Danny McBride

Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. Known for his unique acting and writing style, the accolades he has received include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and four Satellite Awards.

McBride made his film debut with a supporting role in the romantic drama '' All the Real Girls'' (2003), which was directed and written by his later longtime collaborator David Gordon Green. After his first starring role in a film with '' The Foot Fist Way'' (2006), McBride gained recognition with mainstream recognition with starring roles in comedy films such as '' Hot Rod'' (2007), '' Pineapple Express'' (2008), and '' Tropic Thunder'' (2008). He had his breakout with a lead role as Kenny Powers on the HBO television series '' Eastbound & Down'' (2009–2013), which he also co-created with frequent collaborator Jody Hill. Following ''Eastbound & Down'', McBride also starred in the films '' Land of the Lost'' (2009) and '' Up in the Air'' (2009).

In the 2010s, McBride starred in the comedy films '' Your Highness'' (2011), '' 30 Minutes or Less'' (2011), '' This Is the End'' (2013), and '' Aloha'' (2015), and had a main role as Neal Gamby on the HBO dark comedy series '' Vice Principals'' (2016–2017), which he co-created with Hill. McBride had starring voice roles in the animated films '' Despicable Me'' (2010), ''The Angry Birds Movie'' (2016), '' Sausage Party'' (2016), and ''The Angry Birds Movie 2'' (2019), and played against type with starring roles in the drama film '' As I Lay Dying'' (2013) and the science fiction horror film '' Alien: Covenant'' (2017). In the late 2010s, he created and starred as Jesse Gemstone on the HBO series '' The Righteous Gemstones'' (2019–2025).

Outside of acting in and creating comedic works, McBride was a writer for Blumhouse Productions' ''Halloween'' film trilogy (2018–2022) and co-wrote the story for the supernatural horror film '' The Exorcist: Believer'' (2023). As an executive producer for the HBO true crime documentary series '' Telemarketers'' (2023), he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

Early life

McBride was born in Statesboro, Georgia. His mother, Kathy Rudy, and his stepfather both work at Marine Corps Base Quantico, as civilian support. McBride has Irish, Scottish, English and Jewish ancestry, with Catholic ancestors from Ulster who emigrated to Virginia in the 1870s. He was raised Baptist and has said, "church was very much part of my life when I was a kid. My parents were really involved and went all the time." His mother performed sermons in church using puppets, and McBride stated that his "interest in telling stories comes from her." He was raised in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, where he graduated from Courtland High School. He attended University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and became one of the "Three Flavas" along with director Jody Hill and Kris Baucom.

Career

McBride was a second unit director for David Gordon Green's feature film debut ''George Washington'', released in 2000. McBride made his acting debut in 2003, appearing in a supporting role in Green's second film '' All the Real Girls''.

In 2006, McBride played Fred Simmons in the low-budget comedy film '' The Foot Fist Way'', which he co-wrote with collaborators Jody Hill and Ben Best. His character later appeared in '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' on February 26, 2008. McBride wrote and starred in the HBO original comedy series '' Eastbound & Down'' (also a collaboration with Hill and Best), as Kenny Powers, a washed-up former major league baseball pitcher with anger management issues. The series was produced by Gary Sanchez Productions, and the pilot episode premiered in February 2009, featuring Will Ferrell and Craig Robinson.

HBO renewed the series for a second season in April 2009, and a fourth in July 2012. The series ended in November 2013. In March 2009, because of his role as Powers, he received an offer to play semi-professional baseball from the Pensacola Pelicans, a team in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

In 2010, he signed an endorsement deal with K-Swiss shoes. He played the eponymous roadie in the Tenacious D music video for "Roadie" in 2012. McBride co-created and co-starred in the HBO comedy series '' Vice Principals'' from 2016 to 2017.

McBride voiced Duane Earl, a fictional talk radio host in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto V''. Earl, the owner of the Blaine County Radio station, is the host of ''Beyond Insemination'', a segment where he converses with callers.

In 2017, McBride appeared in the prequel film '' Alien: Covenant'', alongside Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender and Billy Crudup. McBride told '' Vanity Fair'' in an interview that he was both surprised and glad for the opportunity to be involved with the ''Alien'' movie since he had been a longtime fan of the franchise.

In January 2018, two trailers were released online for what was supposedly a '' Crocodile Dundee'' sequel, titled ''Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home'', and purportedly starring McBride as Brian Dundee, the son of the original Crocodile Dundee. The trailers feature cameo appearances by Australian actors Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Margot Robbie and Ruby Rose. From the beginning, various aspects of the campaign made some publications believe that film was an elaborate hoax. It was later reported that these ads were actually part of a lead-up to a Super Bowl commercial for Tourism Australia.

McBride served as an executive producer for the films ''Halloween'' (2018), '' Halloween Kills'' (2021) and '' Halloween Ends'' (2022), which served as one of the final films for the franchise of the same name. The sequel trilogy is directed and written by Green, and produced by Jason Blum.

Since 2018, McBride has been the face of bookmaker Coral's television commercials in the United Kingdom, playing a character called "Sports Rodstein", described as "the world's biggest sports fan (although not the savviest)".

In late 2018, HBO ordered '' The Righteous Gemstones'', from McBride and his Rough House Pictures label, straight to series. The series also stars John Goodman, Adam Devine and Edi Patterson. It follows a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work.

In 2021, McBride voiced Rick Mitchell in the Sony Pictures Animation film '' The Mitchells vs. the Machines''.

Personal life

McBride married art director Gia Ruiz in 2010. They have a son and a daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:McBride, Danny
1976 births
Living people
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
American people of English descent
American people of Scottish descent
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male television actors
American male television writers
American male voice actors
American people of Irish descent
American people of Jewish descent
American showrunners
American stand-up comedians
American television writers
Comedians from Virginia
Male actors from Virginia
People from Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Screenwriters from Virginia
Television producers from Virginia
University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni