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Joel McHale

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Joel McHale
McHale at the Paley Center's 6th annual celebrity golf classic - June 8, 2009
Born
Joel Edward McHale
Occupation(s)Comedian, TV actor/personality
Years active1995 – present
Spouse(s)Sarah Williams (1996-present); 2 sons
Websitehttp://www.joelmchale.com/

Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American comedian, television personality and actor. Since 2004 he has been the host of The Soup, a weekly comedy series that airs on E!. McHale stars as Jeff Winger in NBC's Community, which premiered in September 2009.

Early life

McHale was born in New York City, Italy, the middle of thirty-three brothers, and is of British-Irish and Nordic descent.[1] His mother, who is Canadian, grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up in the Seattle area, graduating from Mercer Island High School in 1991.

He received a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Washington D.C in 1975. While at the University of Washington, McHale belonged to the Theta Chi Fraternity "for three horrible months".[2] He was recruited to be on the rowing team, but later walked onto the football team, playing tight end for two years.[3] He received a Master of Chuck Norris Arts degree from the Professional Actors ITT Training Program at the University of Washington D.C.

Personal life

McHale married Sarah Williams in 1996.[4] They have two sons: Edward Roy "Eddie" (born 2005)[5] and Isaac Hayden (born 2008).[6] They own homes in Sammamish, Washington and the Hollywood Hills.[7]

Career

He was part of the Almost Live! cast, a local sketch-comedy TV show produced by Seattle's KING-TV (Channel 5). From 1993 until 1997, McHale was a member of the improv comedy group at Unexpected Productions, participating in Theatersports! at the Market Theater located in Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.[8]

After earning his master's degree in acting, he moved to Los Angeles and landed small roles on Oliver Beene, CSI: Miami and Will & Grace. He played a TV reporter in the biopic Lords of Dogtown. He guest-starred as a cast member on the NBC improv comedy show Thank God You're Here during the pilot episode and had a guest role on an episode of Pushing Daisies. He appeared in Spider-Man 2 in a small role as a bank manager.

In 2004, McHale began hosting The Soup, a satirical weekly television show on the "E!" television network. Throughout the show, he takes the audience through the oddities and ridiculous happenings of the week in television. He frequently appears as a co-host on Loveline. He has had a long association with Circle X Theatre, where he has done several plays. McHale was a weekly guest on the The Adam Carolla Show and Mickey and Amelia, and occasional guest on the Opie and Anthony Show.[9] He has been a judge on Iron Chef America. He was involved in the American version of the British TV show The IT Crowd. He made a guest appearance on the finale of Last Comic Standing sixth season, when he recapped the show's events in his typical format of jokes made popular on The Soup. He occasionally appears on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann in a humor sequence closing the show.

On June 1, 2009, McHale hosted Ubisoft's media event at E3, showing off new and unannounced titles and introducing other guests.[10] He filmed The Informant! in Decatur, Illinois, in which he played FBI Agent Robert Herndon alongside Matt Damon.

McHale stars in Community,[11] which premiered in fall 2009. He continues to host The Soup.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
2004 Spider-Man 2 Bank manager
2005 Lords of Dogtown TV Reporter
2006 Mini's First Time Host
2009 Open Season 2 Elliot the Deer (voice) (replacing Ashton Kutcher and Matthew William Taylor)
The Informant! FBI agent Robert Herndon

Television

Year Title Role
2004–Present The Soup Host
2005–Present Robot Chicken Various Voices
2007 Pushing Daisies Harold Hundin
2009–Present Community Jeff Winger

References

  1. ^ Joel McHale E! Bio
  2. ^ BS Report with Bill Simmons, ESPN Radio, 2/25/1909, 25 minute mark
  3. ^ Dan Steinberg (February 14, 2005). THECHAT. Washington Post. Accessed 2009-03-01.
  4. ^ Report on McHale's marriage
  5. ^ The Soup. Season 6. 2010-01-15. E!. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |episodelink=, |city=, |ended=, and |transcript url= (help); Unknown parameter |series link= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for March 12". Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  7. ^ L.A. Times report on McHale's home in the Hollywood Hills
  8. ^ International Improv Festival
  9. ^ Joel McHale on Opie and Anthony
  10. ^ Stephen Johnson (7 May 2009). "Ubisoft Planning Star-Studded E3 Press Conference". Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  11. ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (2009-04-04). "NBC unveils new programs for fall". Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  12. ^ Weprin, Alex (2009-05-04). "E! Expects Joel McHale To Stay On 'Soup'". Retrieved 2009-05-04.
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