Line #49 Creator/WillFerrell


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WillFerrell_7180.jpg]]
2
3	->''"When you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, you find yourself with a Will Ferrell."''
4	-->--'''President Business''' ([[SelfDeprecation voiced by Will Ferrell]]) in "Behind the Bricks", ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie''
5
6	One of the most successful ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' alumni since Creator/AdamSandler, John William "Will" Ferrell (born July 16, 1967 in Irvine, California) is a [[{{Comedy}} comedic]] actor well known for his ability to say, do, and bear witness to the craziest things with a totally straight face, although he is certainly quite capable of [[LargeHam hamming it up]]. His popularity on ''SNL'' (during the show's third golden age when Creator/LorneMichaels once again had to save his show from cancellation following the harsh criticism and low ratings of the show's 20th season by firing long-standing/poorly-performing cast members, keeping in the stand-out performers, and hiring some new blood -- both on and off-set) ensured that he would become a box-office juggernaut in the world of funny movies. He is also part of the Creator/FratPack.
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8	On ''SNL'', his recurring characters include Baron Nocturna from "Goth Talk," Frank Henderson (a dad who threatens his kids with horrible punishments if they don't get off his shed), Jacob Silj (a man who has NoIndoorVoice due to a medical condition), Gene Frenkle (Music/BlueOysterCult's cowbell player), Terrence Maddox (a drifter who poses nude for art classes), Roger Klavin (one half of The Luvahs), Marty Culp (one half of the singing Culp couple), and Steve Butabi (one half of the Roxbury Brothers). His most memorable celebrity impressions include Creator/AlexTrebek, Harry Caray, James Lipton, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush (which, sadly, he didn't get to play for all eight years of Bush, Jr.'s administration[[note]]He did play him when Ferrell came back to host and on some post-''SNL'' projects, but after Ferrell left in 2002, Chris Parnell, Darrell Hammond, Will Forte, and Jason Sudeikis were hired to fill the void, which garnered a lot of mixed reactions from fans[[/note]]), Kenneth Starr, Neil Diamond, Robert Goulet, and Janet Reno. [[CelebrityResemblance And no, not]] [[Music/RedHotChiliPeppers Chad Smith]].
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10	With his creative partner/former SNL writer Adam [=McKay=] he runs a production company [[http://www.garysanchezprods.com/ Gary Sanchez Productions]] [[note]] Named after a fictional Paraguayan financier. [=McKay=] later explained that Gary Sanchez was a fake name in Ferrell's Blackberry, and they decided it was a random enough name to give to the company. [[/note]] as well as the popular website Creator/FunnyOrDie. On January 7, 2016, Will Ferrell was announced as a new minority partner of UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer expansion club Los Angeles FC.
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12	His wife since 2000, Viveca Paulin, is an actress in her own right.
13	----
14	!! Filmography:
15
16	!!! Film
17	* ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery'' (1997) - Mustafa
18	** ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) - Mustafa
19	* ''Film/ANightAtTheRoxbury'' (1998; [[TheMovie adapted]] from his SNL routine with Chris Kattan) - Steve Butabi
20	* ''Film/{{Dick}}'' (1999) - Creator/BobWoodward
21	* ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'' (2001) - Mugatu
22	** ''[[{{Film/Zoolander2}} Zoolander 2]]'' (2016) - Mugatu
23	* ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'' (2001) - Federal Wildlife Marshall Willenholly
24	* ''Film/OldSchool'' (2003) - Frank "The Tank" Rickard
25	* ''Film/{{Elf}}'' (2003) - Buddy
26	* ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'' (2004) - Ron Burgundy
27	** ''Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie'' (2004) - Ron Burgundy
28	** ''Film/Anchorman2TheLegendContinues'' (2013) - Ron Burgundy
29	* ''Film/WeddingCrashers'' (2005) - Chazz Reinhold
30	* ''Film/KickingAndScreaming'' (2005) - Phil Weston
31	* ''Film/TheProducers'' (2005) - Franz Liebkind
32	* ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'' (2005) - Jack Wyatt
33	* ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'' (2006) - Harold Crick
34	* ''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' (2006) - Ricky Bobby
35	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Curious George\|2006}}'' (2006) - Ted
36	* ''Film/BladesOfGlory'' (2007) - Chazz Michael Michaels
37	* ''Film/SemiPro'' (2008) - Jackie Moon
38	* ''Film/StepBrothers'' (2008) - Brennan Huff
39	* ''Film/LandOfTheLost'' (2009) - Rick Marshall
40	* ''Film/TheOtherGuys'' (2010) - Allen Gamble
41	* ''Film/EverythingMustGo'' (2010) - Nick Hasley
42	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' (2010) - Megamind
43	* ''Film/CasaDeMiPadre'' (2012) - Armando Alvarez
44	* ''Film/TheCampaign'' (2012) - Cam Brady
45	* ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters'' (2013, producer)
46	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'' (2014) - President/Lord Business [[spoiler:and "The Man Upstairs"/Finn's dad in the real world]]
47	* ''Film/GetHard'' (2015) - James King
48	* ''Film/DaddysHome'' (2015) - Brad Whittaker
49	** ''[[Film/DaddysHome Daddy's Home 2]]'' (2017) - Brad Whittaker
50	* ''Film/TheHouse'' (2017) - Scott Johansen
51	* ''Film/HolmesAndWatson'' (2018) - Franchise/SherlockHolmes
52	* ''Film/EurovisionSongContestTheStoryOfFireSaga'' (2020) - as Lars Erickssong
53	* ''Film/BarbAndStarGoToVistaDelMar'' (2021, producer)
54	* ''Film/TheMenu'' (2022, producer)
55	* ''Film/{{Spirited\|2022}}'' (2022) - as [[Literature/AChristmasCarol The Ghost of Christmas Present]]/[[spoiler:Ebenezer Scrooge]]
56	* ''Film/{{Strays\|2023}}'' (2023) - as Reggie
57	* ''[[Film/Barbie2023 Barbie]]'' (2023) - as the [=CEO=] of Creator/{{Mattel}}
58	* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe4'' (2024)
59
60	!!! Television
61	* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' - (1995-2002 with a brief return in 2015 for the 40th anniversary special)
62	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOblongs'' (2001-2002) - Bob Oblong
63	* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' - (2011) - Deangelo Vickers
64	* ''Series/TheSpoilsOfBabylon'' (2014) - Eric Jonrosh
65	* ''Series/WelcomeToSweden'' (2014) - Himself
66	* ''Series/{{The Spoils Before Dying}}'' (2015) - Eric Jonrosh
67	* ''A Deadly Adoption'' (2015) - Robert Benson
68	* ''Series/{{Succession}}'' (2018-present, executive producer)
69	* ''Series/TheShrinkNextDoor'' (2021) - Marty Markowitz
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71	!!! Theatre
72	* ''You're Welcome, America: A Final Night With George W. Bush'' (2009) - George W. Bush. Later filmed as a TV special.
73
74	!!! Web Original
75	* ''The Ron Burgundy Podcast'' (2019)
76
77	!! You stay classy, TV Tropes:
78	* BreakTheHaughty: Often plays characters who appear tough or have an air of maturity, only to break down in over-the-top anguish when things don't go their way. [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]], [[Film/SemiPro Jackie Moon]], [[Film/StepBrothers Brennan Huff]], [[Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby Ricky Bobby]] and [[Film/BladesOfGlory Chazz Michal Michaels]] are only a few examples.
79	* BromanticComedy: One of the many actors who popularized in this kind of movie in the 2000s.
80	* TheComicallySerious: When he's not ChewingTheScenery, he's saying the most ridiculous lines or performing in the most absurd situations imaginable with stone-serious conviction. Highlights include his impression of both Creator/AlexTrebek and [[Series/InsideTheActorsStudio James Lipton]] on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive,'' the former of whom would remain in a constant state of TranquilFury amidst his outrageous celebrity guests while the latter would wear a perpetual face of awe without the slightest facial twitch (an in one instance, stayed ''completely still'' for several seconds as the audience howled).
81	* CareerResurrection: After 2009's flop ''Film/LandOfTheLost'', he wasn't as popular as his peers until the critically-praised ''Film/Anchorman2TheLegendContinues''.
82	* HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: There'll usually be at least one scene in each of his movies where he's allowed to "go off" and do whatever he wants.
83	* HiddenDepths: Considering the [[ManChild basic]] [[{{Keet}} personality]] that is displayed in most of his movies, ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'' is often thought of as exposing this for him.
84	** Watch him sing opera in ''Film/StepBrothers''. It's awesome.
85	** In ''Film/EverythingMustGo'', he plays a tragically realistic version of TheAlcoholic.
86	** Of all things, his vocal work in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' counts. He manages to make the dramatic scenes effective despite his over-the-top cadence.
87	* InelegantBlubbering: A common trait of his {{manchild}} characters. [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy "I'M IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION!!"]]
88	* {{Jerkass}}: His typical characters are, at best, woefully immature and, at worst, ''willfully'' immature.
89	* TheLadette: His portrayal of Janet Reno is summed up with his catchphrase.
90	-->'''Janet Reno''': ''(in his deepest voice)'' "It's time to eat it, Reno style."
91	* LargeHam: His main forte.
92	* ManChild: His most common role, to the point that many of them have some sort of FreudianExcuse: for example, [[Film/{{Elf}} Buddy]] was raised by Christmas elves and, therefore, doesn't know how to function as a human adult while [[Film/StepBrothers Brennan Huff]] is a man who still lives with his mother despite pushing 40. Most of his other characters of this nature, however, are just too egotistical ''not'' to be immature.
93	* MinorInjuryOverreaction: When most of your characters are hammy adult-children prone to InelegantBlubbering, this is typically the cause. The "HELP ME, JESUS!" bit from ''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' is perhaps the most obvious example, as his character runs around screaming that he's burning alive after a ''minor car accident'' with minimal damage to the vehicle itself.
94	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: He seems to enjoy this trope.
95	** An SNL sketch (on the season 27 episode hosted by Seann William Scott) was framed entirely around Ferrell in a [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead flag emblazoned]] g-string... which accidentally snapped apart on-camera (thankfully, he had padding on underneath). He later appeared on ''Conan'' wearing a similar outfit, with [[CringeComedy expected results]].
96	** ''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' sees him running around in tighty-whitey briefs, while ''Film/OldSchool'' famously has a scene where his character goes streaking, with a clear view of his naked ass.
97	* OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt: [[http://www.playboy.com/articles/the-jekyll-and-hide-career-of-deadly-adoption-star-will-ferrell This article]] talks about his dual existence as an SNL alumni who makes broad, overly-commercial movies while also being a producer of various offbeat QuirkyWork.
98	* OnlySaneMan: If he's not playing idiot [[ManChild man-children]] or egotistical jerks, he's usually playing these. Alex Trebek from SNL's ''Celebrity Jeopardy'' skits is a prime example, as he tries to keep the game running while dealing with idiots and jerks with a perpetual demeanor of TranquilFury.
99	* PlayingAgainstType: In ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'', ''Film/{{Elf}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', and ''Film/DaddysHome''. Also playing the ever-frustrated straightman Alex Trebek in the SNL ''Celebrity Jeopardy!'' skits.
100	* PoesLaw: ''A Deadly Adoption'', which he starred in with Kristen Wiig. It may or may not have been a parody of the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek.
101	* ProductionPosse: Along with many members of the Creator/FratPack, he has collaborated with Creator/ToddPhillips twice.
102	* PromotedFanboy: His Sweedish-born wife turned him onto the Series/EurovisionSongContest early in their relationship, and he became such a huge fan that he eventually co-wrote and starred in a movie based on it.
103	* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic: He's described by Creator/KevinSmith as "the king of the unfinished thought"--a lot of his performances are characterized by deliberately awkward, stilted lines to indicate that the character isn't quite all there.
104	* RunningGag: The waterskiing squirrel, from ''Anchorman'' to ''Megamind''.
105	* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Does this for many of his roles. And by many, we mean most.
106	* SeventiesHair: His default hairstyle is a curly blonde "white afro." He grew it out for ''Film/SemiPro'', though he has a much slicker look for the ''Anchorman'' films, both of which are justified in that they're set in the '70s.
107	* StarMakingRole: Depending on who you ask, either ''Film/{{Elf}}'' or ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy''. The former proved he could carry a feature, but the latter is what made him a star.
108	* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: A lot of his characters end up getting hurt or humiliated in numerous ways, but that's usually their own fault.

Context Creator / WillFerrell