Adam McKay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adam McKay
McKay in 2019
Born	(1968-04-17) April 17, 1968 (age 57) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Education	Penn State University Temple University
Occupation	Screenwriter director producer
Years active	1986–present
Organization	Hyperobject Industries
Spouse(s)	Shira Piven ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	2
Relatives	Jeremy Piven (brother-in-law)

Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American writer, director, and producer. He is known for making funny movies and TV shows, but also for serious films that make you think.

McKay started his career writing for the famous comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Later, he worked with comedian Will Ferrell on many popular comedy movies. In recent years, McKay has also directed and written movies that deal with important topics, like the economy or politics. He has won an Academy Award for his writing.

Early life and education

Adam McKay was born in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. His mom was a waitress, and his dad was a musician. His parents divorced when he was seven years old.

He went to Great Valley High School and finished in 1986. After high school, he studied at Pennsylvania State University for a year. Then he transferred to Temple University to study English. He left college just before getting his degree.

Career

McKay was one of the first members of a comedy group called the Upright Citizens Brigade. This group performs improv, which means they make up scenes on the spot. He also performed at a famous improv theater in Chicago called ImprovOlympic.

Saturday Night Live

McKay at the Hollywood premiere of Ant-Man in June 2015

Adam McKay first tried out to be an actor on Saturday Night Live. He didn't get the acting job, but the funny scripts he sent in got him hired as a writer in 1995. He quickly became the head writer at just 27 years old. He held this important job until 2001.

He also directed short films for the show, including the first SNL Digital Shorts. McKay even encouraged his friend Tina Fey to send her scripts to Saturday Night Live. She later took over his job as head writer. Even though he wasn't a regular cast member, McKay sometimes appeared on camera. He played a funny, grumpy audience member named "Keith."

Working with Will Ferrell

After leaving SNL, McKay started a production company with comedian Will Ferrell. They wrote many funny movies together. These include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Step Brothers (2008), and The Other Guys (2010). McKay directed, produced, and even made small appearances in all these films.

Ferrell and McKay also produced TV shows together, like the HBO series Eastbound & Down. They also created the popular comedy website Funny or Die.

McKay helped write the movie The Campaign (2012). He also produced Daddy's Home (2015), which brought back Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg from The Other Guys. McKay even helped rewrite the script for the Marvel Studios superhero movie Ant-Man. He later worked on the story for Ant-Man and the Wasp too.

Serious films

In the 2010s, McKay started making more serious movies that still had a bit of humor. He wrote and directed The Big Short (2015). This movie explained the financial crisis of 2007-2008 in a way that was easy to understand. For this film, McKay won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

He then directed Vice (2018), a movie about former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. This film earned him nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards.

In 2020, McKay wrote and directed Don't Look Up. This movie is a satire about two scientists trying to warn the world about a dangerous comet. It starred famous actors like Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Hyperobject Industries

In 2019, McKay started his own new production company called Hyperobject Industries. This company works with big studios like HBO and Apple to create new TV shows and movies. One of its first projects was a TV show about the famous Los Angeles Lakers basketball team from the 1980s.

Directing other projects

McKay at the Australian premiere of Anchorman 2 in November 2013

Besides the movies with Will Ferrell, McKay also directed Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). He even directed a "lost movie" version of the first Anchorman film. This version used extra scenes and different takes from the original.

He directed a Broadway show about former President George W. Bush. He also directed a documentary called Lifecasters (2013). McKay has directed many short videos, including funny ones for Saturday Night Live and for Funny or Die. One video, "Good Cop, Baby Cop," even starred his young daughter, Pearl.

Funny or Die

In 2007, Adam McKay and Will Ferrell started Funny or Die. This website lets users upload funny videos. It quickly became very popular. One of the first videos on the site was called The Landlord. It featured both McKay and his young daughter, Pearl. Pearl also appeared in another video called Good Cop, Baby Cop.

Podcasting

Adam McKay has also hosted podcasts. From 2015 to 2016, he hosted a science and comedy podcast called Surprisingly Awesome. He later hosted Death at the Wing, which looked into the deaths of young basketball players in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2023, he hosted Death on the Lot, which was about celebrity deaths in Hollywood in the 1950s.

Personal life

Adam McKay married Shira Piven in 1999. She is also a film and television director. They have two daughters together. His brother-in-law is the actor Jeremy Piven.

Activism

McKay is very passionate about climate action. He has donated a lot of money to groups that work to fight climate change. He also joined the board of directors for the Climate Emergency Fund.

In 2023, McKay started Yellow Dot Studios. This non-profit company makes videos and campaigns to help people understand the climate emergency. He believes that comedy and humor can help people talk about climate change. He also supports climate activism that aims to get attention.

Health

When Adam McKay was 26, he noticed his hands shaking while performing comedy. Around the year 2000, he was diagnosed with essential tremor. This condition can cause his body and voice to shake. Because of this, he often does interviews lying down or in a special chair.

In 2018, McKay had a heart attack while he was filming Vice. It's interesting because the main character in the movie, Dick Cheney, also has several heart attacks. McKay said that researching the movie helped him recognize the symptoms quickly. This allowed him to get to the hospital in time and avoid serious damage. He joked that either Christian Bale (the actor playing Cheney) or Dick Cheney himself saved his life!

Filmography

Film

Acting roles

Television

Acting roles

Web

Awards and nominations

Directed Academy Award performances

Images for kids

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  McKay at the Australian premiere of Anchorman 2 in November 2013

See also

In Spanish: Adam McKay para niños

• Adam McKay's unrealized projects