Seth Meyers
| Seth Meyers | |
|---|---|
 Meyers at the Time 100 Gala, May 4, 2010. | |
| Birth name | Seth Adam Meyers |
| Born | December 28, 1973 Evanston, Illinois, United States |
| Medium | Television, film |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Genres | Satire/political satire/news satire, improvisational comedy, sketch comedy |
| Subject(s) | American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, mass media/news media |
| Spouse |
Alexi Ashe (m. 2013) |
| Notable works and roles | Saturday Night Live Late Night with Seth Meyers The Awesomes |
Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973)[4] is an American actor, voice actor, screenwriter, producer, television host and comedian. He is a former head writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live and hosted its news parody segment Weekend Update. Meyers currently hosts the talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers, which premiered on Monday February 24, 2014, on NBC.
Early life
Meyers was born in Evanston, Illinois,[5] and was raised in Bedford, New Hampshire. His mother, Hilary Claire (née Olson), is a middle school teacher of French, and his father, Laurence Meyers, Jr., works in finance.[6][7] His younger brother is actor Josh Meyers. Seth's paternal grandfather was Jewish[8] (though Seth does not consider himself Jewish);[9] his other ancestry is Czech-Austrian (from his paternal grandmother), Swedish, English, and German.[citation needed] Meyers graduated from Manchester High School West. He went on to graduate from Northwestern University in Evanston, where he became a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta.
Career
Before SNL, Meyers got his improv comedy start as a member of the Northwestern University improv sketch group Mee-Ow. He continued his career at ImprovOlympic with the group Preponderate as well as overseas as a cast member of Boom Chicago, an English language improv troupe based in Amsterdam,[10] where his brother was also a cast member.[11]
Meyers appeared with Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem in the 2008 3D film Journey to the Center of the Earth. He also makes a cameo in the 2008 film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist as a drunk man who mistakes the main character's Yugo for a taxi. He starred in the 2004 comedy See This Movie with John Cho. In July 2008, Meyers directed the web series The Line on Crackle.[12] Meyers has hosted the Webby Awards twice, in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Meyers hosted the Microsoft Company Meeting at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA.[13] Meyers hosted the 2010 and 2011 ESPY Awards on ESPN.[14] In April 2011, Seth Meyers was the keynote speaker at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. During his introductory remarks, he made a joke about Osama bin Laden's actions while in hiding; namely, that Bin Laden was hosting his own afternoon television show on CSPAN.[15] Meyers was unaware that US intelligence had, in the meantime, found bin Laden and an attack by U.S. Navy Seals had been planned for the next day.
Saturday Night Live
Meyers joined the SNL cast in 2001.[11] In 2005, he was promoted to writing supervisor,[citation needed] and in January 2006 he became co-head writer, sharing the role with Tina Fey and Andrew Steele.[16] In 2004, he auditioned to co-anchor "Weekend Update" with Fey, but lost out to Amy Poehler.[17] With Fey's departure, Meyers became head writer for the 2006–2007 season and also took on the role of Weekend Update co-anchor with Amy Poehler.[18][19] After the departure of Poehler, Meyers anchored solo between 2008 and 2013. In the 2013-2014 season, Cecily Strong joined Meyers as co-anchor. In fall 2009, Meyers co-anchored two episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday with Poehler.[20]
During the 2008 United States presidential election,[21] while appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, former SNL cast member Tina Fey credited Meyers with writing the sketches involving Fey's impression of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
On SNL, Meyers has impersonated such figures as John Kerry,[11] Michael Caine, Anderson Cooper, Carrot Top, Prince Charles, Ryan Seacrest, Sean Penn,[11] Stone Phillips,[11] Tobey Maguire, Peyton Manning, Ben Curtis (also known as the Dell Dude), Ty Pennington, Bill Cowher, Brian Williams, Nicollette Sheridan, Wade Robson, Donald Trump, Jr., Tom Cruise, and Kevin Federline. His recurring characters include Zach Ricky, host of the kids' hidden camera show "Pranksters"; Nerod, the receptionist in the recurring sketch "Appalachian Emergency Room"; David Zinger, a scientist who often insults his fellow workers; DJ Johnathan Feinstein, the DJ on the webcam show "Jarett's Room"; Dan Needler, half of a married couple "that should be divorced," (opposite Amy Poehler); William Fitzpatrick, from the Irish talk show "Top o' the Morning," and Boston Powers (one of the comedians in the "Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy" series). In the season 29 episode hosted by Lindsay Lohan, he did an impression of Ron Weasley in a parody of Harry Potter.
Meyers supported and picketed during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. When interviewed he said, "We all know how lucky we are to have the jobs we have. We're not asking for much. You have to change the rules because people are watching TV in a different way." [22] Even so, he mentioned in interviews that he regretted missing much of the presidential election primary season.[23][24]
On February 1, 2014, Meyers had his final episode of SNL. He was joined at the Update desk by Strong, Poehler, Bill Hader in character as Stefon, Andy Samberg and Fred Armisen as Governor David Paterson.
Late Night
On May 12, 2013, NBC announced that Meyers would be the new host of Late Night in 2014 succeeding Jimmy Fallon as Fallon will take over as the new host of The Tonight Show. Meyers took over Late Night on February 24, 2014. Meyers' first guest on Late Night was fellow SNL alumnus and Weekend Update anchor Amy Poehler.[25] On February 10, 2014, Meyers announced that the bandleader for his house band "The 8G Band" would be Meyers' former SNL colleague Fred Armisen.[26]
Other pursuits
Meyers won the third season of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown and donated the $100,000 prize to the Boston-based Jimmy Fund.[27][28] In 2008, Meyers donated over $4,000 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign.[29] Meyers and SNL castmate Bill Hader penned a Spider-Man one-off entitled The Short Halloween. It was illustrated by Kevin Maguire and came out May 29, 2009. It was given three and a half out of five stars by Benjamin Birdie of Comic Book Resources.[30] Meyers, along with Mike Shoemaker of SNL, created an animated half-hour series The Awesomes that was picked up by Hulu.com and is produced by Lorne Michaels' production company, Broadway Video.[31]
Personal life
Meyers became engaged to his girlfriend of several years, human rights lawyer Alexi Ashe, in July 2013.[32] The two married on September 1, 2013, on Martha's Vineyard.[33]
Meyers is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, the Pittsburgh Steelers (his father being a Pittsburgh native), the Northwestern Wildcats (his alma mater) and soccer club West Ham United in the Premier League.[34][35] He is also a fan of Joe Hill's supernatural comic book series, Locke & Key. IDW Publishing gave him some of the replica keys they had licensed.[36]
Meyers has performed at several Jewish Community Centers, though he does not consider himself Jewish.[9][37][38]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | See This Movie | Jake Barrymore | |
| Maestro | Tim Healy | Short film | |
| Thunder Road | Voice Over | Short film | |
| 2005 | Perception | Steven | |
| The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and his Little Friend | Disgruntled Dork | Short film | |
| 2006 | American Dreamz | Chet Krogl | |
| 2008 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | Professor Alan Kitzens | |
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist | Drunk Guy in Yugo | ||
| 2009 | Spring Breakdown | William Rushfield | |
| 2011 | I Don't Know How She Does It | Chris Bunce | |
| New Year's Eve | Griffin |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Spin City | Doug | Episode "Rain on My Charades" |
| 2001–2014 | Saturday Night Live | Himself, Various | 253 episodes; Also Head Writer |
| 2008–2012 | Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Himself | 8 episodes; Also Head Writer |
| 2010 | 2010 ESPY Awards | Himself (host) | TV Special |
| 2011 | White House Correspondents Dinner | Himself | TV Special |
| 2011 ESPY Awards | Himself (host) | TV Special | |
| 2012 | The Mindy Project | Matt | Episode "Hiring and Firing" |
| 2013 | The Office | Himself | Episode: "Finale" |
| The Awesomes | Prock (voice) | Also Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Voice Artist | |
| 2014–present | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Himself (host) | Also Writer & Executive Producer |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ Gaydos, Steve (November 13, 2011). "Live from New York: A Discussion with the Saturday Night Live Writers" (Interview). Interviewed by Steve Gaydos.
{{cite interview}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "The Good Humor Man". Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ "'SNL' vet plans to talk a little trash during visit to C-U". Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ "Seth Meyers Biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ^ http://dailynorthwestern.com/2011/10/19/thecurrent/artsentertainment/q-a-with-seth-meyers-northwestern-homecoming-parade-grand-marshal/
- ^ Prato, Alison (December 14, 2008). "SNL's Seth Meyers: The Power of Fun | New York Post". NYPOST.com. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ "Miss Hilary Olson marries Mr. Meyers". Boston Globe. July 5, 1970.
- ^ "Jewz in the Newz". The American Israelite. July 17, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ a b posted at 10:53 am on Fri, Mar 23, 2012. (March 23, 2012). "SNL anchor Seth Meyers drew about 3,100 to O'Connell Center - The Independent Florida Alligator: Campus". Alligator.org. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Rapkin, Mickey (September 10, 2004), "Going Dutch". Entertainment Weekly. (782/783):18
- ^ a b c d e Biography from the NBC website
- ^ "For anybody that's ever waited in line to see a movie / Star Trek". Star Trek Phase II. July 26, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
- ^ "Seth Meyers to emcee Microsoft Company Meeting at Safeco". Seattle PI – The Microsoft Blog. September 3, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ "Seth Meyers to Host ESPYs Again". TVGuide.com. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
- ^ "Obama plays it cool, laughs off Seth Meyers' bin Laden CSPAN joke". YouTube. January 5, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ SNL undergoing another generational shift, an AP article from The Arizona Republic website
- ^ Gary Levin (September 29, 2006), "'SNL' will update its Weekend Update". USA Today
- ^ "Fey, Dratch Give Up Saturday Night". E! Online), eonline.com. July 24, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Seth Meyers will coanchor Weekend Update". tv.com). September 22, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (July 30, 2009). "Exclusive: Amy Poehler returns to 'SNL' (REALLY?!)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Scholibo, Corey (January 13, 2008), "Tina Fey". Advocate. (1022):65
- ^ Levin, Gary (November 6, 2007), "Late night without Letterman, Leno ...". USA TODAY.
- ^ Levin, Gary (February 20, 2008). "Weekend update: 'SNL' is back in the race". USA Today.
- ^ Meyers, Seth (February 29, 2008), "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE". Entertainment Weekly (980):40
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 12, 2013). "Seth Meyers Named Host Of NBC's 'Late Night', Lorne Michaels To Executive Produce". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ^ "Seth Meyers reveals Fred Armisen will lead his 'Late Night' band". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Anft, Michael (May 12, 2005), "Win, Lose, or Draw?". Chronicle of Philanthropy. 17 (15):25–27
- ^ Celebrity Political Donations/Seth Meyers, newsmeat.com/
- ^ Birdie, Benjamin (May 28, 2009). "Spider-Man: The Short Halloween #1". Comic Book Resources.
- ^ "Seth Meyers And 'SNL' Team To Develop Animated Superhero Series 'The Awesomes'". Splashpage.mtv.com. June 25, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ Takeda, Allison (July 5, 2013). "Seth Meyers Engaged to Girlfriend Alexi Ashe!". Us Weekly. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ^ Green, Mary (September 1, 2013). "Seth Meyers Marries Alexi Ashe". People Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
- ^ A. D. (July 16, 2007), "Andy Samberg". Sports Illustrated. 107 (2):24
- ^ Sheridan, Patricia (January 4, 2010). "Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Seth Meyers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ Dietsch, T.J. (October 17, 2013). "NYCC: 'Saturday Night Live's' Taran Killam Debriefs 'The Illegitimates'". Comic Book Resources.
- ^ Loohauis, Jackie (December 2, 2011). "'SNL's' Seth Meyers to appear at Jewish Community Center". Jsonline.com. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ "Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta 2012 Community Event Feat. Seth Meyers | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | Benefits | Creative Loafing Atlanta". Clatl.com. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
External links
- Seth Meyers at IMDb
- Seth Meyers on Twitter
- Seth Meyers on National Public Radio in 2008
- Official SNL cast biography
- Live from New York: It’s Sunday Afternoon! conversation with Fred Armisen, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, and Kristen Wiig at The New Yorker Festival, October 2010
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1973 births
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American writers
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male writers
- American people of Czech descent
- American people of English descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Jewish descent
- American people of Swedish descent
- American television writers
- IO Theater
- Late Night (NBC)
- Living people
- Male actors from Illinois
- Male actors from New Hampshire
- Northwestern University alumni
- People from Evanston, Illinois
- People from Manchester, New Hampshire
- Seth Meyers
- Writers from Illinois
- Writers from New Hampshire