Andy Samberg | |
|---|---|
 Samberg in 2025 | |
| Born | David A. J. Samberg (1978-08-18)August 18, 1978 (age 47) Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Education | New York University (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Alfred J. Marrow (adoptive grandfather) Tammy Baldwin (third cousin) |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Comedy hip hop |
| Works | The Lonely Island discography |
| Member of | The Lonely Island |
Musical artist | |
| Website | thelonelyisland |
| Signature | |
 | |
Andy Samberg (bornDavid Andrew Jerome Samberg;[1] August 18, 1978)[2] is an American actor, comedian, rapper, writer and producer. He is a member of the comedy music groupthe Lonely Island, along with childhood friendsAkiva Schaffer andJorma Taccone. Samberg was also a cast member and writer for theNBCsketch comedy seriesSaturday Night Live from 2005 to 2012, where he and his fellow group members are credited with popularizing theSNL Digital Shorts.[3]
Samberg's starring film roles includeHot Rod (2007),That's My Boy (2012),Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012),Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), andPalm Springs (2020). He has voiced roles in theCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs film series (2009–2013), theHotel Transylvania film series (2012–2022),Storks (2016),Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022),Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), andZootopia 2 (2025). From 2013 to 2021, he portrayedJake Peralta in theFox/NBCpolice proceduralsitcom seriesBrooklyn Nine-Nine, which he also produced. For his work on the show, he was awarded aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2013.[4]
David A. J. Samberg was born inBerkeley, California, on August 18, 1978.[2] His mother, Marjorie "Margi" (née Marrow), is a retired teacher, who taught at John Muir Elementary School, and his father, Joe Samberg, is a photographer.[5] He has two older sisters, Johanna and Darrow.[6] His family isJewish, and Samberg described his upbringing as "I wouldn't say we're super-religious, but we're very much in touch with the cultural aspect of it."[7] Samberg never had abar mitzvah.[8] He attended Chabot Elementary School[9] with his futureBrooklyn Nine-Nine co-starChelsea Peretti.[10] At age 5, he told his parents that he wanted to change his name to Andy.[1][11]
In a 2019 episode ofFinding Your Roots, hosted byHenry Louis Gates Jr., Samberg discovered that his mother Marjorie, who was adopted by Jewish parents, is the biological daughter of an ItalianCatholic father named Salvatore Maida, who immigrated in 1925,[12] and aGerman Jewish refugee mother named Ellen Philipsborn, who had come to the U.S. in 1938; they met in San Francisco.[13] Samberg's adoptive maternal grandfather wasindustrial psychologist and philanthropistAlfred J. Marrow; through him, he is a third cousin of U.S. senatorTammy Baldwin (D-WI).[14][15]
Samberg graduated fromBerkeley High School in 1996, where he became interested increative writing and has stated that writing classes "were the ones that I put all my effort into... that's what I cared about and that's what I ended up doing".[16] He attended college atUniversity of California, Santa Cruz, for two years[17] before transferring toNew York University (NYU)'sTisch School of the Arts, where he graduated in 2000.[18] While at NYU, writerMurray Miller was his roommate.[19]
Samberg majored inexperimental film. He became an online star and made his own comedy videos with his friendsAkiva Schaffer andJorma Taccone.[20] WhenYouTube was created in 2005, the streaming of their videos became much more widespread. Samberg became a featured player onSaturday Night Live in part because of the work he had done on his sketch comedy website TheLonelyIsland.com, which helped him land an agent and eventually get hired atSaturday Night Live.[21] Prior to joining its cast, Samberg was (and remains) a member of the comedy troupethe Lonely Island, along with Taccone and Schaffer. The trio began writing forSaturday Night Live in 2005 and released their debut albumIncredibad in 2009. Samberg appeared in numerous theatrical films, commercials, music videos, and hosted special events, including the2009 MTV Movie Awards.
In 2012, Samberg delivered the Class Day speech atHarvard University,[22] and he starred withAdam Sandler inThat's My Boy. The same year, he starred with Adam Sandler again inHotel Transylvania asJonathan, a role he reprised for its sequelsHotel Transylvania 2,Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation andHotel Transylvania: Transformania.[23] In September 2012, Samberg played Cuckoo in the BAFTA nominatedBBC Three seriesCuckoo;[24] and, in 2013, he landed the role of Detective Jake Peralta inFox's (laterNBC's) police sitcomBrooklyn Nine-Nine, which first aired on September 17 of the same year.[25] Samberg won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2014 for his role as Peralta. Samberg hosted the67th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2015.[26][27][28] Years later, he co-hosted the 76th Golden Globe Awards withSandra Oh on January 6, 2019.
Samberg starred inSleater-Kinney's "No Cities to Love" video along with other actors such asFred Armisen,Elliot Page, andNorman Reedus. On May 16, 2016, Samberg and the Lonely Island performed their 2009 hit "I'm on a Boat" with classroom instruments onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as part of a recurring segment on the show.[29]
In September 2005, Samberg joinedSaturday Night Live as a featured player and writer. Though his live sketch roles were limited in his first year, he appeared in many prerecorded sketches including commercial parodies and various other filmed segments. On December 17, 2005, he co-starred with castmateChris Parnell in theDigital Short show "Lazy Sunday," ahip hop song about a quest to see the filmThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The short became anInternet phenomenon and garnered Samberg significant media and public attention. Acclaim continued, especially for "Dick in a Box," a duet withJustin Timberlake that won aCreative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.[3] The video for his comedy troupe's collaboration withT-Pain, "I'm on a Boat," had over 56 million views on YouTube, after debuting on February 7, 2009. The song was nominated for aGrammy Award. Another digital short, "Motherlover," also featuring Timberlake, was released on May 10, 2009, to commemorateMother's Day. Outside of his prerecorded segments, he participated in recurring live segments, such as hisBlizzard Man sketch.[30] On June 1, 2012, Samberg's spokesperson announced that Samberg had left the show.[31][32] He returned to the show to host the Season 39 finale in 2014[33] and to star in the 40th anniversary special's Digital Short. He later returned in Season 50 to portrayDoug Emhoff in the run up to the2024 election, as well as providing some additionalDigital Shorts.
In November 2023, the first issue ofHoly Roller, a comic written by Samberg,Rick Remender,Joe Trohman and illustrated by Roland Boschi, was released and published byImage Comics. It is about a pro bowler who is forced to quit his dream job and return to his hometown, which he soon discovers has been overrun byNeo-Nazis, leading him to become a trick bowling ball-wielding Jewish superhero.[34]
Samberg co-hostsThe Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast alongside Schaffer, Taccone andSeth Meyers, which discusses the Lonely Island'sSNL Digital Shorts.[35]
Samberg is married to musicianJoanna Newsom. He described himself as her "superfan", and they met at one of her concerts in 2006.[36][37] After five years of dating, Samberg proposed to her in February 2013, and they married on September 21, 2013, inBig Sur, California,[38][39][40] withSaturday Night Live co-starSeth Meyers serving as Samberg's groomsman.[41]
In March 2014, Samberg and Newsom purchased theMoorcrest estate in theBeachwood Canyon area of Los Angeles, California,[42] which was associated with various historical figures: in the 1920s, it was owned by the parents of actressMary Astor; prior to that,Charlie Chaplin rented it. The couple also owns a home inManhattan'sWest Village.[43] They announced the birth of their daughter on August 8, 2017.[44] The birth of their second child, a son,[45] was announced by the Lonely Island'sJorma Taccone in February 2023.[46]
Samberg, who grew up in theEast Bay, is a fan of theOakland Athletics and theGolden State Warriors.[47]
Samberg was raised in aJewish family, but considers himself "not particularlyreligious".[48]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 | The 'Bu | Aaron | 8 episodes; also writer |
| 2005 | Premium Blend | Himself | Episode: "8.4" |
| Arrested Development | Stage Manager | Episode: "Righteous Brothers" | |
| House of Cosbys | Cosby Team TriOsby (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2005–2012 | Saturday Night Live | Various Characters | 139 episodes; also writer |
| 2008 | Human Giant | Jonathan | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | 2009 MTV Movie Awards | Himself (host) | Television special |
| 2009–2011 | American Dad! | Ricky the Raptor /Anti-Christ (voices) | Episode: "Rapture's Delight" |
| 2010 | Freaknik: The Musical | Chad (voice) | Television film |
| The Sarah Silverman Program | Troy Bulletinboard | Episode: "Smellin' of Troy" | |
| Parks and Recreation | Carl Lorthner | Episode: "Park Safety" | |
| Take Two with Phineas and Ferb | Himself | Episode: "Andy Samberg" | |
| 2011–2017 | Adventure Time | Party Pat, Bear, Rap Bear | 3 episodes[49] |
| 2012 | Portlandia | Andy | Episode: "Mixologist" |
| 30 Rock | Himself | Episode: "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | Colonel Carper (voice) | Episode: "Hello Bikini Bottom!" | |
| Cuckoo | Dale "Cuckoo" Ashbrick | 7 episodes | |
| 2012–2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | 28th Independent Spirit Awards | Himself (host) | Television special |
| The Awesomes | Various voices | 3 episodes[49] | |
| Comedy Central Roast of James Franco | Himself (roaster) | Television special | |
| 2013–2021 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Jake Peralta | Main role; 153 episodes, also producer |
| 2014 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Andy Samberg/St. Vincent" |
| 2015 | The Eric Andre Show | Eric Andre | Episode: "Pauly D &Rick Springfield" |
| Major Lazer | Dr Nerd/Dr Bass Drop (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 7 Days in Hell | Aaron Williams | Television film; also executive producer | |
| 67th Primetime Emmy Awards | Himself (host) | Television special[52] | |
| 2016 | Party Over Here | N/a | Creator and executive producer |
| New Girl | Jake Peralta | Episode: "Homecoming" | |
| 2017 | Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special | Kenny G | Television special |
| Master of None | Nicolas Cage (voice) | Episode: "New York, I Love You" | |
| Tour de Pharmacy | Marty Hass | Television film; also executive producer | |
| Lady Dynamite | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| 2018 | Alone Together | N/a | Executive producer |
| Bob's Burgers | Brett (voice) | Episode: "Sleeping with the Frenemy"[49] | |
| 2019 | 76th Golden Globe Awards | Himself (co-host) | Television special |
| PEN15 | N/a | Executive producer | |
| I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Paul | Episode: "We Used to Watch This at My Old Work"; also executive producer | |
| The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience | Jose Canseco | Television special; also executive producer | |
| The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | The Heretic (skekGra) (voice) | 4 episodes[53] | |
| 2020 | Mapleworth Murders | Bran BcBillan | 2 episodes[54] |
| Kal Penn Approves This Message | Himself (guest) | Episode: "Kal Penn Approves Voting" | |
| 2020–2022 | Never Have I Ever | Himself (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Baking It | Himself (host) | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | The Boys Presents: Diabolical | Gary (Reception Guy) (voice) | Episode: "John and Sun-Hee"; also writer[49] |
| 2023 | Mulligan | Prophet Dave (voice) | Episode: "The Easter Egg Hunt" |
| 2023–present | Digman! | Rip Digman (voice) | Main role; also co-creator, writer, and producer[55] |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tiny Tina's Wonderlands | Captain Valentine | [49] |
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