Steven John Carell (
/kəˈrɛl/; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played
Michael Scott in
The Office (2005–2011, 2013),
NBC’s adaptation of the
British series created by
Ricky Gervais and
Stephen Merchant, where Carell also worked as an occasional producer, writer and director. Carell has received
numerous accolades for his film and television roles, including the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for his work on
The Office. He was recognized as "America's Funniest Man" by
Life magazine.
Carell gained recognition as a cast member on
The Dana Carvey Show in 1996 and as a correspondent on
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1999 to 2005. He went on to star in several comedy films, including
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and
its 2013 sequel, as well as
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005),
Evan Almighty (2007),
Get Smart (2008),
Date Night (2010),
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), and
The Way, Way Back (2013). He also voice acted in
Over the Hedge (2006),
Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and the
Despicable Me franchise (2010–present).
Carell transitioned his career to taking more dramatic roles including his portrayal of
John Eleuthère du Pont in
Foxcatcher (2014), which earned him nominations for the
Academy Award,the
Golden Globe Award and the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He also starred in
Little Miss Sunshine (2006),
The Big Short (2015), and
Battle of the Sexes (2017), the last two earning him his eighth and ninth
Golden Globe Award nominations, respectively. Other notable films include
Café Society (2016),
Last Flag Flying (2017),
Vice (2018),
Beautiful Boy (2018), and
Asteroid City (2023).
Carell returned to television as the co-creator of the
TBS comedy series
Angie Tribeca (2016–2018), which he developed with his wife,
Nancy Carell. He starred as morning anchor Mitch Kessler in the
Apple TV+ drama series
The Morning Show (2019–present), for which he received a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award. He's also starred in
Netflix sitcom
Space Force (2020–2022), and the
FX / Hulu limited series
The Patient (2022).