Dax Shepard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dax Shepard
Shepard at PaleyFest 2013 in Los Angeles
Born	Dax Randall Shepard (1975-01-02) January 2, 1975 (age 50) Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	Santa Monica College West Los Angeles College University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation	Actor comedian filmmaker podcaster
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Kristen Bell ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2

Dax Randall Shepard (born January 2, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and podcaster. He is famous for hosting the popular podcast Armchair Expert, where he interviews celebrities and experts about their lives.

Shepard has starred in many movies, including Without a Paddle (2004), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), and Idiocracy (2006). He also wrote and directed the films Hit and Run (2012) and CHiPs (2017).

On television, he is known for playing Crosby Braverman in the series Parenthood from 2010 to 2015. He was also a cast member on the prank show Punk'd and co-starred in the comedy series Bless This Mess.

Along with his wife, actress Kristen Bell, he co-founded Hello Bello, a company that makes diapers and other baby products.

Early Life and Schooling

Shepard was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, near Detroit. His mother, Laura LaBo, worked for the car company General Motors (GM), and his father, David Shepard Sr., was a car salesman. His parents divorced when he was three years old.

His mother built a successful career at GM. She started as a janitor and worked her way up to managing publicity events for the company. From age 14 to 18, Shepard traveled with his mother to racetracks for her job.

Shepard's mother named him after a character named Dax in the novel The Adventurers by Harold Robbins. He has an older brother, David, and a younger half-sister, Carly, who has appeared in his films.

Shepard grew up in several suburbs of Detroit and graduated from Walled Lake Central High School in 1993. He has dyslexia, a learning difference that affects reading, and has said it inspired him to pursue acting. After high school, he studied at Santa Monica College and West Los Angeles College. He later transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a degree in anthropology.

Acting and Filmmaking Career

Shepard at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City

In 1996, Shepard moved to Los Angeles to start his career. He joined The Groundlings, a famous comedy group where he trained in improvisation. Other famous comedians like Melissa McCarthy and Will Ferrell also started there.

Breakthrough with 'Punk'd'

In 2003, Shepard became famous as a cast member on the MTV show Punk'd with Ashton Kutcher. On the show, he helped play practical jokes on celebrities. This was his first major role after auditioning for ten years. His friendship with Kutcher helped him get an agent and start his career in Hollywood.

Movie Roles

Shepard's success on Punk'd led to roles in movies. In 2004, he starred in the comedy Without a Paddle with Seth Green and Matthew Lillard. The next year, he played an astronaut in the science fiction film Zathura: A Space Adventure.

He continued to appear in comedies like Employee of the Month and Idiocracy. He also had main roles in the movies Let's Go to ... (2006) and Baby Mama (2008), where he acted alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Television and Directing

From 2010 to 2015, Shepard played Crosby Braverman in the popular NBC show Parenthood. The show was about the lives of a large family.

Shepard also began writing and directing. In 2012, he wrote, co-directed, and starred in the action-comedy film Hit and Run. His wife, Kristen Bell, and friend Bradley Cooper also starred in it. In 2017, he wrote, directed, and starred in CHiPs, a movie based on the classic TV show.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

Armchair Expert Podcast

In 2018, Shepard started his podcast, Armchair Expert, with co-host Monica Padman. On the show, he has long, open conversations with famous guests like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Will Ferrell. The podcast quickly became very popular and was one of the top new podcasts of 2018. In 2024, it was the 8th biggest podcast in the USA on Spotify's platform.

Personal Life

Shepard and Kristen Bell at the 2012 DoSomething Awards

Shepard met actress Kristen Bell in 2007. They announced their engagement in 2010. The couple decided to wait to get married until same-sex marriage was legal in California.

On June 26, 2013, after the U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling that supported marriage equality, Bell asked Shepard to marry her on Twitter. He said yes, and they were married on October 17, 2013. They have two daughters, born in 2013 and 2014.

Hobbies and Charity Work

Shepard is a car and motorcycle enthusiast. He enjoys racing motorcycles and owns a 1967 Lincoln Continental that was used in his movie Hit and Run.

He also dedicates time to charity. He supports the Hollenbeck Youth Center, an after-school program for children in East Los Angeles.

Shepard and Bell were strong supporters of a California law to protect children of celebrities from paparazzi photographers. The law, which passed in 2013, helps keep the media from taking photos of children without permission.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations