Zach Galifianakis

About

Zach Galifianakis is an American comedian and actor known for his eccentric stand-up performances and the Funny or Die web series Between Two Ferns, as well as his appearance in a number of comedy films and television shows, including The Hangover trilogy and Bored to Death.

Career

Zach Galifianakis began his acting career in 1996 when he landed a recurring role on the short-lived sitcom Boston Commons. During this time, he also worked as a stand-up comic, performing in New York and Los Angeles (shown below) throughout the late 1990s. His stand-up routine was featured on an episode of Comedy Central Presents^[1] in 2001. He appeared on multiple TV shows throughout the 2000s including Tru Calling, Reno 911!, and The Sarah Silverman Program before landing his breakout role in The Hangover in 2009.^[13] He went on to star in many comedy films such as Dinner for Schmucks (2010), Due Date (2010), and The Campaign (2012).

Online History

In Adult Swim

Galifianakis had recurring a guest role as a doctor on also had recurring a guest role as a doctor on Adult Swim's animated show Tom Goes to the Mayor^[17] and as Tairy Greene on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!^[16] Galifianakis appeared on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! a total of six times on "Gravy" (January 5th, 2007), "Forest" (December 16th, 2007), "Rascals" (August 10th, 2008), "Larry" (September 21st, 2008), "Snow"(February 9th, 2009), and "Greene Machine" (April 25th, 2010). He was a voice actor on two episodes of Tom Goes To Mayor-"CNE" (July 31st, 2006) and "Undercover" (September 11th, 2006).

In Music Videos

In 2006, Galifianakis appeared in the music video for Fiona Apple's song “Not About Love,” (shown below, left) which featured him lip synching. The video was uploaded to Apple’s official VEVO YouTube channel^[18] on October 2nd, 2009. In the following year, He also lip synched in Kanye West’s music video for his 2007 song “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” (right). On June 12th, 2009, YouTuber Matt Werner uploaded the video to his YouTube Channel.^[19] As of March 2014, the video has over 6.6 million views. He also appears briefly in a video featuring the Muppet Animal in a staring contest with a member of the rock band OkGo.^[20]

Between Two Ferns

On January 4th, 2008, Funny or Die debuted the comedy series Between Two Ferns, a series of celebrity interviews hosted by Galifianakis. The series is set up like a public access interview show, with a simple set of two chairs between two potted ferns against a black backdrop. During the unscripted interviews, Galifianakis asks uncomfortable and inappropriate questions of the actors. The first episode (shown below) featured an interview with Canadian actor Michael Cera. As of May 2013, the video has been watched more than 10.3 million times on Funny or Die^[4], with an additional 1.9 million views on YouTube.

The web series has found much success online. As of March 2014, there are 22 episodes^[5] of the series. On March 11th, 2014, Funny or Die published a Between Two Ferns interview Galifianakis conducted with President Barack Obama. Within 24 hours the video had amassed over 12 million views.^[15]

Social Media Presence

In 2008, an official fan-run page for Galifianakis was launched on Facebook^[7], which has over 1.3 million likes as of March 2014. On April 30th, 2009, Galifianakis joined Twitter^[8], where he has amassed over 4 million followers as of March 2014. In June 2011, a parody Twitter account for Galifianakis^[10] was created, posting humorous tweets under the guise that the comedian is writing them. In the fall of 2010, two single topic blogs dedicated to Galifianakis were created on Tumblr.^[11][12]

Personal Life

Zacharius Knight Galifianakis was born on October 1st, 1969, in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. He attended North Carolina State University, but never graduated.^[14] In 2012, he married Quinn Lundberg, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Growing Voices.

Search Interest

External References