Michael Ian Black

Michael Ian Black (born Michael Ian Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Viva Variety, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Michael & Michael Have Issues, and Another Period. He also appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times. He released his first children's book, Chicken Cheeks, in 2009, and has since released six more, in addition to four books for adults.

Michael Ian Black
Black at the May 2015 Montclair Film Festival
Birth name	Michael Ian Schwartz
Born	(1971-08-12) August 12, 1971 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Comedy, film, television
Nationality	American
Genres	Comedy
Subject(s)	Observational comedy
Spouse	Martha Anne Hagen ( m. 1998)
Children	2
Notable works and roles	The I Love the... series, The State, Stella, Michael & Michael Have Issues, Another Period
Website	michaelianblack.org

Early life

Black was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jill and Robert Schwartz, a store owner and an executive, respectively.[1] His family is Jewish.[2] He grew up in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey,[3] where he attended Hillsborough High School. His parents divorced when he was three years old; his mother, Jill, later came out as a lesbian.[4] Black's father died at age 39 due to a head injury apparently suffered in an assault and allergic reaction during subsequent surgery.[5]

His birth name, Schwartz, is derived from the German word schwarz, which means black. He changed his name to Michael Ian Black to avoid confusion with the actor Mike Schwartz.[6]

Career

1991–2010

Black began his career as a member of the comedy group The State and was featured on the television show of the same name on MTV. He continued working with members of that group on the show Viva Variety in the role of "Johnny Bluejeans", and in the film Wet Hot American Summer, directed by frequent collaborator David Wain.

Black also appeared on VH1's I Love the... series, his comedy troupe Stella, and in various TV series and films. He was also the voice actor for the Pets.com sock puppet, was featured in commercials for Sierra Mist, hosted the first season of NBC's hidden-camera show Spy TV, made several appearances in the film Big Helium Dog, and had a supporting role on the NBC dramedy Ed.

His dry, sarcastically irreverent commentary on pop culture artifacts on VH1's I Love the '70s/'80s/'90s/New Millennium series added to his and the shows' popularity. Black stated several times on the show that he felt as if he was "doomed to an eternity of doing the I Love the... series". He also made fun of himself for being a Jewish-American and sarcastically enforcing Jewish stereotypes.

Black is a poker enthusiast and appeared in five episodes of Celebrity Poker Showdown beginning in 2003, playing for the Endeavor House charity. In 2004 and 2006 he played for the charity MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. In 2006, he came in third (receiving $100,000 for his charity). Black was praised for his humor and his skilled poker play by Dave Foley, host of Celebrity Poker Showdown, and by poker experts Phil Gordon and Phil Hellmuth.[7][8]

In the latter part of 2004, he acted as guest host of CBS's The Late Late Show while auditioning for the permanent hosting role. He was a finalist for the position, but the job eventually went to Craig Ferguson. He is also an occasional contributor to the online edition of McSweeney's, where he writes a column titled "Michael Ian Black Is a Very Famous Celebrity".[9]

Black, along with fellow State members Michael Showalter and David Wain, co-starred in and cowrote the Comedy Central series Stella, a television adaptation of their popular stage show. The ten-episode first season debuted in June 2005 and was not renewed for a second season.

Black at the 2007 Brooklyn Book Festival

Black wrote the screenplays for two feature film comedies —Wedding Daze (2006) and Run, Fat Boy, Run (2007, co-written with leading actor Simon Pegg).[10] Black also directed Wedding Daze which stars Jason Biggs, Joe Pantoliano, and Isla Fisher.[11]

Black also has some minor screen credits. He appeared twice on the Adult Swim show Tom Goes to the Mayor, was a guest voice on Seth Green's stop-motion show Robot Chicken, and later did a bit for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. He appeared on the Comedy Central shows Crank Yankers and Reno 911!. He had a cameo in David Wain's 2007 film The Ten as a prison guard. In September 2007, he released his first stand-up comedy album, I Am a Wonderful Man. In addition, he starred on the TV series Reaper as a gay demon trying to destroy the devil through acts of kindness.[12] In 2008, Black published a book titled My Custom Van ... And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face. Also in 2008, he hosted Reality Bites Back, a scripted reality show on Comedy Central.

Black then developed another show for Comedy Central, Michael Ian Black Doesn't Understand.[13] The concept was later retooled as Michael & Michael Have Issues; a pilot episode, featuring Michael Showalter, was shot in August 2008.[14] Comedy Central confirmed in February 2009 that a seven-episode run of the show would air in July.[15]

His first children's book, Chicken Cheeks, was published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing on January 6, 2009. The book is illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. In a starred review, Kirkus called the book "a perfect collaboration of text and illustration." An alternative review was aired on the Michael Showalter Showalter.[16]

Black appeared in several Sierra Mist and[17][18][19] Klondike commercials,[20] as well as an eBay commercial with Showalter.[21]

On February 21, 2009, Black instigated a "Celeb-Feud" — or as he called it, the "World's First Twitter War" — with LeVar Burton to see if he could muster more Twitter followers than Burton. Black dubbed the feud "LeWar."[22]

2010–present

In 2010 Black started the podcast Mike and Tom Eat Snacks with his former Ed castmate Tom Cavanagh.[23] Black and Meghan McCain cowrote the book America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom in June 2012. The two took a road trip across America during the summer of 2011, documenting how Americans were living.[24][25]

In 2012, he starred as the host Bill Tundle in the web series Burning Love, a spoof of the TV series The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. He also co-hosted G4 TV with Candace Bailey that year. He has occasionally appeared as a guest on Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. He stars in Adult Swim's late night infomercial parody, You're Whole, as Randall Tyree Mandersohn. After a guest appearance in the pilot, it was announced in 2013 that Black would join the FOX comedy Us & Them in a regular role.[26]

Black and Bobcat Goldthwait at the 2015 Montclair Film Festival

In 2013, he and Michael Showalter launched the podcast Topics.[27] Alongside Jason Ritter, Alexis Bledel, and Kerri Kenney-Silver, Black appeared in the unaired 2013 Fox sitcom Us & Them, a 13-episode US adaptation of the hit UK sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which was canceled while the seventh episode was in production. Fox decided to not air any of the episodes. Black played the role of Brian.

He co-hosted the single-season 2013 game show Trust Me, I'm a Game Show Host alongside D.L. Hughley.[28] He was also a co-host on Duck Quacks Don't Echo,[29] and one of the guest stars on the short-lived Steve Carell 2014 improv sketch show Riot.[30][31][32] On June 11, 2014, he appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.

Black played Peepers, an uptight butler, on the Comedy Central series Another Period. He also played the role of Daniel on the TVLand series The Jim Gaffigan Show, as well as McKinley in the prequel to 2001's Wet Hot American Summer, titled Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.

Black hosts How to Be Amazing, an in-depth interview podcast show, produced by Black, Jennifer Brennan and Mary Shimkin. It's largely recorded at Argot Studios in New York City.[33] In June 2017, Black recorded an episode in Los Angeles with pop star Katy Perry for her livestream marathon, Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide.[34]

Black appears in Smosh: The Movie as Steve YouTube, the germophobic creator and CEO of YouTube. The movie premiered on July 24, 2015, at VidCon 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

Personal life

Black married Martha Anne Hagen in 1998.[35] They have two children,[36][37] Elijah (born 2001), and Ruthie (born 2003).[38][39] They reside in Redding, Connecticut.[36][37][40]

Black's parents are Jewish. He is an atheist.[41]

Works

Discography

• Comedy For Gracious Living by The State (recorded 1996, released 2010)
• I am a Wonderful Man (2007)
• Very Famous (2011)
• Noted Expert (2016)

Bibliography

• My Custom Van: And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays that Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face (2008)
• You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations (2012)
• America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom (with Meghan McCain; 2012)
• Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird) (2016)

Children's books

• Chicken Cheeks (2009)
• The Purple Kangaroo (2009)
• A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea (2011)
• I'm Bored (2012)
• Naked! (2014)
• Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop! (2015)
• A Child's First Book of Trump (2016) ISBN 978-1481488006
• I'm Sad (2018)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Cults: Saying No Under Pressure	Male student	Documentary
1999	Big Helium Dog	Martin Huber
2000	The Bogus Witch Project	Stephen Hawking
2001	Wet Hot American Summer	McKinley
2002	Stella shorts	Michael	27 short films
2005	The Baxter	Ed
2005	Alchemy	Jerry (voice)
2005	Partner(s)	Christopher
2006	Wedding Daze		Writer, director
2007	Run, Fatboy, Run		Writer
2007	The Ten	Prison Guard Jamberg Saivon
2007	Reno 911!: Miami	Ron of Ron's Tattoo
2011	Take Me Home Tonight	Pete Bering
2012	Wanderlust	Himself
2012	This Is 40	Accountant
2013	Hell Baby	Dr. Marshall
2014	They Came Together	Trevor
2015	Smosh: The Movie	Steve YouTube
2016	Slash	Denis
2016	Folk Hero & Funny Guy	Randy
2019	Sextuplets

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992–93	You Wrote It, You Watch It	Various	25 episodes; also writer
1993–95	The State	Various	27 episodes; also co-creator, writer
1994	NYPD Blue	Joey Diaz	Episode: "Rockin' Robin"
1997	Viva Variety	Johnny Blue Jeans	16 episodes; also co-creator, writer
1999	Hercules: The Animated Series	Voice	Episode: "Hercules and the Romans"
2000–04	Ed	Phil Stubbs	83 episodes
2001	Spy TV	Himself (host)	11 episodes
2002	I Love the '80s	Himself	9 episodes
2003	I Love the '70s	Himself	7 episodes
2003	I Love the '80s Strikes Back	Himself	6 episodes
2003	Crank Yankers	Voice	2 episodes
2003–06	Celebrity Poker Showdown	Himself	5 episodes
2003–08	Reno 911!	Chris / Kevin the Sex Offender	3 episodes
2004	I Love the '90s	Himself	7 episodes
2004, 2008	Comedy Central Presents	Himself	2 episodes
2005	I Love the '90s: Part Deux	Himself	3 episodes
2005	I Love the '80s 3-D	Himself	10 episodes
2005	I Love the Holidays	Himself
2005	Stella	Michael	10 episodes; also co-creator, writer
2005–06	Tom Goes to the Mayor	Dr. Ian Black (voice)	2 episodes
2006	I Love Toys	Himself
2006	I Love the '70s: Volume 2	Himself	7 episodes
2006	Cheap Seats: Without Ron Parker	EZtech Executive / Hugh FitzSimmons	2 episodes
2006-2012	Robot Chicken	Himself / Mo-Larr / E! Entertainment Host / Mr. Ollivander (voices)	3 episodes
2007	Wainy Days	Waiter	2 episodes
2008	I Love the New Millennium	Himself	7 episodes
2008	Reality Bites Back	Himself (host)	8 episodes
2008	The Xtacles	Chase Fontaine (voice)	2 episodes
2008–09	Reaper	Steve	6 episodes
2009	Michael & Michael Have Issues	Himself	7 episodes; also co-creator, writer
2010	Mercy	Mark Gunther	Episode: "I Saw This Pig and I Thought of You"
2010–11	Backwash	Fleming	Web-series, 11 episodes
2011	Michael Ian Black: Very Famous	Himself	Stand-up special
2012–13	Burning Love	Bill Tundle	37 episodes
2012–14	You're Whole	Randall Tyree Mandersohn	8 episodes; also creator, writer
2013	Trust Me, I'm a Game Show Host	Himself (co-host)	10 episodes
2013–14	Us & Them	Brian	7 episodes
2013–16	Inside Amy Schumer	Martin Daniels / Lawyer	4 episodes
2014	Duck Quacks Don't Echo	Himself (co-host)	12 episodes
2014	Maron	Michael Ian Black	Episode: "Marc on Talking Dead"
2015	Deadbeat	TJ	Episode: "The Blowfish Job"
2015	Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp	McKinley	7 episodes
2015–16	The Jim Gaffigan Show	Daniel	22 episodes
2015–18	Another Period	Peepers	30 episodes
2016	Easiest Game Show Ever	Himself (host)
2016	Michael Ian Black: Noted Expert	Himself	Stand-up special
2017	Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later	McKinley / George H. W. Bush	7 episodes
2017	The High Court with Doug Benson	Guest bailiff	Episode: "Snakes in the Drain"
2017	Dogs in a Park	Various Dogs	8 episodes
2017	The Chris Gethard Show	Himself	Episode: "Everything is Terrifying"
2018	The Good Fight	Stephen Rankin-Hall	Episode: "Day 450"
2018	Insatiable	Pastor Mike	4 episodes
2018	Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters	Satan	1 episode [42]
TBA	Moon Cruise	TBA	Also creator[43]

References

1. "Michael Ian Black Biography (1971-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
2. Zaltzman, Lior (June 23, 2016). "Jewish Comedian Donald Trump Children's Book Rubs Racists the Wrong Way". Haaretz. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
3. Meoli, Daria (October 2005). "That's Entertainment". New Jersey Monthly. Archived from the original on December 14, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2007. Add Stella, the strange Comedy Network brainchild of Princeton native Michael Showalter and Hillsborough native Michael Ian Black—he played wacky bowling-alley employee Phil in Ed, filmed all over the state—and Ohioan David Wain.
4. Rule, Doug (March 1, 2012). "Gay by Association: Michael Ian Black is an affiliated member of the gay community: Books section". Metro Weekly. London, England: DMG Media. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
5. Michael Ian Black, You're Not Doing It Right, Simon & Schuster, 2012. p.109-111
6. Black, Michael (July 30, 1999). "Big Helium Dog". IMDB. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
7. "Phil Gordon interview". HoboTrashcan. March 14, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
8. "Phil Hellmuth - Businessman, Host, and Poker Legend". Poker News. May 16, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
9. Archived May 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
10. BBC Movies Review of Run, Fatboy, Run. Retrieved on September 14, 2007.
11. The Internet Movie Database, The Pleasure of Your Company retrieved on September 14, 2007
12. Miller, Shaun (December 12, 2007). "Happy Reaper: Michael Ian Black". Express. Washington DC: Nash Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008.
13. "Michael Ian Black: My Whereabouts". Michaelianblack.typepad.com. 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
14. "Michael Ian Black: Come See Michael & Michael Have Issues". Michaelianblack.typepad.com. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
15. Martin, Denise (18 February 2009). "Comedy Central commits to 'Michael and Michael Have Issues'". LA Times. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
16. Connected Ventures LLC. Copyright 1999-2010. (2008-12-10). "Michael Showalter Showalter: Michael Ian Black - CollegeHumor Video". Collegehumor.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
17. "Sierra Mist "Wand"". May 22, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
18. "Sierra Mist "Jinx"". May 30, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
19. "Sierra Mist Karate". March 30, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
20. "Twitter / @michaelianblack:Shooting some Klondike com". Twitter.com. August 2, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
21. "eBay: Michaels on used gear". November 2, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
22. Mumm, Chad (June 5, 2009). "Comedian Michael Ian Black to Actor LeVar Burton: "It's Twitter War!"". Switched.com. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
23. michaelianblack (2011-02-24). "Here I Am". Michaelianblack.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
24. Mauldin, Kit. "Interview: Meghan McCain on "America, You Sexy Bitch"". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
25. "Interview with Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain". 7th Avenue Project Radio Show. June 10, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
26. Andreeva, Nellie (August 23, 2013). "Aasif Mandvi & Michael Ian Black Join New Fox Series 'Us & Them'". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
27. "Topics Podcast at EarWolf.com". Ear Wolf. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
28. "Trust Me, I'm a Game Show Host - Coming Soon to TBS". Tbs.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
29. "Duck Quacks Don't Echo". National Geographic Channel. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
30. Kroeger, Jake (April 8, 2014). "Fox Improv Show RIOT Will Feature Steve Carell, Jason Alexander, Cheryl Hines". Nerdist. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
31. Geddes, Robin (April 8, 2014). "Steve Carell, Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik for new Fox series Riot". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
32. Swift, Andy (April 8, 2014). "Exclusive: Steve Carell and Cheryl Hines Among Celebrity Guests in Fox Improv Series Riot". TV Line. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
33. "About —". howtobeamazingshow.com.
34. Russell, Erica (June 10, 2017). "Watch Katy Perry's 24 Hour 'Witness World Wide' Live Stream". PopCrush. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
35. "WEDDINGS; Martha Hagen, Michael Black". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. October 18, 1998. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
36. Grandjean, Patricia (September 2009). "Michael Ian Black". Connecticut.
37. Leone Shewfelt, Raechal (February 23, 2012). "Comedian Michael Ian Black’s ‘House Hunters’ Obsession". Yahoo! Celebrity.
38. Stemer, Zak (January 5, 2014). "Back to Black: Michael Ian Black". Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago, Illinois: Sun-Times Media Company. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
39. Black, Michael Ian (2012). You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations. New York City: Gallery Books. p. 140. ISBN 978-1439167861 – via Internet Archive. Michael Ian Black, Elijah, Ruthie.
40. Coyle, Jake (February 22, 2012). "Rebuffed By Mainstream, Black Turns Humor Inward". The Huffington Post. New York City: Huffington Post Media Group. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
41. Stroh, Katie (February 29, 2012). "Michael Ian Black bares soul, makes us laugh with memoir". The Daily Texan. Austin, Texas: Texas Student Media. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
42. "Michael Ian Black Is Satan in this Exclusive Clip from Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits and Monsters". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
43. "TBS Developing 'Moon Cruise' Comedy Series Created by and Starring Michael Ian Black". December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.

External links

• Michael Ian Black's official blog
• Michael Ian Black on IMDb
• Michael Ian Black at AllMovie