Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis[1] (/sʊˈdeɪkɪs/ suu-DAY-kiss; born September 18, 1975)[1] is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 2003, Sudeikis was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, and later spent nine seasons as a cast member from 2005 to 2013, playing Joe Biden and Mitt Romney, among others.
Jason Sudeikis
- Actor
- comedian
- writer
- producer
1997–present
Olivia Wilde (2011–2020)
2
- Tom Howard (great-grandfather)
- George Wendt (uncle)
From 2020 to 2023, he co-created and played the title role in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso, which earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Sudeikis has also acted in recurring roles in the comedy series 30 Rock (2007–2010), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010–2011), Portlandia (2011–2014), and The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018).
He had leading film roles in the comedies Horrible Bosses (2011) and its sequel, Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), and We're the Millers (2013), as well as the acclaimed independent films Drinking Buddies (2013), Sleeping with Other People (2015), and Colossal (2016); and supporting roles in Alexander Payne's Downsizing (2017) and Olivia Wilde's Booksmart (2019). He has also provided voice-work for Epic (2013), The Angry Birds Movie (2016) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and Next Gen (2018).
Early life[edit]
Daniel Jason Sudeikis was born on September 18, 1975, in Fairfax, Virginia,[1] to Kathryn Sudeikis (née Wendt), a travel agent at Brennco and President of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Daniel Joseph Sudeikis, a vice president of business development, both originally from Illinois.[2][3] He has two sisters, Kristin and Lindsay.[4] His father is of Irish and Lithuanian descent, while his mother has German and Irish ancestry.[5][6][7] His maternal uncle is actor George Wendt, known for his role as Norm Peterson on Cheers, and his matrilineal great-grandfather was photographer Tom Howard.[8][9][10]
Sudeikis was born with anosmia, leaving him with no sense of smell.[11][12]
Sudeikis moved with his family to Overland Park within Johnson County, Kansas, which he has described as his hometown.[13][14] He graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School[15] and attended Fort Scott Community College on a basketball scholarship, but left before finishing.[16]
Career[edit]
Career beginnings[edit]
In the 1990s, Sudeikis began his career in improv comedy. He began performing at ComedySportz (now called Comedy City) in Kansas City, Missouri. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he studied at the Annoyance Theatre and IO Theater (formerly known as ImprovOlympic) and was one of the founding members of the long form team, J.T.S. Brown. He performed with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sudeikis was later cast in The Second City Touring Company. In the early 2000s, he became a founding member of The Second City Las Vegas, where he performed at the Flamingo.[17]
Saturday Night Live[edit]
In 2003, while a regular performer at The Second City Las Vegas, Sudeikis was hired as a sketch writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL), and would occasionally make bit appearances as audience members or extras. In May 2005, he became a featured player on the show, and was upgraded to repertory status at the beginning of the show's 32nd season on September 30, 2006. In July 2013, Sudeikis announced that he was leaving SNL.[18] In 2015, 2016, and 2019 he made occasional appearances on the show. On October 23, 2021, Sudeikis made his hosting debut with musical guest Brandi Carlile.
Recurring characters
Charity work[edit]
Sudeikis played on basketball teams at the 2011 and 2016 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. He and other Kansas City celebrities have hosted the Big Slick for 10 years. The event raises money for the Cancer Center at Children's Mercy Hospital. As of 2023, the event has raised more than $21 million for the cause.[40][41]
He hosted the benefit concert Thundergong! at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri on November 3, 2018, for the charity foundation Steps of Faith which helps provide prosthetic legs and arms.[42]