Where is Will Ferrell from?

Ever since his breakout role in Austin Powers in 1997, comedic actor Will Ferrell has kept his finger on our collective funny bones, starring in nearly 90 films from Barbie to Anchorman and delivering countless laughs along the way.

More recently, Ferrell is poised for a new kind of role, as the subject of an upcoming documentary about his dear friend and fellow comedy writer, Harper Steele. Titled Will and Harper, the Netflix documentary follows Ferrell after Steele comes out to him as transgender, and documents them on a road trip as they rediscover their new friendship. 

All this talk of Ferrell on the road might have some wondering exactly where the actor was born, and where he currently resides. 

Where is Will Ferrell from?

Will Ferrel was born in 1967 in Irvine, California, in central Orange County. Ferrell’s parents, Betty Kay and Roy Lee Ferrell, were both natives of the Roanoke Rapids region in North Carolina, but relocated to California in 1964. Going even further back, Ferrell’s ancestry includes English, German, and Irish. 

Irvine was home to the majority of Ferrell’s milestones in his youth. He attended two schools both located in the city — Culverdale Elementary and Rancho San Joaquin Middle School — as well as the University High School in Irvine. In past interviews, Ferrell has said the dullness of his hometown contributed to his fondness for comedy. 

“Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads,” Ferrell said. “I didn’t have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods.” The actor has also compared Irvine to the fictional town of Mayberry, and said he used his humor “break the boredom” of his hometown.

By 1991, Ferrell had left Irvine to pursue an acting career, relocating to a 40-minute drive away to Los Angeles. There, he successfully joined the comedy troupe The Groundlings, after which his career took off. Now, it has been reported that Ferrell lives in homes both in Los Angeles and in New York. 

The former home in Hollywood Hills is reportedly known as the Crash Pad, and was purchased from Ellen Degenerous in 2007. Ferrell also owns a $4 million apartment in Manhattan, which he purchased in 2010. Ferrell shares the homes with his wife, actress and producer Viveca Paulin-Ferrell, and their three sons Magnus, Mattias, and Axel.