Will Ferrell

Ferrell was born in Irvine, California,^[2] to Lee Ferrell, a keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers, and Kay (née Overman), a teacher.^[3] He had his schooling in Rancho San Joaquin Middle School and University High School in Irvine, where he was a kicker for the varsity football team. He enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he studied Sports Broadcasting and graduated with a degree in Sports Information. He is also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.^[4] After graduating in 1989, Ferrell developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings.

Saturday Night Live career

Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 (he was chosen over future co-star Steve Carell ^{[citation needed]}). He had planned to perform a comedy bit to win a spot on the show from producer Lorne Michaels who traditionally sits down for a final interview with prospective cast members. It was Will's idea to arrive with a suitcase full of Monopoly money and say, "I'm prepared to do anything to be on this show, Mr. Michaels." After bringing the suitcase to the audition and subsequent meetings, it became apparent that there would be no need for the suitcase bit and Will aborted the idea. ^{[citation needed]} After a successful 7 year tenure, Ferrell left SNL in 2002.