Will Ferrell always pictured himself having a stereotypical desk-bound job with a briefcase filled with stability. The role player, author, and producer examined his "complex road" to one-act on an episode of the Awards Chatter podcast. He had a happy suburban-style childhood in Irvine, California and majored in sports information at USC with the program to become a sports broadcaster. A career in comedy was never his goal nor was information technology fifty-fifty on his radar. He did, still, enjoy being funny whenever the opportunity presented itself. In high school, he wrote radio skits for the morning announcements, which became a popular recurring bit. "Information technology was and then much fun and the time flew by [writing them] that I thought I should recollect this feeling considering this didn't feel difficult and it felt fun, and the next morning we read our little thing and people loved it." That morsel of encouragement was followed by another unexpected supporter in his friend's literary professor, Ronald Gottesman, at USC. During his work study, Ferrell dressed up as a janitor and interrupted the class in an attempt to make his friend express mirth, but ended up making the stern professor chuckle as well. "There'southward merely people forth the way who have kind of given you the confidence to explore these things."

After a career intervention from his mom, Ferrell enrolled in classes that indulged the entertainer in him. One of those places was the legendary sketch comedy theater The Groundlings, where he would non simply gain the respect and adoration of his peers, but of those at Saturday Nighttime Live . He, forth with his futurity SNL castmates Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan, were flown to New York to audition for Lorne Michaels. Ii auditions and an awkward coming together later (which involved a briefcase filled with faux money), Ferrell was officially hired as a cast fellow member. To brand matters fifty-fifty more stressful, he entered the bear witness when it was on the verge of cancellation. Almost the unabridged bandage and writers' staff from the year prior was replaced, and SNL was the weakest link on NBC's lineup of shows. He explained, "I don't think we realized what level of scrutiny we were nether," and that behind the scenes, "everyone was really trying to 'fix' SNL."

Though some critics weren't thrilled with Ferrell on SNL at first (one even calling him the "near annoying newcomer") he apace proved himself to be one of the strongest players in the show's history. For seven years, his outrageous characters, impressions, and overall down-for-anything attitude not only kept SNL adrift, just brought dorsum its credibility. Since departing the evidence in 2002 to commence on a prolific (and hilarious) career in picture, Ferrell's returned to Studio 8H to host and is now part of the Five-Timers Club.

Let's take a look at some of Will Ferrell's best moments during his time at Sat Night Live!

The Love-ahs with Clarissa and Dave

Y'all've probably witnessed dissimilar levels of PDA in your life, just take you e'er been in a hot tub with the self-proclaimed Honey-ahs? 1 of Ferrell's most memorable characters on SNL was of Roger Klarvin, a hairy, boring-talking human who loves his as-handsy wife Virginia (Rachel Dratch) and wants anybody to know it. Their love is and so contagious, that it rubs off on Clarissa (Winona Ryder) who wants to live similar them.

Evil Boss

Everyone'southward had to deal with a rude employee or mean boss, simply odds are that your boss has never murdered anyone. In front of you. At work. Ironically this sketch virtually a workplace is not rubber to lookout at work. Ferrell becomes feral (see what I did there?) and ruthlessly berates, threatens, and beats his workers in front of potential rent Kurt (Pierce Brosnan). He'southward racist. He'due south sexist. He'due south your evil dominate.

Jeffrey's

If you're going shopping at Jeffrey's, then yous improve know what you desire. And it must exist fashionable. Information technology's also best to have a thick skin, because the two clerks (Sean Hayes and Jimmy Fallon) accept zero patience for mediocrity or anyone that doesn't meet their high standards. Jeffrey's prides itself on existence one step alee in the manner world and its workers have no problem insulting y'all to your face. Just wait until y'all see their dominate's (Ferrell) futuristic phone. Ugh, if only people would stay out of their invisi-foursquare.

Dissing Your Dog

Training your cute puppy tin can be nearly impossible. No matter how difficult you lot try, at that place will always be an accident in the house, a chewed up cushion, or a dog that doesn't like its food. You might fifty-fifty feel helpless. Before you heighten your phonation or lose your patience, order a re-create of dog practiced Dale Sturtevant's tried and true dog training technique tape, "Dissing Your Domestic dog." Don't yell at your canis familiaris, be cavalier.

Curt Shorts for the Usa

Ferrell's delivery and shamelessness in this sketch is truly beauteous. He plays (another) Dale, an employee who took a lilliputian likewise much freedom with the recent memo he received from his dominate (Seann William Scott). Dale takes advantage of this opportunity to show off his patriotism at work and ends up revealing a lot more than his co-workers would take liked. Java anyone?

More Cowbell

This listing has a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. When the Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken) is willing to help out your band, you mind to every morsel of wisdom he has to offering. Surprisingly, he actually digs the sound of Gene Frenkle's (Ferrell) cowbell. In fact, he encourages Gene to explore his space and get one with his cowbell, no matter how distracting information technology may be.

Get Off the Shed: New Friends

Zip beats a barbecue in the summer with your new friends and….Brandon? Can you go off the shed? Anyway, summer'southward a great time to relax and grill some burgers, and…Brandon! Become off the shed! Ferrell performed a version of this "get off the shed" grapheme in his SNL audition, along with an impression of Ted Kennedy, Harry Caray, and a man who behaves like a true cat. Brandon, for the terminal time. Get. Off. The. Shed!

The Roxbury Guys

snl night at the roxbury chris kattan will ferell jim carrey

What is love? These three Roxbury guys (Chris Kattan, Will Ferrell, and Jim Carrey) are determined to notice out, even if it means breaking their necks in the process. These men alive for the night and are fearless (and ambitious) on the dance floor. Their quest to find love gets increasingly pathetic as the night progresses, with the 3 of them searching for a companion at a high school prom and even a nursing habitation. The characters were so popular that they even starred in their own spin-off movie A Night at the Roxbury in 1998. Who wants to trip the light fantastic? Y'all? Me? You?

Dysfunctional Family Dinner

After a long day of work and school, it'south nice to sit down around the dinner table and catch upward with family. Alright, this might not exist the case for every family. In this sketch, Volition Ferrell plays an uptight and overworked father alongside his stoic wife (Ana Gasteyer), and their hostile, airtight-off girl (Sarah Michelle Gellar). There'southward non as much eating as there is clanging of utensils. And yelling. Lots of yelling. He drives a Dodge Stratus! Large fourth dimension stuff!

Spartan Cheerleaders at Tryouts

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. We're mere hours away from the Spartan Cheerleader tryouts! No 1 is more amped upwardly on excitement (and caffeine) than high school best friends and java virgins Craig (Ferrell) and Arianna (Cheri Oteri). These eager beavers are out of breath and set up to show the school what they are fabricated of. Could this actually be the year they make the team? Go Spartans!

Celebrity Jeopardy!: French Stewart, Burt Reynolds, & Sean Connery

Stop what you lot are doing, because it's fourth dimension for a Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch. Ferrell channeled rage and disappointment into his Alex Trebek impression, which soon became a fan favorite on the bear witness. In his defense, he continuously has to deal with antagonistic imbeciles (thank you to their profoundly exaggerated impressions) Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald) and Sean Connery (Darrell Hammond). Somehow, Reynolds gets his hands on an oversized chapeau, and while he can't correctly answer whatever question, he figures out how to alter his name to Turd Ferguson.

Harry Caray Interviews Dr. Kent Wahler

Hey! Who improve to talk well-nigh the complexities of the universe than Chicago Cubs announcer and broadcast fable Harry Caray? Ferrell shakes and yells his way through this sketch that imagines what information technology would be similar if Caray hosted a talk show and interviewed the well-nigh intellectual and sophisticated minds in all of science. Here Jeff Goldblum plays an astrophysicist who is dumbfounded past Caray's nonsensical questions. The loud sportscaster does bring up a very skilful question: Would you consume the moon if it were made of barbecue spare ribs?

Ted Brogan is Born

What, you've never heard of someone giving nativity to a total grown man before? Do you alive under a rock? In this slimy sketch, Ferrell plays Ted Brogan, the 37-year-old homo that's been cooped up in this new mother's (Rachel Dratch) womb. Calculation to the absurdity is the fact that he'south a big jerk who just wants to get gambling. Come on, someone requite him some dough for Atlantic City!

Inside the Actor's Studio with Drew Barrymore

Isn't interim delightful? In this recurring sketch, Ferrell plays James Lipton, the prestigious and sophisticated former dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama Schoolhouse at Step University. Lipton hosted a long-running in-depth interview series called Inside the Actor's Studio in which he would examine the career of an actor and inquire them a series of unique questions. Ferrell captures Lipton'south stiff demeanor and verbose way of speaking in the best and nearly uncomfortable way.

George W. Bush Explains His Deal with Cathay

Though he has so many fun impressions in his armory, Ferrell's spin on George W. Bush takes the cake. It was such a hitting, that he after performed a ane-man show as the president on Broadway called You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush . In this Cold Open, Ferrell breaks down his new deal with China to his fellow Americans and explains how it definitely works in America's favor. Don't mess with Texas!

Volition Ferrell tin be seen starring alongside Paul Rudd and Kathryn Hahn in The Shrink Adjacent Door on AppleTV+. He also has six projects in the works, including Spirited , a musical with Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer, and Fruitcake , a crime drama with Julianne Moore.