Will Forte
Will Forte | |
---|---|
Born | Orville Willis Forte IV June 17, 1970 Alameda, California, U.S. |
Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1997–present |
Spouse |
Olivia Modling (m. 2021) |
Children | 1 |
Orville Willis Forte IV (/ˈfɔːrteɪ/ FOR-tay;[1] born June 17, 1970[2]) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. During his time on the show, he played a recurring character that led to a feature film adaptation, MacGruber (2010), and a streaming television limited series in 2021. Forte also created and starred in the sitcom The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018). For the series, he received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations: two for acting and one for writing.
After obtaining a history degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and becoming a financial broker like his father, Forte changed his career path to comedy and took classes with the improv group The Groundlings. He worked as a writer and producer on 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show, before joining Saturday Night Live. Forte played various roles in comedy films, before starring in the drama film Nebraska (2013). He has provided voice-work for the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films (2009–2013), My Life as a Courgette, Get Squirrely (2016), Luis & the Aliens (2018), The Willoughbys and Scoob! (2020), also voicing Eddy in Disney XD's Lab Rats, and Abraham Lincoln in Clone High (2002–2003, 2023–2024), The Lego Movie films (2014–2019), Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops (2014), America: The Motion Picture (2021), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) and Sausage Party: Foodtopia (2024–present).
Early life
[edit]Orville Willis Forte IV[3] was born in Alameda, California on June 17, 1970.[4] The son of artist and former schoolteacher Patricia C. (née Stivers)[5][6] and financial broker Orville Willis "Reb" Forte III.[3] He was raised in Moraga before moving to Lafayette at age 13.[7] He went by "Billy" in his early years until he was teased at school for it also being a girl's name, at which point he decided he would from then on be known as "Will".[8] Forte described himself as having been a "really happy little boy" whose parents were "wonderful" and created a "very loving environment".[9] He was interested in comedy from a young age, growing up idolizing comedians Peter Sellers, David Letterman, and Steve Martin, as well as the sketch-comedy television series Saturday Night Live.[10] He often pulled pranks on his parents,[10] and would record himself performing imaginary radio shows. He did not aim to be a comedian, but initially wanted to become a football player.[9]
Forte was "a laid-back teen with a lot of friends", and a member of the varsity football and swim teams at Acalanes High School, where he graduated in 1988. He was voted "Best Personality" by his graduating class and served as freshman class president.[8][11] He had no ambitions for a television or film career, though his mother noticed a "creative streak" in him. Following high school, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and completed a degree in history.[12] Forte wanted to become a financial broker like his father at Smith Barney Shearson, but felt "miserable" there.[8] He co-wrote a feature-length script while there,[9] and later said that he discovered he loved writing "more than anything [he] had ever done in [his] life".[8] He had been encouraged to attempt comedy during his years at university, and he decided to change his career path to do so.[13]
Career
[edit]Forte began taking classes at the Groundlings in Los Angeles, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school, while tutoring children to make ends meet. His first successful foray into comedy was 101 Things to Definitely Not Do If You Want to Get a Chick, a comic book he produced about incompetent men.[10] The comics landed him his first professional job writing for The Jenny McCarthy Show, a short-lived variety show starring Jenny McCarthy. Shortly thereafter, he was asked to submit a packet to the Late Show with David Letterman and was told Letterman responded favorably to animation.[10] After only nine months at Letterman, he was "let go" from the job. He recalled his stint on the program as unpleasant, noting that he did not have enough experience in writing.[14] "What an honor to work at that show but I don't think I was fully mentally prepared. [...] I always wonder what it would be like if I'd had a couple more years of experience before going there."[15]
Forte left New York and returned to Los Angeles, where he began performing with the Groundlings' Main Company, with Cheryl Hines, Jim Rash and Maya Rudolph.[9] He tried stand-up comedy three times, mostly at open mic nights, but quit after being voted into the Main Company.[9] He joined the writing teams of two failed sitcoms, including The Army Show and Action. Forte got jobs writing for 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show. He loved writing and had mostly given up on acting, aside from acting with the Groundlings.[9] While performing with the troupe in 2001, he was spotted by Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Forte felt his confidence was higher than usual, as That '70s Show had been picked up for two more years.[9] He was invited to audition for SNL, which he regarded as unexpected.[14]
At his audition for SNL, he performed multiple original characters, including Tim Calhoun, a speed reader, a prison guard, in addition to impressions of singer Michael McDonald and actor Martin Sheen.[9] His final character was an older piece from his days with the Groundlings, in which he portrays a gold-painted street performer who performs fellatio to pay for his face paint, which devolves into a song needlessly uttering the words "cock" and "face paint" dozens of times.[14] He felt his time to shine as a performer was already over, as he was in his thirties when he auditioned.[8] To his surprise, he was offered a chance to be on the show, but declined, opting instead for the financial stability of his work at That '70s Show.[16] He felt working for SNL could not live up to the idealized version he had dreamed of, but he later realized he would be making a mistake.[15][17]
After Will Ferrell left Saturday Night Live the following spring, Forte joined the cast, premiering at the beginning of the show's twenty-eighth season in the autumn. He was promoted to repertory player after his first year.[13] His early years on the program were characterized by stage fright and an inability to properly interpret sketches that he did not write himself.[17] He had to "re-learn" how to perform after years as a writer, and later felt his natural tendency to "overthink" things improved his performance.[15] He was particularly uncomfortable portraying President George W. Bush, as he felt he was not the best impressionist and it paled in comparison to Ferrell's impersonation of Bush.[18] His only role was often Bush, leaving him no chance for more "absurd" pieces he favored. He was nearly fired from the program following his third season (2004–05), but after two three-week extensions to decide his fate, he was brought back.[17] Forte estimated it took five seasons for him to feel fully comfortable performing on the show.[19] He made his film debut in Around the World in 80 Days.[20]
"I've always liked weirder stuff. My main thing on SNL was that I was never gonna change my sensibility to get on TV—I was just gonna write what I liked writing and hopefully have a hit on that show somewhere."
His humor at SNL has been described as bizarre,[14] and he became known for many "10-to-1" sketches—pieces that were considered odd, placed at the very end of the show. He was also well known for his characters Tim Calhoun, Greg Stink, and the Falconer. Forte's favorite sketch on the show was one in which he played a motivational coach alongside football star Peyton Manning.[13] He also co-starred with Andy Samberg in the first SNL Digital Short, "Lettuce". He often spent long hours crafting his sketches for the program, missing deadlines, but his pieces were often greeted warmly at table reads.[16][17] During his time at the show, he co-starred in and wrote the 2007 film The Brothers Solomon. The film was originally a pilot for Carsey-Werner, and its creation was an extension of his agreement to terminate his contract to appear on SNL.[21]
Forte's best-known character on SNL was MacGruber, a special operations agent who is tasked in each episode with deactivating a ticking bomb but becomes distracted by personal issues. The sketches were based on the television series MacGyver. It was created by writer Jorma Taccone, who pitched the idea relentlessly to Forte.[18] He was initially reluctant to commit to the sketch, deeming it too dumb, but accepted after persuasion from Taccone.[22] The first sketch aired in January 2007, and led to multiple more segments in the following years. In 2009, the sketches were spun off into a series of commercials sponsored by Pepsi premiering during Super Bowl XLIII that featured the actor behind MacGyver, Richard Dean Anderson, as MacGruber's father. The advertisements led the character and sketches to receive a wider level of popularity.[22] Following the success of the advertisements, creator Lorne Michaels approached Forte, Taccone, and writer John Solomon with the idea to produce a MacGruber film.[23]
Regarding his experiences on SNL, Forte remarked, "Looking back, the experience is something I'll never forget. I still miss it, and I'll always miss it. That's my family."[19] His celebrity impressions included George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, John Edwards, Timothy Geithner, Newt Gingrich, Chad Lowe, Zell Miller, David Petraeus, Harry Reid, Brian Williams and Hu Jintao.[24]
In the summer of 2009, MacGruber was shot on a tight schedule for four weeks in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[22][25] It was written while simultaneously producing the weekly episode of SNL, and the show's production process left the trio deprived of sleep.[26] Forte was positive regarding the film, saying,
What you see with this movie is exactly what we wanted to do. It's the three of us having a bunch of fun writing it, then having fun making it with a bunch of our friends—old friends and new friends. I think that fun comes across when you watch it. It's rare that you get that kind of creative freedom.[18]
The film was released in May 2010 and received mixed reviews.[27] It fared worse at the box office, where it failed to recoup its budget and was pulled from theaters after its third week.[28] Forte found the failure tolerable, commenting, "When you make something that you're really proud of and it doesn't do well, you can live with it."[17] The film has since seen more positive reception and has been dubbed a cult classic.[29][30]
Forte left Saturday Night Live shortly before the beginning of the show's thirty-sixth season in 2010. He felt it the "right time to go", considering his eight-year tenure there, his expansion into film with MacGruber, and his age. In addition, his sister had just had children and he wanted to move to the West Coast to be closer to them.[13] He soon regretted the decision, calling the following year an "emotionally trying period", as he felt "devastated" that he would no longer be on the program.[10] He assumed his shot at a film career was ruined,[17] and he imagined that if acting did not work out, he would return to writing primarily.[10] Following this, he entered what he has called a "lost period"[14] and had small supporting roles, such as Rock of Ages, That's My Boy and The Watch, all of which were not successful.[14] The only commercial successful film he worked on was Grown Ups 2, where he made a cameo as a male cheerleader.[14] He also took a role as Paul L'astnamé, the cross-dressing boyfriend of Jenna Maroney on the critically acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock.[14]
Forte took his first dramatic role for the 2013 film Run & Jump. Director Steph Green offered him the part, and Forte imagined it a "fun thing to try", though he noted that she had more confidence in him than he had himself.[13] Later, he sent an audition tape to Alexander Payne for a role in his next film, Nebraska.[13] He equated his casting in the film to his fear of joining SNL a decade prior, noting that he was "terrified" to begin working on it.[14] He felt scared initially, but followed Bruce Dern's acting advice to "look for the truth" in each scene—in other words, "In every scene, you're just trying to play it as honestly and as real as you can."[15]
Forte began working on The Last Man on Earth, a sitcom, with longtime collaborators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in 2013. Though it was the duo's idea, Forte attached himself to the concept, crafting a treatment over a weekend. The series was pitched around Hollywood to positive responses and was picked up in 2014 by Fox.[31] Forte serves as the series' creator, a writer, the lead role, and showrunner for the first season. He felt odd being in charge of its writing team (composed of longtime friends), and awkward at delegating tasks, so much so that he would end up doing the work himself.[15] Being a showrunner "truly was an amount of work I never knew existed," he said, which involved him working a "minimum of 12 hours" daily.[32] The series premiered in 2015 to positive responses,[33] and was renewed for the next three seasons.[34]
In 2016, Forte played Hulka, a low-level weed dealer, in the comedy Keanu, starring Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key.[35] In 2018, he played National Lampoon magazine co-founder Douglas Kenney in the Netflix biographical film A Futile and Stupid Gesture.[36] The film was directed by David Wain and also features Domhnall Gleeson as co-founder Henry Beard.[37] Forte voiced Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo film Scoob!.[38]
In 2021, Forte starred in Sweet Tooth, reprised his role as MacGruber in a TV series on Peacock, and began voicing Wolf Tobin in the animated sitcom The Great North. In 2022, it was announced that Forte had a leading role for Disney and Pixar's first animated television series Win or Lose. It is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2025.[39] He voiced an older version of the titular character in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
Other work
[edit]Forte is a supporter of the camp Wampler's Kids and recorded a promotional piece at SNL with Edgar Hernandez of City Heights, a neighborhood in San Diego, CA. Forte was a childhood friend of founder Steven Wampler[40] and previously the national spokesman for SciEyes, a non-profit organization created to support research, training and public education in stem cell biology and to further the field by recognizing and supporting its potential for creating new therapies for the treatment of blinding and debilitating eye diseases.[41] He was a primary donor towards the establishment of a research fellowship for third-year medical students at Duke Medical Center.[42] He serves on the board of directors of the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness.[43]
Personal life
[edit]Forte resides in Santa Monica, California. He purchased his home there just two weeks before joining the cast of Saturday Night Live, which required him to move to New York City, and later admitted that "it was not the greatest timing".[5] He dated his Last Man on Earth co-star January Jones in 2015.[44] In 2019, he became engaged to Olivia Modling, whom he met in 2018.[44] They have a daughter, born in February 2021. He and Modling married on July 31, 2021.[45]
Forte's mother has visited every film set on which he has worked and made an appearance on a Mother's Day episode of SNL, in which he sang a song to her on Weekend Update. He also officiated his sister Michelle's wedding, and filmed the birth of his niece and nephew.[46]
Forte has discussed and joked about his OCD tendencies.[47][5] He recounted listening to only one song in his office at SNL for an entire year because he wanted to challenge himself.[48] During an interview with Larry King, he discussed his OCD as a challenge he had to overcome but not one he wished he did not have, as it is a part of his personality.[49][50] In a February 2015 feature on him and his show The Last Man on Earth, the writer of the article said that Forte mentioned OCD often but it was not clear if he had ever been formally diagnosed, though Forte related how he and a former girlfriend had gone through an OCD questionnaire and it concluded that Forte "should immediately talk to someone about this".[47]
Forte is an exceptional gamer. In 2008, while filming A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy, Forte attained one of the world's highest scores on the arcade version of Donkey Kong.[51]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]† | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Around the World in 80 Days | Young Bobby | |
2006 | Beerfest | Otto | |
2007 | The Brothers Solomon | Dean Solomon | Also writer |
2008 | Baby Mama | Scott | |
2009 | The Slammin' Salmon | Horace the Lone Diner | Cameo |
2009 | Brief Interviews with Hideous Men | Subject #72 | |
2009 | Dry Cleaner | Stefan Gucci | |
2009 | Fanboys | THX Security Guard #4 | |
2009 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | Joe Towne (voice) | |
2010 | MacGruber | MacGruber | Also writer |
2011 | A Good Old Fashioned Orgy | Glenn | |
2012 | Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie | Allen Bishopman | |
2012 | Rock of Ages | Mitch Miley | |
2012 | That's My Boy | Phil | |
2012 | The Watch | Sergeant Bressman | |
2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Male Cheerleader | Uncredited cameo |
2013 | Run & Jump | Ted | |
2013 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Chester V (voice) | |
2013 | Life of Crime | Marshall Taylor | |
2013 | Nebraska | David Grant | |
2014 | The Lego Movie | Abraham Lincoln (voice) | |
2014 | 22 Jump Street | Football Announcer (voice) | Uncredited |
2014 | Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops | Abraham Lincoln (voice) | Short film |
2014 | She's Funny That Way | Joshua Fleet | |
2015 | Don Verdean | Pastor Fontaine | |
2015 | Staten Island Summer | Griffith | |
2015 | The Ridiculous 6 | Will Patch | |
2015 | Get Squirrely | Cody (voice) | |
2016 | Keanu | Hulka | |
2016 | Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | Bagpipe Player | Cameo |
2017 | My Life as a Courgette | Mr. Paul (voice) | English dub |
2018 | A Futile and Stupid Gesture | Doug Kenney | |
2018 | Luis and the Aliens | Nag (voice) | English dub |
2019 | The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part | Abraham Lincoln (voice) | |
2019 | Extra Ordinary | Christian Winter | |
2019 | Booksmart | Doug Antsler | |
2019 | Good Boys | Andrew Newman (Max's Dad) | |
2019 | The Laundromat | Doomed Gringo #1 | |
2020 | The Willoughbys | Tim Willoughby (voice) | |
2020 | Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics | Himself | Documentary |
2020 | Scoob! | Shaggy Rogers (voice) | [52] |
2020 | Drunk Bus | Fred | Uncredited |
2021 | America: The Motion Picture | Abraham Lincoln (voice) | |
2022 | Studio 666 | Restaurant Delivery Guy (Darren Sandelbaum) | |
2022 | Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Ben Scotti | |
2023 | Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken | Captain Gordon Lighthouse (voice) | |
2023 | Strays | Doug | |
2024 | Thelma the Unicorn | Otis (voice) | [53] |
2025 | Kinda Pregnant † | Post-production[54] | |
N/A | Coyote vs. Acme† | Wile E. Coyote's lawyer [55] | Unreleased |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Late Show with David Letterman | Snow Shovel Murder Victim (uncredited) | Episode: "Robert Pastorelli/Craig Kilborn/Live"; also writer |
2002–2010 | Saturday Night Live | Various roles | 157 episodes |
2002–2024 | Clone High | Abe Lincoln (voice) | 19 episodes |
2006 | Campus Ladies | Stuart | 2 episodes |
2006 | Drawn Together | Kirk Cameron (voice) | Episode: "Lost in Parking Space: Part One" |
2006 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | Alien (voice) | Episode: "Antenna" |
2007 | Flight of the Conchords | Ben | Episode: "The Actor" |
2007 | Tim and Eric Nite Live! | Emanuel Melly | Episode #1.5 |
2007, 2010–2012 | 30 Rock | Tomas / Paul L'astnamé | 13 episodes |
2007–2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Various roles | 6 episodes |
2008 | Young Person's Guide to History | Comte de Buffon the Frenchman | Episode #1.1 |
2008, 2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Randy Wharmpess | 2 episodes |
2009 | Sit Down, Shut Up | Stuart Proszakian (voice) | 13 episodes |
2009–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Principal Wally Farquhare / Various voices | 22 episodes |
2009–2015 | American Dad! | Various voices | 6 episodes |
2010 | The Life & Times of Tim | Chipper (voice) | Episode: "Unjustly Neglected Drama" |
2010 | WWE Raw | MacGruber | 1 episode |
2010 | Funny or Die Presents | Cast (Scott & Behr) / Sleeping Celebrity | 2 episodes |
2010 | Squidbillies | Tom Treebow | Episode: "Lean Green Touchdown Makifying Machine" |
2010–2013 | Conan | Ted Turner | 14 episodes |
2011 | Parks and Recreation | Kelly Larson | Episode: "Time Capsule" |
2011 | Allen Gregory | Ian / Stuart Rossmyre / Sid Lampis (voices) | 7 episodes |
2011, 2012 | Up All Night | Reed | 3 episodes |
2011, 2015 | The League | Chuck | 2 episodes |
2012, 2013 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Chet Barnsider / Felix Dewhurst | 2 episodes |
2012–2015 | Lab Rats | Eddy (voice) / Human Eddy | 20 episodes |
2012–2016 | Gravity Falls | Tyler Cutebiker (voice) | 13 episodes |
2013 | Drunk History | Edwin Booth | Episode: "Washington D.C." |
2013–2014 | Kroll Show | Various roles | 3 episodes |
2013–2022 | Bob's Burgers | Kurt / Mr. Grant (voices) | 8 episodes |
2014–2015 | The Awesomes | Malocchio Jr. (voice) | 10 episodes |
2014–2022 | The Simpsons | King Toot (voice) | 3 episodes |
2015 | 7 Days in Hell | Sandy Pickard | Television film |
2015 | Moonbeam City | Rad Cunningham (voice) | 10 episodes |
2015–2018 | The Last Man on Earth | Philip Tandy "Phil" Miller | 65 episodes; also creator, writer and executive producer |
2016 | Maya & Marty | Various | Episode: "Will Forte, Amy Poehler and Jerry Seinfeld" |
2017 | Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special | Michael Fulton | Variety special |
2017 | Tour de Pharmacy | Police Officer | Television film |
2017 | Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories | Will | Episode: "The Demotion" |
2019 | Future Man | CASSIN-E (voice) | Episode: "The I of the Tiger" |
2019 | I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Old Man on Plane | Episode: "Thanks for Thinking They Are Cool" |
2019 | Alien News Desk | Drexx Drudlarr (voice) | 12 episodes[56][57] |
2019 | Crank Yankers | Himself (voice) | 2 episodes |
2020 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Himself | Contestant; 2 episodes |
2020 | The Shivering Truth | (voice) | Episode: "Holeways" |
2020 | Flipped | Jann Melfi | 11 episodes |
2020 | Hoops | Dawa (voice) | Episode: "Zen" |
2020, 2022 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Sea Captain (voice) | Uncredited |
2021 | No Activity | Dirk (voice) | 7 episodes |
2021 | Sweet Tooth | Pubba | 3 episodes |
2021 | Chicago Party Aunt | (voice) | Episode: "Emergency Contact" |
2021 | MacGruber | MacGruber | Main role; executive producer |
2021–present | The Great North | Wolf Tobin (voice) | Main role; 41 episodes |
2021–2023 | HouseBroken | Shel (voice) | Main role |
2022 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Will Forte/Måneskin" |
2022 | The Afterparty | Himself | Special guest star: "Aniq" and "Maggie" |
2022, 2025 | Studio C | Himself | 2 Episodes |
2022 | The Kids in the Hall | Aaron | Episode 4 |
2022 | Rick and Morty | Eugene Michael Piss / Pissmaster (voice) | Episode: "Analyze Piss" |
2023 | Scott Pilgrim Takes Off | Old Scott Pilgrim (voice) | 2 episodes |
2023 | Krapopolis | Pants Guy (voice) | Episode: "Dungeons and Deliria" |
2024 | Bodkin | Gilbert Power | Main role |
2024 | That '90s Show | Kiefer | |
2024 | Sausage Party: Foodtopia | Jack (voice) | Main role |
2024 | Gremlins: The Wild Batch | Warden of Alcatraz (voice) | [58] |
2025 | Win or Lose † | Coach Dan (voice) | Main role; Upcoming series[39] |
Music videos
[edit]Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | "Hopeless Wanderer" | Mumford & Sons | [59] |
2022 | "Past Life" | Arkells | [60] |
Video games
[edit]Year | Title | Voice role |
---|---|---|
2009 | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned | Martin Serious |
Web
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Kevin Pollak's Chat Show | Himself/Guest | Episode: "210" |
Crew work
[edit]Year | Title | Position |
---|---|---|
1997 | The Jenny McCarthy Show | Writer |
1997–1998 | Late Show with David Letterman | Writer |
1998 | The Army Show | Writer |
1999–2000 | Action | Writer |
1999–2001 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Writer |
2000 | God, the Devil and Bob | Writer |
2001–2003 | That '70s Show | Writer and producer |
2007 | The Brothers Solomon | Writer |
2008 | Extreme Movie | Writer |
2010 | MacGruber | Writer |
2015–2018 | The Last Man on Earth | Creator, writer and executive producer |
2019 | Alien News Desk | Consulting producer |
Awards and nominations
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Random Object Jingles with Will Forte". YouTube. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 11–17". AP News. June 5, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Television production). April 8, 2020. 49 minutes in. Jimmy Kimmel: "Is Reb your full name?" Reb Forte: "My full name of Orville Willis Forte III. He's Orville Willis Forte IV."
- ^ "Will Forte gets 'Extra Ordinary,' Dan Scanlon moves 'Onward'". The San Francisco Examiner. February 27, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
...Forte, who was born in Alameda...
- ^ a b c Miller, Julie (April 2015). "By His Own Admission, Will Forte is "A Little O.C.D." About His Shampoo Routine". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905–1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: 2005
- ^ Pereira, Alyssa (April 18, 2019). "SNL alum Will Forte on growing up in Lafayette: 'I feel like I was my best self in high school'". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Crooks, Peter (March 19, 2010). "Will Power". Diablo. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Maron, Marc (Interviewer); Forte, Will (Interviewee) (January 9, 2014). Episode 460 - Will Forte (Podcast). Archived from the original (mp3) on January 11, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Yuan, Jada (May 5, 2015). "25 Things You Learn About Will Forte From Hanging Out With Him". Vulture. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ The Mortified Session, TV interview, Sundance Channel
- ^ "Alumni". Lambda Chi Alpha at UCLA. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Stern, Marlow (April 25, 2013). "Will Forte: From 'SNL' to Star of 'Run and Jump' and 'Nebraska'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ryan, Mike (December 5, 2013). "With 'Nebraska,' Will Forte Leaves MacGruber Behind". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Berkowitz, Joe (May 1, 2015). "How Being Terrified Helped Last Man on Earth Will Forte Kill on SNL, Sitcoms, and Films". Fast Company. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Yuan, Jada (May 1, 2015). "Will Forte on Last Man on Earth's Second Season, Tabloid Fame, and His Fun Kind of OCD". Vulture. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Hyden, Steven (February 27, 2015). "Will Forte Can't Stop (and He Hopes That Doesn't Bother Anyone)". Grantland.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c O'Neal, Sean (May 21, 2010). "Will Forte". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Shales & Miller 2002, pp. 576–577.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (June 15, 2004). "Around the World in 80 Days". Variety. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "The Brothers Solomon - Production Notes". CinemaReview.com. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c Barney, Chuck (May 19, 2010). "'SNL'/ 'MacGruber' star Will Forte is a soldier of fortune". PopMatters. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Rich, Katey (May 19, 2010). "Interview: MacGruber's Will Forte And Jorma Taccone". CinemaBlend. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ "C-SPAN: Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Obama Press Conference". NBC. Saturday Night Live. November 21, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ Douglas, Edward (May 19, 2010). "Exclusive: Will Forte and Jorma Taccone on MacGruber!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Steven James Snyder (May 21, 2010). "Only 6 Questions Left MacGruber! The Will Forte Interview". Time. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ MacGruber at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Hayne, Tim (July 19, 2010). "10 Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)". Parade.
- ^ Schmidlin, Charlie (September 21, 2012). "'MacGruber' Director Jorma Taccone To Helm New Line Action-Comedy 'Spy Guys'". IndieWire. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (February 27, 2015). "Will Forte Says 'MacGruber 2′ Is 'Priority No. 1′ Behind New Fox Show 'Last Man on Earth'". Yahoo!. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ Murphy, Mekado (March 1, 2015). "Phil Lord and Chris Miller on Maintaining Mystery in 'The Last Man on Earth'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ Goble, Corban (March 2, 2015). "Will Forte on His Unusual New Sitcom, The Last Man on Earth". Vulture. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "The Last Man on Earth Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (April 8, 2015). "Last Man on Earth Scores Super-Quick Season 2 Renewal at Fox". TVLine. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 28, 2017). "Will Forte to Co-Star With Key and Peele in Comedy 'Keanu' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 16, 2016). "Will Forte to Star as 'National Lampoon' Co-Founder in Netflix Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 4, 2016). "Domhnall Gleeson To Play National Lampoon Co-Founder In Netflix Film 'A Futile And Stupid Gesture'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 22, 2019). "Warner Bros' Animated Scooby-Doo Finds Its Fred & Daphne In Zac Efron & Amanda Seyfried". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ a b White, Peter (September 9, 2022). "Will Forte To Star In 'Win Or Lose', Pixar's First Longform Series For Disney+". Deadline. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Will Forte Promotes Wampler Kids". May 28, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2013 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Researcher Uses Stem Cells on Eye Disease". Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ "SNL Comedian Launches Stem Cell Research Fellowship at Duke Medical Center". Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ Rosen, Jeremy (March 13, 2008). "NPACH Staff And Board Of Directors". NPACH.org. National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Will Forte and Girlfriend Olivia Modling Are Engaged". People.com. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "Will Forte is Married! Inside His Surprise Wedding to Wife Olivia Modling". People. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Crooks, Peter (April 2010). "Will Power (page 1 of 3)". Diablo Magazine. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Will Forte Can't Stop (and He Hopes That Doesn't Bother Anyone)". Grantland.com. February 27, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Jing It Or Ding It!, episode #153 of Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast". Earwolf. April 12, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ "Will Forte". Larry King Now. Season 1. Episode 7. July 26, 2012. Hulu.
- ^ Ryan, Mike (May 25, 2011). "Life After MacGruber and SNL: Catching up with Will Forte". Movieline. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ Staton, John (November 10, 2008). "Will Forte's Wilmington stay was on like 'Donkey Kong'". Star-News. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez and Tracy Morgan to Star in Animated Scooby-Doo Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. March 2, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ "Netflix's 'Thelma the Unicorn' Dreams of Stardom in New Images [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Grabar, Matt (February 21, 2024). "Jillian Bell, Will Forte, Damon Wayans Jr. & Brianne Howey Join Amy Schumer In Netflix Comedy 'Kinda Pregnant'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 9, 2022). "Will Forte And Lana Condor To Co-Star With John Cena In Looney Tunes Live-Action/Animated Hybrid Pic Coyote Vs. Acme". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 15, 2018). "Syfy Orders 'Alien News Desk' Series From 'SNL' Team In Original Animation Push". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "Alien News Desk – Show". Syfy. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (July 26, 2024). "'Gremlins: The Wild Batch' Adds Simu Liu as Series Regular, Sets Season 2 Premiere Date". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Mumford and Sons release hilarious Hopeless Wanderer video". Music Blogged. August 4, 2013. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
- ^ "Arkells Team Up with Cold War Kids and Will Forte for 80s Pop Anthem Past Life". Exclaim. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- Shales, Tom; Miller, James Andrew (2002). Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. New York: Hachette Book Group USA. ISBN 0-316-73565-5.
External links
[edit]- Will Forte on Twitter
- Will Forte at IMDb
- Will Forte discography at Discogs
- Will Forte LiveJournal Community
- Interview with Will Forte at CollegeHumor
- 1970 births
- 20th-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American comedians
- 21st-century American male actors
- Acalanes High School alumni
- American impressionists (entertainers)
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male screenwriters
- American male television actors
- American male television writers
- American male voice actors
- American sketch comedians
- American television writers
- Comedians from California
- Living people
- Male actors from Santa Monica, California
- Male actors from the San Francisco Bay Area
- People from Alameda, California
- People from Lafayette, California
- People from Moraga, California
- Screenwriters from California
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni