Daniel Jason Sudeikis (born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 2003, Sudeikis was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, and later spent nine seasons as a cast member from 2005 to 2013, playing Joe Biden and Mitt Romney among others. From 2020 to 2023, he co-created and played the title role in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso, which earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was also one of the leading cast members in The Cleveland Show (2009-2013). Sudeikis has also acted in recurring roles in the comedy series 30 Rock (2007–2010), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010–2011), Portlandia (2011–2014), and The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018). He had leading film roles in the comedies Horrible Bosses (2011) and its sequel, Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), and We're the Millers (2013), as well as the acclaimed independent films Drinking Buddies (2013), Sleeping with Other People (2015), and Colossal (2016), and supporting roles in Alexander Payne's Downsizing (2017) and Olivia Wilde's Booksmart (2019). He has also provided voice- for Epic (2013), The Angry Birds Movie (2016) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and Next Gen (2018), starring in the adult animated series Hit-Monkey (2021–present).

Early life

Daniel Jason Sudeikis was born on September 18, 1975, in Fairfax, Virginia, to Kathryn Sudeikis (née Wendt), a travel agent at Brennco and president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Daniel Joseph Sudeikis, a vice president of business development, both originally from Illinois. Jason has two sisters, Kristin and Lindsay. His father is of Irish and Lithuanian descent, while his mother has German and Irish ancestry. Jason's maternal uncle is actor George Wendt, known for his role as Norm Peterson on Cheers, and Jason's matrilineal great-grandfather was photographer Tom Howard. Sudeikis was born with anosmia, leaving him with no sense of smell. Sudeikis moved with his family to Overland Park within Johnson County, Kansas, which he has described as his hometown. He graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park and attended Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott on a basketball scholarship, but left before finishing.

Career

Career beginnings

In the 1990s, Sudeikis began his career in improv comedy. He began performing at ComedySportz (now called Comedy City) in Kansas City, Missouri. He moved to Chicago, where he studied at the Annoyance Theatre in the North Side of Chicago and IO Theater (formerly known as ImprovOlympic) in the Near North Side and was one of the founding members of the long form team, J.T.S. Brown. He performed with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sudeikis was later cast in The Second City Touring Company. In the early 2000s, he became a founding member of The Second City Las Vegas, where he performed at the Flamingo.

Saturday Night Live

In 2003, while a regular performer at The Second City Las Vegas, Sudeikis was hired as a sketch writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL), and would occasionally make bit appearances as audience members or extras. In May 2005, he became a featured player on the show, and was upgraded to repertory status at the beginning of the show's 32nd season on September 30, 2006. In July 2013, Sudeikis announced that he was leaving SNL. In 2015, 2016, and 2019 he made occasional appearances on the show. On October 23, 2021, Sudeikis made his hosting debut with musical guest Brandi Carlile. Recurring characters

Film, television and other work

Early work

Sudeikis had a recurring role on the series 30 Rock (2007–2010), appearing in a total of 12 episodes. He played Floyd DeBarber, a love interest of Tina Fey's character Liz Lemon. Sudeikis last appeared in four episodes towards the end of the show's fourth season in 2010. Sudeikis began his film career with supporting roles in Watching the Detectives (2007), The Ten (2007), Meet Bill (2007), What Happens in Vegas (2008) and The Rocker (2008). He did voice work for the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), playing the role of right-wing radio host Richard Bastion. In July 2008, he co-starred with Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio in the web series The Line on Crackle. He had supporting roles in the movies The Bounty Hunter (2010) and Going the Distance (2010). On August 16, 2010, Sudeikis co-hosted WWE Raw with Going the Distance co-stars Charlie Day and Justin Long at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Sudeikis was a voice actor on the animated-comedy series The Cleveland Show (2009–2013). He provided the voices for Holt Richter, Cleveland's wannabe hipster neighbor, and Terry Kimple, Cleveland's hard-partying high school buddy, who now works with Cleveland at the cable company. After being credited as a recurring guest in season one, Sudeikis was bumped up to a series regular beginning in season two.

Film breakthrough

In 2011, Sudeikis appeared in the Seth Gordon comedy Horrible Bosses. He had previously worked with co-star Charlie Day when he played the role of Schmitty on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and reprised the role on that show's seventh season finale. Sudeikis played his first lead film role in the Farrelly brothers comedy Hall Pass (2011). Sudeikis hosted the 2011 MTV Movie Awards on June 5, 2011, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. He was the voice for a line of advertisements of Applebee's which began running in 2012. He made appearances in six episodes on the series Eastbound & Down (2012–2013). He starred as David Clark, a drug dealer, in We're the Millers (2013), alongside Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts and Will Poulter. He reprised his role of Kurt Buckman in Horrible Bosses 2 (2014).

2015–present

Sudeikis starred as Jake in the romantic-comedy film Sleeping with Other People (2015). He starred alongside Rebecca Hall in the romantic-drama film Tumbledown (2015). He voices the character of Red in the animated-comedy film The Angry Birds Movie (2016), based on the video game series of the same name. He starred alongside Anne Hathaway in Colossal (2016). He starred in Masterminds (2016). He portrayed Larry Snyder in Race (2016), Henry in The Book of Love (2016), and Bradley in Mother's Day (2016). From November to December 2016, Sudeikis played the lead role of John Keating in the Classic Stage Company Off-Broadway production of Dead Poets Society. In 2017, he executive produced the comedy series Detroiters, and appeared in two episodes. Sudeikis starred in Kodachrome (2017), alongside Ed Harris and Elizabeth Olsen. He made appearances as Glenn in Permission (2017) and as Dave Johnson in Downsizing (2017). He starred as a side-role/reference in the Derren Brown shows Derren Brown: Secret and Derren Brown Underground, where he performed on a screen during the credits, and his name was used as a reference during the show in 2017 and 2018. Sudeikis starred in the thriller Driven. Sudeikis voices the character of Justin Pin in the animated action comedy film Next Gen. He played Red again in the 2019 animated-comedy The Angry Birds Movie 2. In 2019, he appeared on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian as a Speeder Bike trooper. Sudeikis had portrayed Ted Lasso, a hapless American football coach brought to England to coach Tottenham Hotspur as part of two promotional videos for NBC Sports in 2013 and 2014. In late 2019, Sudeikis co-wrote and starred in Ted Lasso about an American football coach who is hired to coach a fictional English football club, AFC Richmond. The series was released in August 2020 on Apple TV+ to a positive reception with the series finale in May 2023, combining three seasons. It has earned him a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. At the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, he was nominated for and won Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. In 2021, he appeared on the Time 100 (Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world) and Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential list. In 2023, Sudeikis said in an interview with The Guardian that the personality of the original main character was revised to be kinder because of the culture surrounding Donald Trump's presidency.

Charity work

Sudeikis played on basketball teams at the 2011 and 2016 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. He and other Kansas City celebrities have hosted the Big Slick for 10 years. The event raises money for the Cancer Center at Children's Mercy Hospital. As of 2023, the event has raised more than $21 million for the cause. He hosted the benefit concert Thundergong! at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri on November 3, 2018, for the charity foundation Steps of Faith which helps provide prosthetic legs and arms.

Personal life

In June 2004, Sudeikis married American screenwriter Kay Cannon after five years together. The two were on The Second City Las Vegas cast together. They separated in 2008 and divorced in February 2010. Sudeikis dated actress January Jones in 2010 and People reported in January 2011 that they had split. He was in a relationship with American actress and filmmaker Olivia Wilde from 2011 to 2020, and became engaged in January 2013 but never married. They have a son, born in April 2014 and a daughter, born in October 2016. After their breakup, Wilde was publicly served with court documents regarding child custody while she was on stage presenting her film Don't Worry Darling at CinemaCon 2022. Additionally, Sudeikis and Wilde were both sued by their former nanny for wrongful termination. Sudeikis is a WNBA fan and New York Liberty season ticket holder, as well as a Brooklyn Nets fan as he lives near the arena where both teams play. He is a supporter of Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark. He has attended many of her college and professional games, even canceling a scheduled speaking appearance to attend a game.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Music videos

Awards and nominations