Joel McHale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Joel McHale | |
 Joel McHale in 2007 |
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| Born | Joel Edward McHale November 20, 1971 Rome, Italy |
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| Occupation | Actor, TV host, Comedian |
| Years active | 1995 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Williams (1996 - present) 2 sons |
| Official website | |
Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American actor, television host, and stand-up comedian. He is the host of The Soup, a weekly comedy series that airs on E!.
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[edit] Biography
McHale was born in Rome, Italy, the middle of three brothers, and is of Irish and Nordic descent.[1] His mother, who is Canadian, grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up in the Seattle area of Washington State, graduating from Mercer Island High School in suburban Seattle in 1991.
He received a Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Washington in 1995. While at the University of Washington, McHale belonged to the Theta Chi Fraternity "for three horrible months of my life. I couldn't stand it".[2] He was recruited to be on the rowing team, but later walked onto the football team, playing tight end for two years.[3]
He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington.
He was part of the Almost Live! cast, a local sketch-comedy TV show produced by Seattle's KING-TV (Channel 5). From 1993 until 1997, McHale 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.[4]
McHale married Sarah Williams in 1996.[5] They have two sons: Edward Roy (2005) and Isaac Hayden (2008). They own a home in Sammamish, Washington.[6]
[edit] Career
After earning his master's degree in acting, he moved to Los Angeles and landed small roles on Oliver Beene, CSI: Miami, Will & Grace, and was 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 also had a guest part in episode 1.6 of the ABC show Pushing Daisies. He also appeared in Spider-Man 2 as the 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. The Soup often makes jokes/light of other shows on E!.
He frequently appears as a co-host on Loveline. He has a long association with Circle X Theatre, where he has done several plays. He has also done commercials for Burger King, Dockers, and Sealy.
McHale is also a weekly guest on the The Adam Carolla Show and Mickey and Amelia Show, and is an occasional guest on the Opie and Anthony Show.[7] He has been a judge on Iron Chef America. He was involved in the American version of the British TV show The IT Crowd. He made a guest appearance on the finale of Last Comic Standing season 6, when he gave a recap of the show's events in his typical format of jokes made popular on The Soup. He also occasionally appears on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann in a humor sequence closing the show.
On 1st June 2009, Joel hosted Ubisoft's media event at E3, showing off new and unannounced titles and introducing other guests.[8]
He filmed The Informant in Decatur, Illinois in which he plays FBI Agent Robert Herndon alongside Matt Damon.
Starting in the fall of 2009, McHale will be starring in an NBC show called Community.[9] He will continue to host The Soup.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Joel McHale E! Bio
- ^ BS Report with Bill Simmons, ESPN Radio, 2/25/2009, 25minute mark
- ^ Dan Steinberg (February 14, 2005). THECHAT. Washington Post. Accessed 2009-03-01.
- ^ International Festival of Improv
- ^ http://www.psarts.org/Press2007/ExpressYourselfEOnline.html Sarah, Edward, Joel McHale
- ^ http://seattle.blockshopper.com/news/story/700021231-
- ^ Joel McHale on Opie and Anthony
- ^ Stephen Johnson (7 May 2009). "Ubisoft Planning Star-Studded E3 Press Conference". http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/695368/Ubisoft-Planning-Star-Studded-E3-Press-Conference.html. Retrieved on 8 May 2009.
- ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (2009-04-04). "NBC unveils new programs for fall". http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/05/nbc-unveils-new-programs-for-next-fall-.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-04.
- ^ Weprin, Alex (2009-05-04). "E! Expects Joel McHale To Stay On ‘Soup’". http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/BC_Beat/12945-E_Expects_Joel_McHale_To_Stay_On_Soup_.php. Retrieved on 2009-05-04.
