the comedy series Angie Tribeca (2016–2018) with his wife, Nancy Carell. He starred in the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show (2019–present), receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination. His subsequent television work includes Space Force (2020–2022), The Patient (2022), and Rooster (2026–present), earning another Emmy nomination. In 2024, Carell made his Broadway debut in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Uncle Vanya.