Will Forte

Will Forte (also credited as Orville Forte and Orville Willis Forte IV) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer born June 17, 1970, in Alameda, California. After earning a history degree from UCLA, he briefly followed his father into finance before pivoting to comedy, training with The Groundlings and building a reputation for offbeat, character-driven humor.

Forte first made his mark behind the scenes, writing and producing on sitcoms including 3rd Rock from the Sun and That ’70s Show. He then became a key presence on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, serving as both writer and cast member for eight seasons (2002–2010). A recurring sketch character there grew into the feature MacGruber (2010) and later a streaming limited series.

On screen, Forte has balanced broad comedy with surprising dramatic turns, notably in Nebraska (2013). His film credits include Baby Mama, The Brothers Solomon, The Slammin’ Salmon, and Studio 666, plus an uncredited appearance in Horrible Bosses 2.

He’s also a prolific voice performer, heard in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as Joe Towne and in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken as Gordon Lighthouse. As creator and star of The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018), Forte earned multiple Primetime Emmy nominations for acting and writing.