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Will Forte

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Will Forte
Forte at the 2023 WonderCon
Born
Orville Willis Forte IV

(1970-06-17) June 17, 1970 (age 54)
Alameda, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active1997–present
Spouse
Olivia Modling
​
(m. 2021)​
Children1

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, from which 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] Planning to follow his father, he became a financial broker at Smith Barney Shearson in Beverly Hills, 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 at the 2011 Tribeca Festival

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."

—Forte on his tenure at SNL[15]

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]

Three men sit at a table at a convention.
Forte alongside Phil Lord and Christopher Miller at WonderCon 2015

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]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Key
† 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) [51]
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) [52]
TBA Kinda Pregnant † Post-production[53]

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[54][55]
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) [56]
2025 Win or Lose † Coach Dan (voice) Main role; Upcoming series[39]

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Artist Ref.
2013 "Hopeless Wanderer" Mumford & Sons [57]
2022 "Past Life" Arkells [58]

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]
Year Award Category Title Result
1998 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Late Show with David Letterman Nominated
2013 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series 30 Rock: "My Whole Life Is Thunder" Nominated
2013 Razzie Award Worst Screen Ensemble (shared with the entire cast) That's My Boy Nominated
2013 St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actor Nebraska Runner-up
2013 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actor Nebraska Nominated
2013 National Board of Review Award Best Supporting Actor Nebraska Won
2013 Village Voice Film Poll Award Best Supporting Actor Nebraska Nominated
2014 American Comedy Award Supporting Comedy Actor - Film Nebraska Nominated
2014 Independent Spirit Award Best Supporting Male Nebraska Nominated
2015 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated
2015 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated
2015 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated
2016 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated
2016 Satellite Award Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy The Last Man on Earth Nominated
2016 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The Last Man on Earth Nominated
2021 Critics' Choice Super Award Best Voice Actor in an Animated Movie The Willoughbys Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Random Object Jingles with Will Forte". YouTube. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 11–17". AP News. June 5, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  3. ^ 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."
  4. ^ "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...
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905–1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: 2005
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c d e Crooks, Peter (March 19, 2010). "Will Power". Diablo. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ The Mortified Session, TV interview, Sundance Channel
  12. ^ "Alumni". Lambda Chi Alpha at UCLA. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ a b c O'Neal, Sean (May 21, 2010). "Will Forte". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Shales & Miller 2002, pp. 576–577.
  20. ^ McCarthy, Todd (June 15, 2004). "Around the World in 80 Days". Variety. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  21. ^ "The Brothers Solomon - Production Notes". CinemaReview.com. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  22. ^ a b c Barney, Chuck (May 19, 2010). "'SNL'/ 'MacGruber' star Will Forte is a soldier of fortune". PopMatters. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  23. ^ Rich, Katey (May 19, 2010). "Interview: MacGruber's Will Forte And Jorma Taccone". CinemaBlend. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  24. ^ "C-SPAN: Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Obama Press Conference". NBC. Saturday Night Live. November 21, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  25. ^ Douglas, Edward (May 19, 2010). "Exclusive: Will Forte and Jorma Taccone on MacGruber!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  26. ^ Steven James Snyder (May 21, 2010). "Only 6 Questions Left MacGruber! The Will Forte Interview". Time. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  27. ^ MacGruber at Rotten Tomatoes
  28. ^ Hayne, Tim (July 19, 2010). "10 Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)". Parade.
  29. ^ Schmidlin, Charlie (September 21, 2012). "'MacGruber' Director Jorma Taccone To Helm New Line Action-Comedy 'Spy Guys'". IndieWire. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ Goble, Corban (March 2, 2015). "Will Forte on His Unusual New Sitcom, The Last Man on Earth". Vulture. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  33. ^ "The Last Man on Earth Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  34. ^ Ausiello, Michael (April 8, 2015). "Last Man on Earth Scores Super-Quick Season 2 Renewal at Fox". TVLine. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ 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.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ "Will Forte Promotes Wampler Kids". May 28, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2013 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ "Researcher Uses Stem Cells on Eye Disease". Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  42. ^ "SNL Comedian Launches Stem Cell Research Fellowship at Duke Medical Center". Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  43. ^ Rosen, Jeremy (March 13, 2008). "NPACH Staff And Board Of Directors". NPACH.org. National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  44. ^ a b "Will Forte and Girlfriend Olivia Modling Are Engaged". People.com. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  45. ^ "Will Forte is Married! Inside His Surprise Wedding to Wife Olivia Modling". People. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  46. ^ Crooks, Peter (April 2010). "Will Power (page 1 of 3)". Diablo Magazine. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  47. ^ a b "Will Forte Can't Stop (and He Hopes That Doesn't Bother Anyone)". Grantland.com. February 27, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  48. ^ "Jing It Or Ding It!, episode #153 of Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast". Earwolf. April 12, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  49. ^ "Will Forte". Larry King Now. Season 1. Episode 7. July 26, 2012. Hulu.
  50. ^ Ryan, Mike (May 25, 2011). "Life After MacGruber and SNL: Catching up with Will Forte". Movieline. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  51. ^ "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.
  52. ^ "Netflix's 'Thelma the Unicorn' Dreams of Stardom in New Images [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  53. ^ 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.
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Bibliography
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