A native of Weymouth, MA, comedian Rob Corddry was born on Feb. 4, 1971. The older brother of actor Nate Corddry, Robert Cornelius Corddry attended Weymouth High School. After graduating in 1989, he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he initially planned to study journalism. Corddry, however, promptly switched his major to English and by his sophomore year, was taking several drama classes. Set on becoming an actor after college, Corddry moved to New York in 1994, where he worked a number of odd jobs to support himself as he searched for acting work. While moonlighting as a museum security guard, Corddry became active in local theater and fell in with a comedic acting troupe called the “Naked Babies” – part of New York’s famed Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.
Corddry’s fortunes turned in 2002, when he landed his breakthrough gig as a correspondent for the Emmy-winning satirical news program, “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central, 1996- ). In keeping with “The Daily Show” tradition of correspondents doing broad caricatures of real journalists, Corddry developed a unique on-air persona as an insufferably sarcastic know-it-all. Alongside colleagues Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee and Ed Helms, Corddry tenuously walked the line between realism and self-parody, as he routinely victimized hapless interviewees during his segments. In August 2006, Corddry left “The Daily Show” to pursue other projects. Self-aware as always, “The Daily Show” commemorated the event of Corddry’s departure with a nightly on-air countdown that culminated the night of his last broadcast. During his last show in August of 2006, Corddry presented a self-produced tongue-in-cheek tribute to honor his four years on the show.
Hot off his “Daily Show” success, Corddry signed on later that year to headline his own comedy series for the Fox network. His mid-season replacement sitcom, titled “The Winner,” –created by Seth McFarland of “Family Guy” (Fox, 1999- ) fame – premiered in March of 2007. Corddry played Glen Abbott, a 32-year-old man-child still living at home with his parents in Buffalo, NY. The pilot received generally mixed reviews, but scored solidly in the ratings. Turning to features, Corddry began popping up in minor roles in widely released comedies, including the family Christmas comedy “Unaccompanied Minors” (2006) and the romantic comedy “Failure to Launch” (2006) in which he had a small part as a gun salesman. He then showed with an uncharacteristic moustache for a small role in “Blades of Glory” (2007), a goofball comedy about two rival figure skaters—one an arrogant, overtly sexual ladies man (Will Ferrell), the other a fastidious child prodigy (Jon Heder)—who seek a return to fame and glory by forming a doubles routine after both are banned for life from solo competition.