William "Bill" Hader (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and repertory player on Saturday Night Live. He is also known for his supporting roles in numerous comedy films, starring in at least three films a year since 2006.
Early work
Hader grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he acted and made a film while a student at Cascia Hall Preparatory School,12 before attending The Art Institute of Phoenix and Scottsdale Community College.3 Hader's comedic aspirations eventually led him to Los Angeles where he joined the Second City, a comedy troupe that has been a training ground for many SNL cast members since the 1970s. He also performed at iO West in Los Angeles. During his time at Second City and iO West, Hader worked as a production assistant on the DVD Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy and Collateral Damage, as well as an assistant on VH1's The Surreal Life. Prior to SNL, Hader was perhaps most known for his work as a "field agent" on MTV's Punk'd.
Saturday Night Live
Hader was "discovered" by Megan Mullally of Will & Grace while working with the Los Angeles-based comedy troupe, "Animals from the Future." Mullally brought him to the attention of SNL producer Lorne Michaels. Hader was hired as a "featured player" and made his debut on the show on October 1, 2005. His first role was as a psychologist giving his views about life and death during the emergency landing of Jet Blue Flight 292. Hader is known for his impressions of famous people, such as Vincent Price in the Variety Vault sketches and Al Pacino.
Hader recently finished his 4th season on SNL and, along with Bobby Moynihan, Andy Samberg, Kenan Thompson, Casey Wilson and Abby Elliott is one of six SNL castmembers who was born after the show's premiere in 1975.
Recurring SNL characters
- Vinny Vedecci, the Italian talk-show host who chain-smokes, insults his crew (Fred Armisen and Will Forte), has a son (Bobby Moynihan), and speaks little English, even though his guests (played by the host themselves) are English-speakers
- Nitro (along with Andy Samberg's "Admiral Spaceship") in the SNL Digital Short Laser Cats
- One of the four guys (the others being Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis and the host) who reveal crazy aspects about themselves while singing a song on the jukebox in the Song Memories sketches.
- One half of the Same Sex Couple from New Jersey (or Connecticut), the other half played by Fred Armisen
- DJ Frontal Assault on Deep House Dish
- Danny, a guy who has the mutant "Kuato" (played by Andy Samberg) living in his stomach
- Mike Underballs, the director of PSAs who has to deal with the shenanigans of Jeff (Jason Sudeikis), a crew member.
- Mr. Triggs, the father of an ugly, socially inept girl named Stacia (played by Kristen Wiig)
- Keith Morrison, Dateline NBC correspondent.
- Greg, a sports news caster with his casting partner Kenan Thompson who is actually an alien and is living on earth feeding off the muscle of athletes.
- Eliot Spitzer
Impersonations (on and off Saturday Night Live)
Hader has said he did impressions of teachers and friends when he was growing up, but did not do impressions of famous people until his Saturday Night Live audition.4 His Al Pacino impression came after watching the actor's Emmy acceptance speech for Angels in America. Hader's Vincent Price impression came from his love of Price's Edgar Allan Poe films, such as The Fall of the House of Usher. His Peter O'Toole impression came partly from O'Toole in My Favorite Year and Jack Lemmon's drunken Prince Hapnick from The Great Race. Another one of Hader's more popular impersonations from Saturday Night Live is his impersonation of "disgraced former governor" Elliot Spitzer
Film roles
He first appeared alongside Owen Wilson and Matt Dillon in You, Me and Dupree. Since then he's had a wide range of roles such as Katherine Heigl's editor at E! in Knocked Up, the acid-taking mechanic Dave in Hot Rod (alongside SNL castmate Andy Samberg), a recumbent biker in The Brothers Solomon (which also featured SNL castmate Will Forte in one of the film's co-leading roles) and, most famously, as Officer Slater in the Judd Apatow produced Superbad. His role in Superbad helped boost his public awareness and allowed him to appear on mainstream programs like Total Request Live, The Tonight Show, and MTV's Video Music Awards.
Hader appeared in two other Apatow projects: Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express (with Seth Rogen). He also appeared alongside Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan, Tom Cruise, and Nick Nolte in Tropic Thunder. He teamed back up with Superbad director Greg Mottola for the film Adventureland, which also featured fellow SNLer Kristen Wiig. In addition to these films, Hader has also made several short films, including Back in the Day (alongside Derek Waters and wife Maggie Carey), Sounds Good to Me: Remastering the Sting, and The Jeannie Tate Show with SNL writer Liz Cackowski and wife Maggie Carey. Hader will lend his voice in the Sony Pictures Animation film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Hader appeared in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as Major General George Armstrong Custer. The film opened in the U.S. on May 22, 2009.
Hader has also written a slasher film to be produced by Judd Apatow, which he shall also star in if the film is produced.
In April 2009, Hader was a part of Vanity Fair's list of "Comedy's New Legends".5
South Park
Hader was a creative consultant on the 12th season of South Park. He is now a producer on the 13th season, which premiered March 11, 2009.6
Comic Books
Hader and SNL castmate Seth Meyers penned a Spider-Man one-shot entitled "The Short Halloween". It was drawn by comic book legend Kevin Maguire and came out May 29, 2009 to positive reviews.
Video Games
In the game Grand Theft Auto IV he played Wilson Taylor Sr (On in-game radio show: Pacemaker)
Web Series
In July 2008, Hader starred in the web series The Line on Crackle.7
Filmography
References
- ^ Michael Smith, "Super Glad: Native Tulsan Bill Hader moves from ‘SNL’ success to big-budget film roles," Tulsa World, August 17, 2007.
- ^ Michael Smith, "Talking about Tulsa days: Bill Hader finally found a vocation in comedy", Tulsa World, April 3, 2009.
- ^ Gene Triplett, "Funny things about Bill Hader: Growing up in Tulsa as ‘movie nerd' gave comic actor material," The Oklahoman, August 17, 2007.
- ^ "Bill Hader does interview with BHO!" Accessed October 14, 2007.
- ^ "Laughing Matter: Comedy’s New Legends" Vanity Fair, April, 2009.
- ^ "The Hot Seat: Bill Hader" Time Out New York, Accessed May 14th, 2009.
- ^ "Bill Hader Video! “The Line” Episode 1". Bill Hader Online. 2008-07-22. http://billhaderonline.com/main/2008/07/22/bill-hader-video-the-line-episode-1/. Retrieved on 2009-02-27.
External links
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