Will Arnett
Will Arnett | |
|---|---|
| File:Will Arnett.jpg | |
| Born | William Emerson Arnett |
| Spouse | Amy Poehler |
William "Will" Emerson Arnett (born May 5, 1970) (pronounced [ˌɑɹˈnɛt]) is an Emmy Award-nominated Canadian-American actor known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B" Bluth II (pronounced Job, like the biblical figure[1]) on the now-cancelled FOX comedy Arrested Development. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major film roles.
Biography
Early life
Arnett was born in Toronto[1] where he attended French-speaking schools.[2] He still speaks French, but has stated that he is not currently fluent in the language.[3] Arnett's father was the president and CEO of Molson Breweries[4]. He graduated from Leaside High School and briefly attended Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario.[5] When he was a teenager, Arnett's mother encouraged him to pursue an acting career and he began to audition for commercials in Toronto. He decided that he really enjoyed acting and that it was something that he wanted to do with his life. At age 20, in 1990, Arnett moved from Toronto to New York in order to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.[6] He began appearing in plays in New York and his first acting role was in the Felicity Huffman independent film Erie, which was filmed on the Erie Canal.[7]
Career
In February of 1996, Arnett began acting in television pilots. His first was a pilot with "Kevin Pollak and his wife, Lucy Webb, for CBS, that was not picked up."[7] The pilot was The Underworld which revolved around "The head of an organized crime family hounds an ex-con who only wants to go straight."[8] After the show was not picked up, he appeared in the movie Southie, which was directed by Arnett's friend Dave McLaughlin. In 1999, Arnett was cast in another pilot for The Mike O'Malley Show on NBC. Arnett was a regular on the series, playing the protagonist's friend Jimmy. The show was picked up, but it was canceled after only two episodes.[7] Arnett has referred to 2000, the year after that show was cancelled, as "the darkest year of [his] life" and he admits that he "didn't get a lot of work" and "drank those years away."[7] Arnett considers the summer of 2000 to have been a turning point for him because a friend helped pull him out of his battle with alcoholism and he began to get his career back on track.
In 2001, Arnett was cast in another television pilot, Loomis, for CBS. The pilot starred comedian Cheri Oteri as a local news reporter, and Arnett played her slacker brother. The pilot was not picked up. In 2002, Arnett was once again cast in a fourth television pilot. This pilot was for the CBS sitcom Still Standing; but even though the show was picked up and ran for many years, his character was cut from the series after the pilot.[1] Arnett became so frustrated, after his fourth failed pilot, that he "swore off pilots"[1] altogether, until his agent persuaded him to audition for the pilot for Arrested Development.
In 2003, Arnett finally found success in television when he was cast in the role of Gob Bluth in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development. Arnett's character was one of the show's most popular and he was nominated for an Emmy for his role."[9] The show was canceled due to low ratings, despite its critical acclaim and cult following.
Arnett has a distinctive gravelly voice and has also done voice-over work for CBS and numerous advertisements, including Lamisil medication. Perhaps most recognizable is Arnett's voice saying, "It's not more than you need, just more than you're used to" in ads for GMC trucks.[2]
Recently, Arnett has played large roles in a number of films. Arnett's most recent film, Let's Go to Prison, was his first starring role. Let's Go to Prison was a comedy directed by Bob Odenkirk and it did modest business at the box office. He also has recently finished filming supporting roles in Blades of Glory, Spring Breakdown, Hot Rod, and On Broadway . In On Broadway, he once again worked with director Dave McLaughlin who is a close friend of Arnett's and gave him one of his first movie roles in Southie.[2] Arnett was originally attached to play the lead role of David Miller in the film We're the Millers, but he had to pass on the project due to "scheduling reasons."[10]
Arnett's next starring role will be in the comedy The Brothers Solomon, in which he reteams with director Bob Odenkirk and stars opposite Saturday Night Live's Will Forte. In 2006, Arnett lent his voice to the character Duncan Schiesst for the Comedy Central animated program Freak Show, which also stars the voice of his former Arrested Development co-star David Cross. Currently, he is filming a major supporting role in the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy Semi-Pro, his second film with Ferrell.[11]
Arnett has also stated, in interviews, that he's "working with Mitch [Hurwitz] on something right now."[12] Fans have begun to speculate that Arnett will be starring in Hurwitz's only slated project, the American adaptation of the British comedy The Thick of It.
Personal life
Arnett has two older twin sisters and a younger brother. His sisters are three years older than he and his brother is nine-and-a-half years younger than he.[13]
In 1994, Arnett married actress Penelope Ann Miller, and they divorced in 1995.[2] Arnett dated actress Missy Yager, who he lived with for four years. They starred on The Mike O'Malley Show together, and they broke up around the time that the show began.[7]
Arnett began dating comedic actress Amy Poehler in 2000; the couple moved to New York in 2001 when she became a featured player on NBC's Saturday Night Live.[7] On August 29, 2003, Arnett and Poehler married.[2] Poehler appeared in four episodes of Arrested Development in 2004 and 2005. She played a woman who his character Gob marries during a drunken night of increasingly outrageous dares. Arnett and Poehler will star alongside each other in the upcoming films On Broadway, Blades of Glory, and Spring Breakdown.
Arnett also does charity work in his spare time.[14]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Space Invader | in-development | |
| The Ambassador | in-development | ||
| Dad Can't Lose | in-development | ||
| Most Likely to Succeed | announced | ||
| Get 'Em Wet | announced | ||
| Jeff the Demon | Jeff | announced | |
| Horton Hears a Who! | filming, voice only | ||
| Semi-Pro | Lou Redwood | filming | |
| Spring Breakdown | Ted | post-production | |
| 2007 | Wristcutters: A Love Story | Messiah | completed |
| The Brothers Solomon | John Solomon | completed | |
| The Comebacks | Mailman | post-production | |
| Hot Rod | Jonathan | post-production | |
| On Broadway | Tom | completed | |
| Blades of Glory | Stranz Van Waldenberg | ||
| 2006 | Let's Go to Prison | Nelson Biederman IV | |
| The Great New Wonderful | Danny | ||
| RV | Todd Mallory | ||
| Ice Age: The Meltdown | Lone Gunslinger Vulture | voice only | |
| 2005 | Monster-in-Law | Kit | |
| 2001 | Series 7: The Contenders | Narrator | voice only |
| 2000 | The Acting Class | Will Bennett | |
| 1999 | The Waiting Game | Lenny | |
| Southie | Whitie | ||
| 1998 | Weekend Getaway | Chuck | short film |
| The Broken Giant | Ezra Caton | ||
| 1996 | Ed's Next Move | Weather Video Guy | |
| Close Up | Dave | ||
| 1995 | Erie |
Television work
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 30 Rock | Network executive | Guest star, episode: "Fireworks" |
| King of the Hill | Portis | Guest star, episode: "Hank Gets Dusted" | |
| 2006 | Freak Show | Duncan Schiesst | Series regular, voice only |
| All-Star American Destiny Trek | TJ Cooter | Series regular, failed pilot, voice only | |
| 2005 | Danny Phantom | Ghost Writer | Guest star, voice only, episode: "The Fright Before Christmas" |
| Odd Job Jack | Tiberius McKorkindale | Guest star, voice only, episodes: "The Biggest Bang", "Close Encounters of the Uncomfortable Kind" | |
| 2004 | Will & Grace | Artemis Johnson | Guest star, episode: "Back Up Dancer" |
| 2003 - 2006 | Arrested Development | George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II | Series regular |
| 2003 | Undefeated | Scott Green's assistant | Small role, television movie |
| 2002 | Law and Order: Special Victims Unit | Tony Damon | Guest star, episode: "Angels" |
| The Sopranos | Agent Mike Waldrup | Guest star, episodes: "For All Debts Public and Private", "No Show" | |
| Yes, Dear | Bobby | Guest star, episode: "Johnny Ampleseed" | |
| Still Standing | Appeared in the pilot and was intended to be a series regular, but his role was cut out of the pilot and he did not appear in later episodes | ||
| 2001 | Boston Public | Hand Salesman | Guest star, episode: "Chapter Twenty-nine" |
| Loomis | Series regular, failed television pilot | ||
| 2000 | Third Watch | Kenny | Guest star, episode: "Spring Forward, Fall Back" |
| 1999 | The Mike O'Malley Show | Jimmy | Series regular |
| Sex and the City | Jack | Guest star, episode: "La Douleur Exquise!" | |
| 1997 | The Underworld | Series regular, failed television pilot |
Awards
| Year | Award | For | Category | Result | Other notes |
| 2006 | Emmy Awards | Arrested Development | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Arrested Development | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Shared with Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter | |
| 2005 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Arrested Development | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | Shared with Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter |
References
- ^ a b c d Will Arnett, a June 10, 2004, article via Variety
- ^ a b c d e Will Arnett - Biography, Arnett's IMDB biography
- ^ On Conan O'Brien he stated that he dubbs his own voice in the French versions of his movies and tv shows. Arnett stated this on his November 22, 2006, appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- ^ Will Arnett - AskMen.com, Arnett's page at AskMen.com
- ^ Will Arnett Trivia, Arnett's trivia page on TV.com
- ^ The Will Arnett Interview, Interview with Arnett at Television without Pity, Page 2
- ^ a b c d e f The Will Arnett Interview, Interview with Arnett at Television without Pity, Page 4
- ^ The Underworld (1997) (TV), IMDB entry for The Underworld
- ^ Stars React to Emmy Nominations, Access Hollywood article on Emmy nominations
- ^ The Underworld (1997) (TV), February 7, 2006 article at Moviehole.net
- ^ Arnett turning 'Semi-Pro' with Ferrell, January 29, 2007 article at the Hollywood Reporter
- ^ Interview Will Arnett Talks About "Let's Go to Prison", 2006 interview with About.com
- ^ The Will Arnett Interview, Interview with Arnett at Television without Pity, Page 12
- ^ The Will Arnett Interview, Interview with Arnett at Television without Pity, Page 14
External links
- Will Arnett at IMDb
- Template:Nndb name
- Will Arnett at RottenTomatoes
- Will Arnett at TV.com
- http://blutharnett.blogspot.com [The Will Arnett Research Project]