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McHale at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International
Birth name	Joel Edward McHale
Born	(1971-11-20) November 20, 1971 (age 53) Rome, Italy
Medium	Film, television, stand-up
Years active	1993–present
Genres	News satire, observational comedy
Subject(s)	Celebrities, gossip, pop culture
Spouse	Sarah Williams ​(m. 1996)​
Children	2
Website	www.joelmchale.com

Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, voice actor, writer, television producer, and television personality. He is known for hosting The Soup and for his role as Jeff Winger on the NBC comedy series Community. He voiced the character of Elliot in Open Season 2 (replacing Ashton Kutcher), and has appeared in such feature films as Spider-Man 2, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, and Ted.

Early life

McHale, the middle of three brothers, was born in Rome, Italy, where his father worked as Dean of Students at Loyola University Rome Center. His mother, Laurie, is from Vancouver, British Columbia, and his father, Jack, is from Chicago, Illinois. Of Irish and Norwegian descent, he was raised Catholic in Seattle, Washington, where he attended Mercer Island High School in 1991.

McHale received a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Washington in 1995. While at the University of Washington, McHale briefly belonged to the Theta Chi Fraternity.

He was recruited to be on the rowing team, but later joined the football team, playing tight end for two years. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington. He is a supporter of the Seattle Seahawks.

Career

Comedy

McHale was part of the Almost Live! cast, a local sketch-comedy television show produced by Seattle's KING-TV (Channel 5). From 1993 to 1997, he was a member of the improv comedy group at Unexpected Productions, participating in Theatersports! at the Market Theater located in Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.

Acting

After earning his master's degree in acting, McHale moved to Los Angeles and landed small roles in Diagnosis: Murder, CSI: Miami, and Will & Grace. He played a TV reporter in the biopic Lords of Dogtown. He guest-starred as a cast member on the NBC improv comedy show Thank God You're Here during the pilot episode and had a guest role on an episode of Pushing Daisies. McHale also appeared in Spider-Man 2 in a small role as Mr. Jacks, a bank manager.

In 2004, McHale began hosting The Soup, a satirical weekly television show on the "E!" television network. Throughout the show, he takes the audience through the oddities and ridiculous happenings of the week in television. He frequently appears as a co-host on Loveline. He has also had a long association with Circle X Theatre, where he has done several plays. McHale was a weekly guest on The Adam Carolla Show and Mickey and Amelia, and occasional guest on the Opie and Anthony Show. He has been a judge on Iron Chef America. He was involved in the American version of the British TV show The IT Crowd. McHale made a guest appearance on the finale of Last Comic Standing sixth season, when he recapped the show's events in his typical format of jokes made popular on The Soup. He occasionally appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann in a humor sequence closing the show.

He starred in Community, which premiered in winter 2009, and continues to host The Soup. McHale made an appearance on the first episode of the fifth season of Tosh.0. He played Rex in Ted (2012) and had a short guest stint on the FX show Sons of Anarchy. He played a police officer in the supernatural thriller Beware the Night.

He recently revealed in a deleted scene from the 2011 documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope that he had auditioned for 3 roles in the 2009 film Star Trek (film): Spock, Hikaru Sulu, and Nyota Uhura. He, unfortunately, did not get any of these roles.

Host

On February 14, 2014, McHale was announced as host of the 2014 White House Correspondents' Dinner, held in May. Previously, he was host of the Independent Spirit Awards in 2011.

Personal life

McHale married Sarah Williams in 1996. Together, they have two sons. They live in Hollywood Hills, California.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

1. Smith, Grady (November 25, 2011). "Monitor: Nov. 25, 2011". Entertainment Weekly (1182): 30. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
2. Pollak, Kevin; McHale, Joel (2010-11-15). "Kevin Pollak Chat Show" (Interview). Interviewed by Kevin Pollak.
3. Joel McHale is the voice of Elliot in Open Season 2
4. Mercer Island dons its autumn cloak, pnwlocalnews.com; accessed February 25, 2014.
5. PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT, One-on-one with Joel McHale; The Great Anjelica Huston, 15 Mar 2012
6. Strawberry, Saroyan (June 2008). "Joel McHale". Details (magazine). Retrieved April 7, 2013.
7. Curran, Dan (October 16, 2008). "An interview with the king of snark Joel McHale". onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
8. Steinberg, Dan (February 14, 2005). "THECHAT: Joel McHale". The Washington Post. p. D02. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
9. McHale, Joel (September 29, 2011). "The Walk-On: The Community star recalls his two-year football career at the University of Washington". Grantland. ESPN Ventures. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
10. International Improv Festival; accessed February 25, 2014.
11. Joel McHale on Opie and Anthony; accessed February 25, 2014.
12. Fernandez, Maria Elena (2009-04-04). "NBC unveils new programs for fall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
13. Weprin, Alex (2009-05-04). "E! Expects Joel McHale To Stay On 'Soup'". Retrieved 2009-05-04.
14. http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/08/joel_mchale_talks_community_so.html
15. "Joel McHale will host the White House Correspondents' Dinner". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
16. Report on McHale's marriage
17. The Soup. 2010-01-15. E!.
18. "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for March 12". Retrieved January 15, 2010.
19. L.A. Times report on McHale's home in the Hollywood Hills

External links

• Official website
• Joel McHale at IMDb
• Joel McHale on Twitter
• E! Online Biography

Template:Persondata

• 1971 births
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• American infotainers
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• American male writers
• American people of Canadian descent
• American people of Irish descent
• American people of Norwegian descent
• American stand-up comedians
• American television personalities
• American television producers
• American television writers
• Italian emigrants to the United States
• Living people
• Male actors from Rome
• Male actors from Seattle, Washington
• People from King County, Washington
• Washington Huskies football players
• Writers from Seattle, Washington