Fred Armisen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fred Armisen
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Armisen in 2015
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| Born |
Fereydun Robert Armisen
December 4, 1966 Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S.
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| Education | School of Visual Arts |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Sally Timms
(m. 1998; div. 2004) |
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| Labels | Skene!/East West |
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, musician, and writer. He is famous for his work on the TV show Saturday Night Live. He also co-created and starred in the comedy series Portlandia with his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein.
Fred Armisen was the bandleader and drummer for the Late Night with Seth Meyers house band, the 8G Band, from 2014 to 2024. He has also lent his voice to many animated films and TV shows. These include The Smurfs (2011), The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).
Armisen has appeared in many comedy films and TV shows. Some of his TV guest roles include 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He has won two Peabody Awards for his comedy work. One was for Saturday Night Live and another for Portlandia.
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Early Life and Background
Fred Armisen was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on December 4, 1966. His mother, Hildegardt Mirabal Level, was a schoolteacher from Venezuela. His father, Fereydun Herbert Armisen, worked for IBM. Fred moved to New York as a baby and grew up in Valley Stream, New York.
He went to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. However, he left college to start a career as a rock drummer. Fred said he was inspired to perform after seeing bands like the Clash and Devo on TV. He wanted to be a performer since he was a child.
Fred's mother was Venezuelan. His father was born in Germany to a German mother and a Korean father. For a long time, Fred thought his paternal grandfather was Japanese. But his grandfather, Masami Kuni, was actually Korean. He was a dancer who later taught dance in the U.S.
Career Highlights
Music Journey
In 1984, Fred Armisen played drums in a band with his high school friends in New York. Later, in 1988, he moved to Chicago. There, he played drums for the punk rock band Trenchmouth. In the 1990s, he also played drums for Blue Man Group.
Fred played drums on albums for other bands too, like Les Savy Fav and Matthew Sweet. From 2014 to 2024, he was the music director and drummer for the 8G Band. This band was the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers. In 2024, the band was laid off due to budget changes.
In 2018, Armisen played drums with the band Devo at a festival in California. He also performed at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island in 2021.
Television and Film Roles
While playing in bands, Fred Armisen also became interested in acting. He wanted to be on TV. He started with appearances on shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien. This led to him joining the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2002. By 2004, he became a main cast member.
Armisen has had many small but memorable roles in comedy films. These include EuroTrip and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. He also voiced Speedy Gonzales on The Looney Tunes Show from 2011 to 2014.
He co-created and starred in the TV series Documentary Now! with Bill Hader and Seth Meyers. This show makes fun of documentaries. Fred also starred in the sketch comedy series Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein. The show started in 2011 and became very popular. For his work on Portlandia, Armisen was nominated for an Emmy Award several times.
In 2022, he appeared in the TV series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He also played Geraldo in the first season of Our Flag Means Death. In 2024, Armisen appeared in the movie Unfrosted and the TV series Fallout.
Saturday Night Live Highlights
Fred Armisen joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2002. He was a cast member for 11 years, leaving in 2013. He was one of the longest-serving cast members on the show. Since leaving, he has returned for many guest appearances, even hosting an episode in 2016.
On SNL, Fred was known for playing many funny characters and doing impressions of famous people.
Memorable Characters
- Billy Smith – A Native American comedian whose jokes no one understood.
- Fericito – A Venezuelan nightclub comedian with his own TV show.
- Gunther Kelly – A college student who sang songs on Weekend Update.
- Mackey – A drummer who often made drum sounds at the wrong times.
- Nicholas Fehn – A political talker who couldn't finish his sentences.
- Garth – Half of a musical duo (with Kristen Wiig) who made up songs on the spot.
- Giuseppe – The saxophone player for the "What's Up With That?" sketch.
- Stuart – A character from "The Californians", a soap opera parody.
- Ian Rubbish – A British punk rocker who supported Margaret Thatcher, which upset his bandmates.
Famous Impressions
Fred Armisen was great at imitating many well-known people, including:
- Barack Obama – He played Obama when he was a presidential candidate and later as President.
- Prince – He hosted a talk show sketch called "The Prince Show."
- Steve Jobs – The Apple CEO, who would show off strange new technology on Weekend Update.
- Queen Elizabeth II – He played the Queen of the United Kingdom in several sketches.
- Michael Bloomberg – The former mayor of New York City.
Other Creative Work
Fred Armisen is part of ThunderAnt, a comedy duo with Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein. They create short comedy skits about different topics. Armisen also directed music videos for bands.
He appeared in the documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart about the band Wilco. He also voiced characters in video games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption. In 2015, he received an American Ingenuity Award for Performing Arts from Smithsonian magazine.
Personal Life
Fred Armisen was married to musician Sally Timms from 1998 to 2004. He was also married to actress Elisabeth Moss from 2009 to 2011. In 2022, he married comedian Riki Lindhome.
Fred has a very close working friendship with his Portlandia co-star, Carrie Brownstein. He has said their relationship is very intimate and functional.
Armisen is a big fan of punk rock music. He also enjoys black metal and death metal music. He has mentioned bands like Immortal and Deafheaven as some of his favorites. Fred Armisen has stated that he is an atheist.
Discography
As a member of Trenchmouth:
- Snakebite (EP, 1989)
- Construction of New Action (1991)
- Trenchmouth vs. The Light of the Sun (1994)
- The Broadcasting System (1995)
As a member of Crisis of Conformity:
- "Fist Fight!" (single, 2010)
As a member of the Blue Jean Committee:
- Catalina Breeze (EP, 2015)
As a comedian:
- Standup for Drummers (standup comedy album, 2018)
Singles & EPs
- Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein (2011)
Filmography
Awards and Nominations
See also
In Spanish: Fred Armisen para niños
