Will Ferrell's Real Name: John William Ferrell

Quick answer: Will Ferrell was born John William Ferrell on July 16, 1967, in Irvine, California. John is his first name, but he goes by Will, from his middle name. He became a star on Saturday Night Live and went on to lead Elf (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), and Talladega Nights (2006) (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Ferrell, Will, 1967-" and keeps the cross-reference "Ferrell, John William, 1967-." One citation, from a published biography, says that "John William Ferrell was born on July 16, 1967, in Irvine, Calif." Another describes him as "John William 'Will' Ferrell."

According to Britannica, Ferrell grew up in suburban Irvine. He played varsity football and drew laughs by reading his high school's morning announcements in a variety of voices. He studied sports journalism at the University of Southern California, graduating in 1990, and worked as a sports broadcaster on local cable before turning to comedy. After a year of training with the Los Angeles improv group the Groundlings, he joined the company.

Career highlights

In 1995 Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live. Britannica says his manic energy and commitment even to a failing joke made him a fixture on the show. He was known for impersonations of Alex Trebek and George W. Bush.

He left SNL in 2002 to focus on films, often working with Adam McKay, a writer and director he met on the show. Old School and Elf, in which he played a naive human raised in Santa's village, were both hits in 2003. He co-wrote Anchorman and the NASCAR spoof Talladega Nights with McKay. He played a Nazi playwright in The Producers (2005) and starred in Blades of Glory (2007) and Semi-Pro (2008). He also took serious roles, as an IRS agent in Stranger than Fiction (2006) and as an alcoholic selling his belongings in Everything Must Go (2010).

In 2006 Ferrell and McKay launched Gary Sanchez Productions, which made Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010), the Spanish-language spoof Casa de mi padre (2012), The Campaign (2012), and Anchorman 2 (2013). The company was also behind the comedy website Funny or Die, which first drew notice with a video of Ferrell being intimidated by a toddler landlady. He voiced the villain in The LEGO Movie (2014) and starred in Get Hard and Daddy's Home (both 2015) and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020).

Name notes for searchers

Will is short for William, his middle name. He has used Will since the start of his career, which is why "John Ferrell" rarely turns up in searches about him.