Michael Ian Black was born in the vibrant city of Chicago, Illinois, but his family relocated to the charming town of Hillsborough, New Jersey, when he was still a young child. Unfortunately, his childhood was marked by significant upheaval when his parents divorced when he was just three years old.
A few years later, when Michael was 12, his father tragically passed away during a neurological surgery following a mysterious assault. This event had a profound impact on his life and shaped his perspective as he grew older.
Michael later attended the prestigious New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he discovered his passion for comedy. Although he didn't graduate, his time at Tisch School of the Arts was instrumental in his development as a comedian. It was during his time at university that he met and joined the core group of the comedy troupe "The State", which went on to have a short-lived but critically acclaimed MTV show, "The State", in 1993.
The group attempted to make the transition to CBS in the mid-1990s, but their Halloween special failed to impress, and a CBS series never materialized. Despite this setback, Michael continued to work in television, becoming a regular cast member on Comedy Central's hit show "Reno 911!" alongside Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenney.
In addition to his television work, Michael is also a member of the comedy group Stella, which he formed with fellow State alumni Michael Showalter and David Wain in 2005.
