A central character in Fox’s offbeat comedy “Arrested Development” (Fox, 2003-06), Will Arnett’s eccentric George Oscar “GOB” Bluth II (pronounced like the Biblical “Job”) was an audience favorite that helped draw in cult-like devotees to the show. His portrayal of the middle-aged, aspiring magician and disliked son of a wealthy Southern California family marked Arnett’s first high profile acting role, though he had previously made a career as a voiceover artist. The show’s success with the “alternative comedy” crowd set the tone for Arnett’s future in quirky film projects where his clean cut, 1950s looks made his smug villains and overconfident dimwits all the more subversively funny. He was often paired onscreen with his wife, Amy Poehler, to great comic effect, especially in the pair’s roles opposite Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in the sports send-up “Blades of Glory” (2007). Arnett found further success voicing animated family hits like “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006)” and “Horton Hears a Who” (2008), as well as in mainstream romantic comedy features with 2009’s “When in Rome.” Arnett even managed the impossible – stealing scenes from comic powerhouse, Alec Baldwin, as Devon Banks, the corporate – and closeted gay – competition of Jack Donaghy (Baldwin) to run General Electric on the Emmy-nominated sitcom, “30 Rock” (NBC, 2006- ).
Will Arnett was born on May 5, 1970, and raised in Toronto, Ontario, where he got into enough trouble that his parents sent him to an all-boys boarding school to straighten him out. Their remedy was far from successful, and after several years of getting caught drinking and smoking, the school gave up on him. Arnett went back to public school and eventually graduated. While continuing his lackluster academic efforts at several area colleges his mother encouraged the tall, handsome, but directionless teen to try acting. He auditioned for some commercials and latched onto performing right away, moving to New York City in 1990 to study acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute. And while he would eventually be known for his comic prowess, Arnett initially considered himself a dramatic actor, and, as such, began building his resume in off-Broadway dramatic plays. His first professional success came with voice-over work, his gravelly, authoritative voice proving to be a lucrative asset in demand by networks and movie trailers.
Arnett appeared on the big screen in the urban drama “Southie” (1999), written and directed by his friend Dave McLaughlin. He scored a guest television appearance on HBO’s “Sex & The City” (HBO, 1998-2004) and was cast as a series regular on the short-lived “The Mike O’Malley Show” (NBC, 1999). While suffering from a run of bad luck with several pilots that never panned out, his personal life began to look up when he met actress Amy Poehler, who, at that time, was known primarily on the New York sketch comedy scene as a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The pair began dating and just as his love life was taking off, Arnett’s professional dance card began filling up as well, with steady TV appearances booked on “Boston Public,” (Fox, 2000-04), “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC, 1999- ) and two episodes of “The Sopranos” (HBO, 1999-2007), where he played agent Mike Waldrup. In 2003, Arnett married Poehler – who had, by now, become a recognizably zany cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ). At the same time he found himself happily hitched to his soulmate, Arnett achieved a professional breakthrough when he was cast as George Michael Bluth II on Fox’s irreverent, one-camera comedy, “Arrested Development.”
The show was a critical darling from its debut – with Arnett an especially popular draw for his portrayal of the middle son of an eccentric, nouveau riche family who insists on becoming an “illusionist.” Among the dizzying talent of the show’s ensemble cast, Arnett stood out with his deadpan characterization of the humorless, Segway-riding, eldest son who is openly disliked by his parents. The wildly imaginative and well-written show was close to cancellation from its very beginning, due to its limited audience appeal and whip-smart humor. Despite outcries from its devotees, Fox pulled the plug in 2006 after having threatened to each year it had premiered. But Arnett had made a very strong impression on the series and the comedy offers poured in. He appeared in the successful big screen comedy “Monster-in-Law” (2005) alongside Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda and voiced Lone Gunslinger the vulture in “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006), the wildly successful sequel to “Ice Age” (2002). He had a supporting role as a smarmy boss in the family road comedy “RV” (2006) starring Robin Williams which – despite devastating reviews, did surprisingly well at the box office. Not long after, he upped his status to lead actor for the first time in “Let’s Go To Prison” (2006), a low budget comedy from the mind of “Mr. Show” (HBO, 1995-98) creator Bob Odenkirk, about a criminal who teaches the naïve son of a judge how to be a thief when they become incarcerated together.
Arnett’s career maintained momentum with over half a dozen film roles in 2007. In the little-seen indie “Brothers Solomon,” he starred as one of a pair of socially inept brothers trying to fulfill their father’s dying wish for a grandchild. Other below-the-radar offerings that year included buddy Dave McLaughlin’s “On Broadway” and the dark, festival favorite “Wristcutters: A Love Story.” Arnett also enjoyed roles in the blockbuster comedies “Blades of Glory” (2007), where he paired with off-screen wife Poehler to play an over-the-top figure skating duo and rivals of cutthroat competitors Will Ferrell and Jon Heder, as well as Disney/Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” where he voiced a stern, authoritative sous chef.
On the small screen, Arnett earned an Emmy nomination for his recurring guest stint as the sneaky – and predatory gay – rival of Alec Baldwin’s network executive, Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock.” Arnett returned to family features the following year in the successful Dr. Seuss adaptation “Horton Hears a Who” (2008). A second pairing with Ferrell in “Semi-Pro,” a 1970s-set basketball comedy, was less successful than their previous outing, though Arnett was singled out for his hilarious supporting performance as a foulmouthed sportscaster. Following a cameo as the charismatic singer of a 1980s hair metal band in the 2008 summer comedy “The Rocker” starring Rainn Wilson, Arnett had a small role in Jerry Bruckheimer’s 2009 action blowout “G-Force.” As always, he kept one foot in the funny with a voice role in Dreamworks’ animated space tale, “Monsters vs. Aliens” (2009) and a co-starring role as a lovelorn Italian artist in the Touchstone Pictures romantic comedy, "When in Rome” (2009).