Biographic - Sunday December 1, 2013 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Biographic Steve McGarry Will Ferrell Born in Irvine, California, on July 16, 1967, John William Ferrell first revealed his talent for zany impressions and goofy voices while making the announcements over his school's P.A. system each day. After graduating from the University of Southern California, he hones his improvisational skills as a member of "the Groundlings comdy troupe, while also working a variety of jobs, from valet parking attendant to bank teller, and even a stint as a department store Santa! 1995 was a stellar year for Will Ferrell. He landed jobs on three sitcoms, met his future wife while performing in a repertory theater, and was cast in a small role in the movie "Criminal Hearts." More importantly, he was asked to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live." Over the next seven years, thanks to his repertoire of outrageous characters and impressions that skewered everyone from pop culture figures such as Alex Trebek, James Lipton and Robert Goulet, to political figures including George W. Bush and Janet Reno, he became one of the most popular regulars in the history of "SNL." By the time he left the show in 2002, Will was the show's highest-paid cast member! He appeared as Mustafa in the first two "Austin Powers" movies, and he starred with Chris Kattan in "A Night At The Roxbury, " a comedy inspired by a recurring skit on "Saturday Night Live." Well-received roles in the likes of "Dick" and "Zoolander" paved the way for Will to star in two big hits in 2003 - "Old School, " and the charming holiday film "Elf." The latter topped the box=office charts, grossing $173 million in the U.S. alone, proving that Will could carry a movie on his own and cementing his status as one of the country's best-loved funnymen. The success of 2004's "Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy" confirmed that popularity - and boosted his asking price to a reported $20 million per movie. He followed up with a parade of hits, including "Bewitched," "Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby," "Blades of Glory," "Step Brothers" and "The Other Guys." The occasional misstep, such as "Land of the Lost" and "casa de mi Padre," was overshadowed by hits such as "Megamind," a 2010 animated flick for which Will voiced the lead role. It took in more than $320 million worldwide! This holiday season sees Will revisit one of his most poular characters as Ron Burgundy returns to screens in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues."

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