From regional manager in NBC’s The Office to the evil turned good supervillain in the Despicable Me franchise, Steve Carell has carved a career as one of Hollywood’s best loved funny men.
To celebrate the release of his new family film, ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY, which is in cinemas now, we take a look at the rise and rise of Steve Carell.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004 and 2013)
One of Carell’s first leading roles was starring alongside Will Ferrell in the 1970s set cult hit Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Carell played curiously dim witted weatherman Brick Tamland alongside Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy, and the film went on to gross $90.6 million worldwide. Following its success and cult following, a sequel entitled Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and starring Carell was released in 2013.
The Office (2005-2013)
Following a five year stint on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Carell found further TV fame in the late 2000s playing Michael Scott on the American version of Ricky Gervais’ The Office. Despite receiving mediocre ratings for its first season, The Office was renewed for a second year and began to pick up pace as buzz surrounded Carell’s role in the upcoming Judd Apatow comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The show became a ratings success and ran for a further seven seasons. Carell was awarded a Golden Globe and Television Critics Association award in 2006 for his role and received a further six Emmy Award nominations for his work on the hugely popular series.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
It was after his role in Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin that Carell began to be noticed as one of comedy’s biggest players. Starring alongside a host of stars including Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogan, he was cast as Andy a loveable geek who, at the age of 40, still hasn’t had sex. After letting his secret slip at a poker game with his work friends, comedy ensues as they embark on a mission to get Andy laid. Along the way Andy unexpectedly meets single mum Trish (Catherine Keener) who falls head over heels for the lovable virgin.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
In 2006, Carell branched into the world of independent cinema with a role in Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ Oscar winning debut Little Miss Sunshine. Carell was cast as Frank the suicidal brother of Sheryl (Toni Colette), the matriarch of the dysfunctional Hoover family. Down on his luck, Frank follows the Hoover family on a trip to Redondo Beach, California, where unconventional beauty queen hopeful Olive hopes to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. With their VW campervan packed to the rafters the Hoover family embark on a comedy journey across America to help make little Olive’s (Abigail Breslin) dream come true.
Evan Almighty (2007)
In 2007, Carell took on the title role in Evan Almighty the stand-alone sequel to Bruce Almighty 2003). When Buffalo newsman Evan Baxter is elected to Congress with the slogan ‘change the world’ all seems too good to be true. Tapped by Congressman Long he is made to co-sponsor a bill to allow development in national parks. Enter God in the form of Morgan Freeman who commands Evan to build an ark with hilarious consequences.
Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 (2010 and 2013)
After his voice roles in Horton Hears a Who and Over the Hedge, Carell proved his family appeal, voicing the character of Gru in the franchise Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2. The films were a colossal success with the first grossing over $543 million worldwide and the second being the third highest grossing film of 2013 as well as breaking a record as the most profitable film in the 100 year history of Universal Studios. Thanks to its mass appeal Despicable Me 2 is being followed by a 2015 spin-off film featuring Gru’s Minions as the main characters as well as Despicable Me 3 which is set for release in 2017.
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
Starring alongside Julianne Moore, Carell was cast as the leading man in rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love. In it he played Cal a husband living a seemingly perfect life when out of the blue his wife Emily (Moore) asks for a divorce. Left devastated and unsure of his next move nice guy Cal has to navigate the single scene with a little help from professional bachelor and new friend Jacob played by Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling. Emma Stone, Kevin Baker and Marisa Tomei also star.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
This October, get ready to experience a comedy that takes “having a bad day” to a whole new level. With Carell in the starring role, Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” follows the unfortunate exploits of the Cooper family as they endure a hilariously disastrous day, in which everything that can go wrong does go wrong. As each member of the family encounters their own calamities, they rally together and realize that sometimes you need to have the bad days in order to appreciate the good.
ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY was released in cinemas on October 24th.
