Jack McBrayer
Encyclopedia
Jack McBrayer is an American
actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien
". He is best known for portraying Kenneth Parcell
on the television series 30 Rock
, a role for which he received an Emmy nomination in 2009.
, moved to Conyers, Georgia
at age 15, and studied theater at the University of Evansville
.
McBrayer worked at Second City
and iO from 1995 to 2002, an experience that introduced him to 30 Rock creator Tina Fey
and prepared him "100 percent" for his role in her show
.
McBrayer has performed 80 times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, where he played a page, often lampooning his own Southern
upbringing by playing a stereotypical hillbilly
. On August 10, 2007 and September 20, 2008 he made cameo appearance
s, playing his character (Kenneth Parcell
) from 30 Rock. During the first appearance, O'Brien remarked to him, "I thought you were above this now." McBrayer also reprised his Kenneth the Page role twice (November 24, 2009 and January 13, 2010) after O'Brien's switch to The Tonight Show
, and has appeared on Conan's Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour
at stops in Eugene, Oregon
, Universal City, California
(on the Universal Studios
lot where O'Brien taped Tonight), and the final tour stop in Atlanta, in his home state of Georgia
.
McBrayer also had a minor recurring role as a waiter at the Bluth family's country club in Arrested Development.
In 2008, McBrayer was featured throughout the video for "Touch My Body
" by Mariah Carey
. During the shooting for the video, it is reported McBrayer accidentally hit Carey in the face with a Frisbee
.
McBrayer also appears in the first episode in the fifth season of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
as a spokesman in a spoof advertisement for the fictional "Diarrhea-phragm." He works as a voice actor in the American animated series Ugly Americans
.
McBrayer appeared in the 2010 film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
. He has a recurring role on the third season of Phineas and Ferb
, playing the part of Irving, a fan of Phineas and Ferb. He also regularly appears in the skit "Knock Knock Joke of the Day" on the hit children's television show, Yo Gabba Gabba!
since season 2.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
". He is best known for portraying Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
on the television series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, a role for which he received an Emmy nomination in 2009.
Life and career
McBrayer was born in Macon, GeorgiaMacon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, moved to Conyers, Georgia
Conyers, Georgia
Conyers is the only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, USA. It is twenty-four miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,689. Census estimates of 2005 indicate a population of 12,205. The city is the county seat of Rockdale County. By 2009, the reported population was...
at age 15, and studied theater at the University of Evansville
University of Evansville
The University of Evansville is a small, private university with approximately 3,050 students located in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, it is located near the interchange of the Lloyd Expressway and U.S. Route 41. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
.
McBrayer worked at Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
and iO from 1995 to 2002, an experience that introduced him to 30 Rock creator Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
and prepared him "100 percent" for his role in her show
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
.
McBrayer has performed 80 times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, where he played a page, often lampooning his own Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
upbringing by playing a stereotypical hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
. On August 10, 2007 and September 20, 2008 he made cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s, playing his character (Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
) from 30 Rock. During the first appearance, O'Brien remarked to him, "I thought you were above this now." McBrayer also reprised his Kenneth the Page role twice (November 24, 2009 and January 13, 2010) after O'Brien's switch to The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
, and has appeared on Conan's Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour
The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour
The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour was a comedy tour featuring Conan O'Brien. The title of the tour is a reference to the 2010 Tonight Show host and timeslot conflict which resulted in O'Brien resigning from his position as host of The Tonight Show in January 2010...
at stops in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, Universal City, California
Universal City, California
Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, that encompasses the 415 acre property of Universal Studios...
(on the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
lot where O'Brien taped Tonight), and the final tour stop in Atlanta, in his home state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
McBrayer also had a minor recurring role as a waiter at the Bluth family's country club in Arrested Development.
In 2008, McBrayer was featured throughout the video for "Touch My Body
Touch My Body
"Touch My Body" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written and produced by Carey, along with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Crystal "Cri$tyle" Johnson and Terius "The Dream" Nash, and was released as the album's lead single on...
" by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. During the shooting for the video, it is reported McBrayer accidentally hit Carey in the face with a Frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
.
McBrayer also appears in the first episode in the fifth season of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010...
as a spokesman in a spoof advertisement for the fictional "Diarrhea-phragm." He works as a voice actor in the American animated series Ugly Americans
Ugly Americans (TV series)
Ugly Americans is an American animated television series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern. The program focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other...
.
McBrayer appeared in the 2010 film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is a 2010 family action comedy film directed by Brad Peyton. The film stars Chris O'Donnell and Jack McBrayer. The film also stars the voices of James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, and Neil Patrick Harris...
. He has a recurring role on the third season of Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
, playing the part of Irving, a fan of Phineas and Ferb. He also regularly appears in the skit "Knock Knock Joke of the Day" on the hit children's television show, Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American children's television show currently airing on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTEjr see Raidió Teilifís...
since season 2.
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Danny's Wish | Gas Station Attendant | |
| 2004 | Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story Blackballed (film) Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story is a 2004 film by Brant Sersen in his directorial debut, written by Brian Steinberg and Brant Sersen. It is an improvisational comedy set in the world of paintball... |
Stuart Applebaum | |
| 2005 | The Baxter The Baxter The Baxter is a 2005 film written by, directed by and starring American comedian Michael Showalter. A “Baxter”, as defined by the film, is the nice, dull guy in a romantic comedy who is dumped at the end of the story for the protagonist.... |
Elliot's friend | Uncredited |
| Peanut Hunt | Jack | ||
| 2006 | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film also features John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Various Saturday Night Live alumni also... |
Glenn | |
| Grounds Zero | Do Gooder | ||
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a 2007 music comedy film written and produced by Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan, directed by Kasdan and starring John C. Reilly... |
DJ | |
| 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall Forgetting Sarah Marshall Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand... |
Darald | |
| 2009 | Spring Breakdown Spring Breakdown Spring Breakdown is a comedy film starring Amy Poehler, Parker Posey, and Rachel Dratch. Three years after principal photography, and after the film's owner, Warner Independent Pictures, was shut down by its parent company, it was released direct-to-video in 2009.-Plot:The film begins with Gayle,... |
Stage Manager | |
| 2010 | Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is a 2010 family action comedy film directed by Brad Peyton. The film stars Chris O'Donnell and Jack McBrayer. The film also stars the voices of James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, and Neil Patrick Harris... |
Chuck | |
| Despicable Me Despicable Me Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and... |
Tourist Father / Carnival Barker | Voice only | |
| 2011 | Conan O'Brien Can't Stop Conan O'Brien Can't Stop Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is a 2011 documentary film featuring Conan O'Brien and focusing on his comedy tour, The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour, which took place in 2010 following his departure from The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien due to a scheduling... |
Himself | |
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph Wreck-It Ralph Wreck-It Ralph is an upcoming 2012 3D computer-animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Rich Moore, a former animation director of The Simpsons and Futurama. Its working titles were Joe Jump and Reboot Ralph. The film will feature the voices of John C... |
Fix-It Felix | Voice only |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2004 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am... |
Various | |
| 2005 | Weekends at the D.L. Weekends at the D.L. Weekends at the D.L. was a talk show on Comedy Central, created in July 2005. In a typical episode, host D. L. Hughley entertains guests around a coffee table, where they drink wine and smoke stogies on the D.L... |
Soldier | Guest appearance |
| 2005–2006 | Arrested Development | Country Club Waiter | Guest appearances |
| 2006–present | 30 Rock 30 Rock 30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live... |
Kenneth Parcell Kenneth Parcell Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006... |
Series regular |
| 2006 | The Colbert Report | Kevin | Guest appearance |
| 2008–present | Yo Gabba Gabba! Yo Gabba Gabba! Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American children's television show currently airing on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTEjr see Raidió Teilifís... |
Himself | |
| 2009 | The Electric Company The Electric Company (2009 TV series) The Electric Company is an American children's educational series for young children aged 4–8 on PBS, derived from the 1971 series. The series premiered as a four-episode mini-marathon on PBS on January 19, 2009, then became a weekly series with an episode shown each Friday. On September 7, 2009,... |
Marlon | Guest appearance |
| 2009–present | Phineas and Ferb Phineas and Ferb Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which... |
Irving | |
| 2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010... |
Best Man | Guest appearance |
| 2010 | Ugly Americans Ugly Americans (TV series) Ugly Americans is an American animated television series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern. The program focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other... |
Kong | Guest appearance |
| 2010 | Robotomy Robotomy Robotomy is a Cartoon Network American animated television series created by Michael Buckley and Joe Deasy, directed by Christy Karacas , voice directed by Michael Sinterniklaas, and produced by World Leaders Entertainment. The series was developed after a long series of unaccepted ideas, and... |
Frenemy | Guest appearance |
| 2010 | Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special Kung Fu Panda Holiday, also known as Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special, is a 2010 television special that premiered on NBC on November 24, 2010. Featured are the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, James Hong, and Jack McBrayer... |
Wo Hop | |
| 2011 | Bob's Burgers Bob's Burgers Bob's Burgers is an American animated television sitcom, which premiered on January 9, 2011 on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was created by Loren Bouchard and focuses on the Belcher family, who runs a hamburger restaurant. On April 7, 2011, Bob's Burgers was renewed for a second season... |
Marbles | Voice only |
| 2011 | The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... |
"Peach Guy" | Voice only |
External links
- Interview with McBrayer on The Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
- Entertainment Weekly interview with Jack McBrayer and the actors who portray TV assistants Lloyd ("Entourage") and Marc ("Ugly Betty").