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) |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
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| Labels | Skene!/East West |
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. He is famous for his work on the TV show Saturday Night Live. He was a cast member from 2002 to 2013.
Fred Armisen also created and starred in the comedy series Portlandia with his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein. He also helped create and starred in Documentary Now! and Moonbase 8. From 2014 to 2024, he was the bandleader and drummer for the house band on Late Night with Seth Meyers. He also voiced Speedy Gonzales on The Looney Tunes Show.
Armisen has appeared in many comedy films like EuroTrip and The Dictator. He has also made guest appearances on popular TV shows such as 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his comedy album Standup for Drummers in 2019. He has also won two Peabody Awards. One was for his work on Saturday Night Live in 2008, and the other was for Portlandia in 2011. From 2019 to 2022, he co-starred in and helped create the Spanish-language series Los Espookys.
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Fred Armisen's Early Life and Family
Fred Armisen was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on December 4, 1966. His mother, Hildegardt Mirabal Level, was a schoolteacher. His father, Fereydun Herbert Armisen, worked for IBM. When he was a baby, his family moved to New York. He also lived in Brazil for a short time when he was young.
He grew up in Valley Stream, New York. There, he was classmates with Jim Breuer, who also later joined Saturday Night Live. Fred went to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. However, he left college to become a rock drummer. He 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.
Armisen's mother was from Venezuela. His father was born in Germany. His paternal grandfather, Ehara Masami, was actually Korean, not Japanese as Fred thought for many years. His grandfather was a professional dancer who moved to Germany and later to the U.S. He taught dance at Cal State Fullerton. Fred's Korean family history can be traced back to the 1600s.
Fred Armisen's Career Highlights
Music Career and Performances
In 1984, Fred Armisen played drums in a band with his high school friends in Valley Stream, New York. Later, in 1988, he moved to Chicago to play drums for the punk rock band Trenchmouth. In the 1990s, he also played drums for Blue Man Group.
Armisen played drums on songs for other bands, including Les Savy Fav and Matthew Sweet. Since 2014, he has been the music director and drummer for the 8G Band. This is the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers. In 2023–2024, the band stopped performing live on the show due to budget changes.
In 2018, Armisen played drums with the band Devo at a music festival. In 2021, he performed at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.
Television and Film Roles
Fred Armisen became interested in acting while playing with his band Trenchmouth. 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.
He has played many funny characters in comedy films. These include Eurotrip, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and The Dictator. He also voiced Cranky Kong in the Super Mario Brothers movie.
On TV, he appeared in Parks and Recreation in 2009. He voiced Speedy Gonzales for the Cartoon Network series The Looney Tunes Show (2011–2014). He also writes, produces, and stars in the IFC comedy series Documentary Now! with fellow Saturday Night Live stars Bill Hader and Seth Meyers.
Armisen starred in the IFC sketch series Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein. The show started in 2011. He and Brownstein also appeared on The Simpsons in 2012.
For his work on Portlandia, Armisen was nominated for an Emmy Award several times. In 2022, he appeared as Uncle Fester in the TV series Wednesday. In 2024, he played Mike Puntz in Jerry Seinfeld's movie Unfrosted.
Fred Armisen on Saturday Night Live
Fred Armisen joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2002. He became a main cast member in 2004. After 11 years, he left the show in 2013. At that time, he was one of the longest-serving cast members. He has returned for many guest appearances, including hosting the show in 2016.
Here are some of the notable characters and impressions Fred Armisen played on Saturday Night Live:
Recurring Characters
- Billy Smith – A Native American stand-up comedian whose jokes are often misunderstood.
- Fericito – A Venezuelan nightclub comedian with his own TV show.
- Garth – Part of a musical duo with Kristen Wiig who make up songs on the spot.
- Giuseppe – The saxophone player for the "What's Up With That?" sketch.
- Nicholas Fehn – A political commentator who struggles to finish his sentences.
- Stuart – A homeowner from "The Californians", a soap opera parody.
- Ian Rubbish – A British punk rocker who supports Margaret Thatcher, which upsets his bandmates.
Celebrity Impressions
Armisen is known for his impressions of famous people, including:
- Barack Obama – He played Obama when he was a presidential candidate and later as President.
- Prince – He played Prince as the host of a talk show called The Prince Show.
- Steve Jobs – The CEO of Apple, who would show off strange new technology on Weekend Update.
- Ira Glass – The host of the radio show This American Life.
- 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
In 1998, Fred Armisen pretended to be a music journalist for a short film. He would prank musicians at a festival. He also starred in a music video for the band Chevelle.
Armisen is part of ThunderAnt, a comedy duo with Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein. They create funny short videos about different topics. Armisen also directs 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, Red Dead Redemption, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
In 2014, Armisen was featured on the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld. He is a big fan of punk rock music. In 2015, he received an award for his creativity in performing arts from Smithsonian magazine. In 2024, he made a cameo as DJ Carl in the TV series Fallout.
Fred Armisen's Personal Life
Fred Armisen has been married three times. He was married to English musician Sally Timms from 1998 to 2004. He was then married to American actress Elisabeth Moss from 2009 to 2011. He later married comedian Riki Lindhome in 2022.
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, his partner from ThunderAnt and Portlandia, have a very close friendship. Brownstein has called it "one of the most intimate, functional, romantic, but nonsexual relationships" they have ever had.
Armisen is a fan of the Red Dead video game series. He also enjoys black metal and death metal music. He has stated that he is an atheist.
Discography
As a member of Trenchmouth:
- Construction of New Action (1991)
- Inside the Future (1993)
- Trenchmouth vs. The Light of the Sun (1994)
- The Broadcasting System (1995)
- More Motion: A Collection (2003)
As a member of the Blue Jean Committee:
- Catalina Breeze [EP] (2015)
As a comedian:
- Standup for Drummers (2018) (Comedy Album)
- Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein (2011) (Single/EP)
Filmography
Awards and Nominations
Images for kids
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Armisen in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Fred Armisen para niños
