Ferrell was born and raised in Irvine, California, the son of Kay (née Overman), a teacher, and Lee Ferrell, a keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers. He has Irish ancestry. He first attended elementary school at Turtle Rock Elementary School, and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine, CA. He attended University High School in Irvine, CA, and was a kicker for the school's Read more...

Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful 7 year tenure.

During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included:

His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle, music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Read more...

During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.

His first starring role came after his departure from SNL with Frank "The Tank" Ricard in Old School (2003). The Read more...