Steve Carell is the Emmy-nominated comedian who has played Michael Scott on the American television series The Office since 2005. Between 1999 and 2005 he appeared regularly on The Daily Show, then had small parts in the hit comedy films Bruce Almighty (2003, starring Jim Carrey) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004, starring Will Ferrell). The Office, based on the U.K. series by Ricky Gervais, began in the spring of 2005, and later that year Carell starred in the Judd Apatow hit film The 40 Year-Old Virgin (which Carell co-wrote). His success on TV and in the movies moved Carell from bit parts to leads, and he has since appeared in a number of high-profile comedies, including Little Miss Sunshine (2006, with Alan Arkin), Dan in Real Life (2007, with Juliette Binoche), Date Night (2009, opposite Tina Fey) and the animated feature Despicable Me.

Extra credit: Carell is married to actress Nancy Walls, who appeared in The Office as recurring character Carol Stills.