Michael Ian Black
Birthday: 12 August 1971, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birth Name: Michael Schwartz
Height: 178 cm
Michael Ian Black was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Hillsborough, New Jersey, when he was young. His parents divorced when he was 3. When he was 12, his father died during neurolo ...Show More
Best strategy for a first date is to ask her questions. Just keeping asking her questions about hers Show more
Best strategy for a first date is to ask her questions. Just keeping asking her questions about herself. Her life, her job, her friends, her taste in movies and music and everything. People mostly just want to talk about themselves, so let her do that. Hide
Well, I think my stand-up is often kind of visual. Not like Carrot Top visual, but visual.
Well, I think my stand-up is often kind of visual. Not like Carrot Top visual, but visual.
Separation is the worst. There's no good way to deal with it, other than to get on the phone and do Show more
Separation is the worst. There's no good way to deal with it, other than to get on the phone and do Skype and try to visit. Hide
I am not a music snob. If anything, my musical taste is bad by any critical standards.
I am not a music snob. If anything, my musical taste is bad by any critical standards.
My first real break was when my college sketch troupe, The State, was asked to contribute pieces for Show more
My first real break was when my college sketch troupe, The State, was asked to contribute pieces for a new MTV show called 'You Wrote It, You Watch It.' Hide
My absolute favorite growing up was 'Super Friends.' The assemblage of so many mighty heroes in one Show more
My absolute favorite growing up was 'Super Friends.' The assemblage of so many mighty heroes in one place was, to me, mind-blowing. It was Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and then sometimes Hawkman and some other, lesser heroes. Hide
There's this misconception that comedy and music go together. They don't. Comedians can't compete wi Show more
There's this misconception that comedy and music go together. They don't. Comedians can't compete with rock stars; they're just not on the same level. Rock stars will always be cooler. They will always get more girls. Hide
Everybody has something they love to do. Do that thing.
Everybody has something they love to do. Do that thing.
Nothing is more satisfying to me than sitting in a dank room, hunched over a single flickering candl Show more
Nothing is more satisfying to me than sitting in a dank room, hunched over a single flickering candle like Ebenezer Scrooge, and watching my ledgers fill themselves with ink. Hide
I loved 'Dungeons & Dragons.' Actually, not so much the actual playing as the creation of characters Show more
I loved 'Dungeons & Dragons.' Actually, not so much the actual playing as the creation of characters and the opportunity to roll twenty-sided dice. I loved those pouches of dice Dungeon Masters would trundle around, loved choosing what I was going to be: warrior, wizard, dwarf, thief. Hide
I take it for what it is, and sometimes the criticism is actually useful and constructive and actual Show more
I take it for what it is, and sometimes the criticism is actually useful and constructive and actually informs what I do, but most of the time, it's sort of mindless, or they're receiving something on a different frequency than I was sending it. Hide
Let me tell you, the life of a C list celebrity is pretty sweet. If I want to go to an Applebee's, a Show more
Let me tell you, the life of a C list celebrity is pretty sweet. If I want to go to an Applebee's, all I have to do is, literally, walk in the door. They seat me as soon as the other people ahead of me are seated. Hide
Most of the time, you don't win anything on reality shows. You're booted off, or maybe you win $50,0 Show more
Most of the time, you don't win anything on reality shows. You're booted off, or maybe you win $50,000, or $100,000, which isn't really life-changing. I don't know that it's worth it. Hide
I don't think I was awake for much of my childhood. I did a lot of napping. This might have been a d Show more
I don't think I was awake for much of my childhood. I did a lot of napping. This might have been a defensive measure against encroaching depression. Until about the age of eleven or twelve, I had zero interests other than trying to steal gumballs from supermarket gumball machines. Hide
I definitely script things out. I definitely write things down and try to write jokes. Often, they'r Show more
I definitely script things out. I definitely write things down and try to write jokes. Often, they're terrible. I often write terrible, terrible jokes. Hide
Your harshest critic is always going to be yourself. Don't ignore that critic but don't give it more Show more
Your harshest critic is always going to be yourself. Don't ignore that critic but don't give it more attention than it deserves. Hide
There is no word for feeling nostalgic about the future, but that's what a parent's tears often are, Show more
There is no word for feeling nostalgic about the future, but that's what a parent's tears often are, a nostalgia for something that has not yet occurred. They are the pain of hope, the helplessness of hope, and finally, the surrender to hope. Hide
If you get an idea, you might as well stick with it until somebody calls you on it.
If you get an idea, you might as well stick with it until somebody calls you on it.
At this point, I feel fairly comfortable in terms of performance. I think having a sketch background Show more
At this point, I feel fairly comfortable in terms of performance. I think having a sketch background actually helps a lot. Because my background is acting, and stand-up, in a lot of ways, is acting. Hide
The thing that I think is the most important is taking moments to express your appreciation to your Show more
The thing that I think is the most important is taking moments to express your appreciation to your partner. A thank you or a quick kiss can go a long way toward affirming your relationship and commitment to each other. That's not hard to do even when you're juggling insane careers and three kids. Hide
I feel like my career has been a series of glowing obituaries.
I feel like my career has been a series of glowing obituaries.
People recognize me, but they don't know where from. Today I was in the elevator and somebody asked Show more
People recognize me, but they don't know where from. Today I was in the elevator and somebody asked me if I worked for his company. Hide
I don't watch that much comedy. I think it's professional jealousy. That and a lack of support for m Show more
I don't watch that much comedy. I think it's professional jealousy. That and a lack of support for my community. Hide
Wish I could, through my own financial prestidigitation, transform a dollar bill into two, or two mi Show more
Wish I could, through my own financial prestidigitation, transform a dollar bill into two, or two million. It is an awesome and mysterious skill. Hide
I honestly believe you can never tell if a relationship is going to last. In my own marriage, which Show more
I honestly believe you can never tell if a relationship is going to last. In my own marriage, which is going on 14 years, I don't think of it as 'I'm going to be with this person forever.' Instead, I think of more like, 'I'll probably be with this person for the next six weeks. Then I'll re-evaluate.' Hide
Lordy, lordy, lordy do I love money. It is a character flaw, no doubt, one that springs from a panic Show more
Lordy, lordy, lordy do I love money. It is a character flaw, no doubt, one that springs from a panicked childhood in which I always felt as if our family was only a couple missed child support payments from being tossed onto the pitiless streets of our suburban New Jersey town. Hide
Whenever anyone asks me if I'm from a TV show, I say yes - no matter whether I've ever been on it. I Show more
Whenever anyone asks me if I'm from a TV show, I say yes - no matter whether I've ever been on it. It just makes the conversation that much easier. Hide
Corporations do a lot of things well, but not run nations, for obvious reasons.
Corporations do a lot of things well, but not run nations, for obvious reasons.
I think people hate me pretty much across the board, which is nice. I mean, it's a pretty evenhanded Show more
I think people hate me pretty much across the board, which is nice. I mean, it's a pretty evenhanded loathing among a certain amount of the critical population, which used to be about 80 percent. So now I've gotten to the point where I just don't worry about it that much. It used to be very upsetting, now it's only mildly upsetting. Hide
All the work that I do, whether or not it ends up being commercially successful or not, feels like t Show more
All the work that I do, whether or not it ends up being commercially successful or not, feels like the most important thing to me while I'm doing it. I try to take something away from every project, and so they all feel like milestones for one reason or another. Hide
I actually don't know anyone who wants to be famous for fame's sake, at least not anyone I respect. Show more
I actually don't know anyone who wants to be famous for fame's sake, at least not anyone I respect. But you need to have a certain amount of power in order to be able to do what you want. Hide
My tastes in all things lean towards the arty and boring. I like sports documentaries about Scrabble Show more
My tastes in all things lean towards the arty and boring. I like sports documentaries about Scrabble players, bands that play quiet, unassuming music, and TV shows that win awards. In that way, I am an elitist snob. Hide
I am a poker player, but I am not a good poker player. My favorite game is seven card stud, but I'll Show more
I am a poker player, but I am not a good poker player. My favorite game is seven card stud, but I'll play hi/lo, Hold 'em, Razz, etc. Hide
Many, many people can write books. I just happen to be one of them.
Many, many people can write books. I just happen to be one of them.
Michael Ian Black's FILMOGRAPHY
All
as Actor (158)
as Director (1)
as Creator (3)
Michael Ian Black'S roles
Trevor
Pete Bering
Peepers
Prison Guard Jamberg Saivon
Randy
Chris, Kevin the Sex Offender
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