Andy Samberg is someone who doesn’t get enough respect. He’s an incredibly talented comedian, a powerful actor, and one heck of a rapper.
Among his many accolades , Andy is regarded as the man who helped bring Saturday Night Live into the digital realm.
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So to celebrate this incredible human being, here are 10+ facts about Andy Samberg that fans didn’t know!
He is a college graduate!
Andy transferred to NYU in order to study film. In the year 2000, he graduated with a BFA.
The very next year, he reconnected with the guys from The Lonely Island and began writing sketches.
Andy’s been nominated for a Grammy — twice!
The first time Andy was nominated was in 2010 for The Lonely Island hit “I’m On A Boat,” featuring T-Pain.
He was nominated again in 2015 for The LEGO Movie ‘s “Everything Is Awesome.”
He changed his name.
Andy was born David A.J. Samberg on August 18th, 1978 (happy belated). When he turned five years old, he decided that he wanted to change his name.
He clearly had pretty understanding parents because they obliged.
Andy pioneered the use of ‘digital shorts’.
Back when Andy was struggling to make ends meet, he, Jorma, and Akiva would film short sketches of themselves and upload them to YouTube .
These went viral and shortly after, The Lonely Island was invited to write for the MTV Movie Awards.
He owes a lot to Jimmy Fallon.
Jimmy was the host of the MTV Awards that year. He was so blown away by Andy and the guys that he introduced them to SNL creator, Lorne Michaels.
Michaels auditioned all three but only cast Samberg.
Andy has become quite the voice actor.
Andy is one animated guy. Over the past decade, he’s dipped his toe into the voice-acting pond.
You might recognize him from the Hotel Transylvania franchise, as well as the movie Storks .
He’s in a band!
Andy is one of the founding members of the parody/comedy group The Lonely Island.
They’ve managed to crank out a few hits over the years, but nothing will ever compare to “I’m On A Boat.”
Andy’s married to a psychedelic folk star.
If the name Joanna Newsom doesn’t ring any bells, drop everything that you’re doing and go download her latest album from Spotify. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Andy and she met after one of her concerts and have been married since 2013.
He and his wife own a piece of Hollywood’s history.
Andy lives in the same house that was once owned by actress Mary Astor. The estate also at one time housed the legendary comedian, Charlie Chaplin .
The house is known as Moorcrest and Andy purchased it for a mere $6.25 million.
His high school teacher believed in him before anyone else did.
During a parent-teacher conference, Andy’s father was worried about his son’s failing grades. The only person who wasn’t, ironically, was Andy’s teacher.
He told Andy’s father not to worry; that Andy was the funniest person he’d ever met and was destined to be a star.
“Lazy Sunday” was one of the first videos on *SNL* that went viral.
This was also the song/sketch that helped launch Andy’s career. Andy said the very next morning when he stepped out of his apartment, he was recognized.
Fun fact: it’s how Bill Hader discovered YouTube!
Andy’s first movie wasn’t written for him.
Many will no doubt remember that Andy’s first feature film was Hot Rod . What a lot of people don’t know is that this was actually written for Will Ferrell .
Ferrell ended up serving as an executive producer.
He’s been performing with The Lonely Island for decades.
Andy first met his best friends Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer in middle school. They combined their shared love of comedy and hip-hop to create The Lonely Island!
According to the guys, the formed the group to help get in the good graces of bullies.
There is a hamburger named after him.
If you’re ever in the area, make sure to stop in at Umami Burger and try the Samberger!
It’s a Chicago-style burger complete with sport pickles, roasted tomatoes, and kombu relish. The best part? $1 of every sale goes to help the Center for Early Intervention of Deafness.
He quit *SNL* at the height of his popularity.
After an incredible seven-year-run, Andy Samberg left Saturday Night Live of his own accord. Andy will always be remembered as the man who helped usher SNL into the digital age.
I guess there’s nothing left to say except “Step 1: cut a hole in a box…”
