He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell first established himself in the mids as a cast member on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , where he performed from to , and has subsequently starred in a string of comedy films. Ferrell has received four Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as a producer on the drama series Succession β and for the specials Live in Front of a Studio Audience β He also produced the series I'm Sorry β , the series Dead to Me β , and the series Drunk History β Bush in You're Welcome America They moved to California in He has a younger brother, Patrick.
When he was eight years old, his parents divorced. Ferrell said of the divorce: "I was the type of kid who would say, 'Hey, look at the bright side! We'll have two Christmases'. The biggest problem was his father's line of work.
As a person in show business, his paychecks were never steady, and he traveled from home for months at a time. Growing up in this environment made Ferrell not want to go into show business and instead have a steady job. He attended University High School in Irvine, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team.
Ferrell called third grade "a pivotal year. Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny.
I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry , and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of. In his senior year of high school, Ferrell and a friend would perform comedy skits over the school's intercom system, with cooperation from the principal; the two had to write their own material. Ferrell also performed comedic skits in the school's talent shows.
