Will Arnett
Will Arnett is a Canadian comic actor, widely recognized for his roles in popular television sitcoms, including "Arrested Development," "30 Rock," and "Up All Night," as well as the animated series "BoJack Horseman." Born on May 4, 1970, in Toronto, Arnett had a challenging upbringing, marked by behavioral issues that shaped his early life. He turned to acting as a productive outlet, eventually pursuing formal training and appearing in various stage productions before achieving significant success on screen.
Arnett's breakthrough came in 2003 with his portrayal of George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II on "Arrested Development," a role that earned him critical acclaim and several award nominations. His comedic talents have since led to memorable roles in films like "The Lego Movie," where he voiced Batman, and appearances on multiple television series, solidifying his status as a leading figure in contemporary comedy. Throughout his career, he has also ventured into production, co-founding a digital-marketing company and creating content for various platforms.
Arnett's personal life includes two marriages, with notable relationships including his union with fellow comedian Amy Poehler, with whom he shares two sons. He remains active in the entertainment industry, continuing to take on diverse projects in television and film.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Will Arnett
Actor
- Born: May 4, 1970
- Place of Birth: Toronto, Canada
Contribution: Will Arnett is an acclaimed comic actor best known for his roles on such sitcoms as Arrested Development (2003–19), 30 Rock (2006–19), Up All Night (2011–12), and The Millers (2013–15) and the animated series BoJack Horseman (2014-20).
Background
William Emerson Arnett was born in Toronto, Canada, on May 4, 1970, to James and Alexandra Arnett. His father was a partner at the law firm Stikeman Elliott who later became the chief executive officer of Molson. Despite his privileged upbringing, Arnett had a difficult childhood marked by behavioral problems that he later described as possibly resulting from an undiagnosed case of attention-deficit disorder. He was a rambunctious child, constantly getting into trouble and struggling at school.
Hoping to remedy their son’s problems, Arnett’s parents sent him to Lakefield College School, a special boarding school for troubled children, in 1981. Unfortunately, this approach failed to change things. After repeatedly getting into trouble for his bad behavior, Arnett was expelled. Desperate to help her son, Arnett’s mother enrolled him at the Subway II Alternative School, which gave him the opportunity to take for-credit acting classes at the Tarragon Theatre.
Acting proved to be beneficial for Arnett. It provided him with an engaging activity into which he could channel his energies and emotions into something productive. Finally, he began to get his life on track, earning a high school degree from Leaside High School. After a semester at Concordia University, where he had enrolled to study theater, Arnett returned home to Toronto and began finding work in television commercials. Realizing that these commercial appearances were not going to get him anywhere as an actor, Arnett opted to study at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City.
Career
Though he always had a knack for comedy, Arnett initially envisioned himself as a dramatic actor and actively pursued serious roles early on in his career. He got his start by appearing in an array of Off-Broadway stage plays. He also found some success working as a voiceover artist for movie trailers and network promos.
In 1996, Arnett finally received a chance to appear in feature films, making his debut in that year’s Close Up. A few years later, Arnett had his first breakthrough performance in Southie (1998) and then made his television debut with a guest spot on the HBO series Sex and the City in 1999. After securing a regular role on the ultimately short-lived series The Mike O’Malley Show (1999), Arnett floundered through the most trying portion of his career, during which he appeared in a string of abandoned television pilots. At this point, Arnett began drinking heavily and earning barely enough to cover his monthly expenses. Eventually, he bounced back after landing guest roles in a number of high-profile series, including Boston Public in 2001, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2002, and The Sopranos, also in 2002.
Despite having built up a blossoming reputation as a dramatic actor, Arnett was about to take on a career-defining comic role that would completely alter his trajectory. In 2003, Arnett took on the role of George Oscar “Gob” Bluth II in Fox’s comedy series Arrested Development. The show was a critical success from the start and amassed a loyal fan following, but it never performed well in terms of ratings and was cancelled in 2006.
Though Arrested Development initially only aired for three seasons, it earned Arnett a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2006 for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series. He subsequently landed several film and television roles that included such highlights as RV (2006), Semi-Pro (2008), the animated series Sit Down Shut Up (2009), and the lead role in the short-lived sitcom Running Wilde (2010–11). In 2007, he began playing Devon Banks, the network executive rival of Alec Baldwin’s character Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock, a role for which he garnered four separate Emmy nominations in five years for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series.
Arnett parlayed his 30 Rock success into another starring role, this time as Chris Brinkley in the television series Up All Night (2011–12). Appearing alongside actor Christina Applegate, Arnett played an overworked stay-at-home dad struggling to cope with the rigors of parenthood and his own backseat-driver parents. Though the series only aired for two seasons, it further cemented Arnett’s reputation as a top-tier comic actor. In 2010, Arnett and his fellow Arrested Development costar Jason Bateman founded the digital-marketing firm Dumbdumb, which produced comedic promotional shorts for brands such as Old Navy, Orbit, and BlackBerry.
In 2013, Arnett returned to the show that made his career when the online video distributor Netflix opted to bring Arrested Development back for a fourth season. While resuming the role that turned him into a household name, Arnett continued to pursue other projects that would broaden his already diverse and successful career, including appearing in the 2014 film version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Megan Fox and voicing the Lego version of the superhero Batman in the hit animated film The Lego Movie (2014). In the meantime, he additionally became part of another network television series when he was hired to be an original member of the cast of The Millers, a sitcom that ran on CBS for two seasons between 2013 and 2015.
The sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) allowed Arnett to reprise his role as Vern Fenwick, and in 2017 he was able to spin his memorable Lego Batman character off into his own film titled The Lego Batman Movie. Around that same time, he became a bigger part of the behind-the-scenes process by serving as one of the creators, writers, and actors for the Netflix series Flaked, which began in 2016 and had its second season premiere on the service in 2017. The year 2018 saw Arnett appear in the film Show Dogs and return to his role for a fifth season of Arrested Development, which was released in two installments between 2018 and 2019, while 2019 saw him voice Lego Batman once more for the sequel The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
Arnett remained active in television roles. In 2019, he starred in the series Riviera, followed by The F1rst Team in 2020, Murderville in 2022, and Twisted Metal in 2023. Arnett also had recurring roles in The Morning Show from 2021 to 2023 and the animated series Mulligan (2023-24). He had voice roles in animated features Minions: The Rise of Gru and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, both in 2022. In 2024, his production company, Electric Avenue Prods., signed a deal to produce both scripted and reality shows for Fox.
Impact
Arnett overcame a troubled adolescence to become one of Hollywood’s most accomplished comic actors. Through his work in Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and the many other television shows and films in which he has appeared, Arnett has carved out a place for himself among the most successful contemporary comedic stars. In 2019, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Personal Life
Arnett was married twice, first to actor Penelope Ann Miller, from 1994 to 1995, and later to fellow comic actor Amy Poehler in 2003. Arnett and Poehler had two sons, Archie Arnett in 2008 and Abel James Arnett in 2010, before they separated in 2012; the divorce was finalized in 2016. In 2020, he became a father again when his girlfriend, Alessandra Brawn, gave birth to a son, Alexander.
Bibliography
Chun, Wing. “Jason Is So Much Like a Sister to Me.” Television without Pity. NBCUniversal, 13 Mar. 2005. Web. 11 July 2013.
Eckler, Rebecca. “Jim Arnett and Will Arnett: Corporate Dad, Comic Son.” Maclean’s. Rogers Media, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 July 2013.
Elliott, Stuart. “Mixing Ads and Comedy Shorts Online for TBS.” New York Times 11 May 2012, New York ed.: B2. Print.
Juneau, Jen, and Elizabeth Leonard. "Will Arnett and Girlfriend Alessandra Brawn Welcome Son Alexander Denison." People, 12 June 2020, people.com/parents/will-arnett-alessandra-brawn-welcome-son-alexander-denison/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.
Kaufman, Amy. "Will Arnett on the Pressure of Starring in 'The Lego Batman Movie' and the Precious Instrument That Is His Voice." Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2017, www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lego-batman-will-arnett-2017-story.html. Accessed 31 Oct. 2019.
Ouzounian, Richard. “Will Arnett: Overconfidence Man.” Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers, 22 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 July 2013.
Rapkin, Mickey. “Will Arnett.” Details. Condé Nast, May 2013. Web. 11 July 2013.
Schneider, Michael. "Will Arnett's Electric Avenue to Develop Scripted and Reality Series at Fox Entertainment Under New Deal." Variety, 10 June 2024, variety.com/2024/tv/news/will-arnett-fox-entertainment-new-deal-1236030208/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
"Will Arnett." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0004715/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.