Will Forte was born in Alameda County, California, to Patricia (Stivers),an artist, and Orville Willis Forte III, a financial broker, who later divorced. He has an older sister, Michelle. Growing up, Forte was a creative and artistic child, and was an athlete in high school, participating in football and swimming, and was voted Best Personality at Acalanes High School.
After graduating from UCLA with a degree in History, Forte began his career at a brokerage house before deciding to pursue comedy. He joined the world-famous "Groundlings" and wrote for several television shows, including The Jenny McCarthy Show, The Army Show, and The David Letterman Show. His work caught the attention of Carsey-Werner executive Tom Werner, who hired him to write for the shows 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show.
In 2002, Forte moved to New York City to join Saturday Night Live as a writer and cast member. Although known for being shy and reserved in his personal life, Forte was one of the individuals responsible for the show's shift towards absurd, surrealist comedy. Along with voice-over acting and guest appearances on television, Forte also had small roles in films.
Forte wrote and starred in the films The Brothers Solomon and MacGruber, both of which received small budgets and were considered box-office and critical failures, although they have a cult following. After MacGruber's release, Forte left SNL for personal and professional reasons, although he has returned as a guest performer.
Since leaving SNL, Forte has increased his work as a voice artist and appeared in many films, including A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, Rock of Ages, That's My Boy, and The Watch. He has also had recurring roles on television and made numerous guest appearances on other TV comedies.
In recent years, Forte has moved into dramatic and straight roles, starring in the television pilot Rebounding and the Irish film Run and Jump. He was also cast in the Alexander Payne film Nebraska, beating out higher-profile actors such as Casey Affleck and Paul Rudd.
From 2015 to 2018, Forte starred in the television sitcom The Last Man on Earth, and in 2018, he headlined the biographical film A Futile and Stupid Gesture as National Lampoon co-creator Douglas Kenney. The next year, he co-starred in the comedies Booksmart and Good Boys.
