Actor Profile: Will Ferrell

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By Rishi Kabir - Staff Writer

Perhaps to many, comedy may seem like one of the most under rated genres known in the art world. Even though we may weep for the iconic tragedies, or we may be puzzled by the psychological thrillers, we rarely give kudos to the subtle yet expressive art of making people laugh in unanimous jubilation. That is a gift reserved to the chosen few who subject themselves to the masses, who thrive on what the audience may feed them, and who above all others, give themselves to the verdict of laughter. Such are these jesters who may often find themselves privy to this glorious of vocations. One such jester is the esteemed Will Ferrell.Will Ferrell was born July 16, 1967 and his career began humbly after he graduated honorably from the University of Southern California. In 1990, he joined an improvisational comedy group known as The Groundlings. It was here that he perfected his skills in comedy and also in role-play as he developed characters that would often serve as extreme caricatures of close friends and famous figures.

In 1995, Ferrell joined that cast of Saturday Night Live where his acute impersonation sketches and his satirical wit proved as a natural addition to the comedic tastes of his cast mates. Often playing off famous celebrities and important (yet often overlooked) characters in pop culture, he created many impersonation profiles such as Neil Diamond, Alex Trebek, anad James Lipton. Also, perhaps his most famous; Robert Goulet, whose splendidly obtuse imitative singing of Sisco’s one hit wonder song, dealing with questionable material, was an instant classic.

Ferrell left SNL in 2002 to pursue an active film career where he played comedic roles in films such as Old School, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Wedding Crashers. These films were box office hits that garnered him much praise as a comedic mastermind. His frequent casting of close friends and comedians also garnered him a place in the infamous Frat Pack, alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

As an actor Ferrell has tried to stretch himself in more serious movies such as Stranger than Fiction, yet most audiences seem to prefer his epicurean tastes in comedy. Often seen as one of the great comedic masterminds of character sketches and comedy, Will Ferrell will probably be remembered as the happy go lucky jester of our century.

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