Biography for
Michael Ian Black More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

12 August 1971, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Birth Name

Michael Schwartz

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

Michael Ian Black was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Hillsborough, New Jersey, when he was young. His parents divorced when he was 3. When he was 12, his father died during neurological surgery following a mysterious assault.

Michael attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts but left before graduation. It was there he met and joined the core group of the comedy group "The State", who had a short run with their own MTV show, "The State" (1993), before attempting a move to CBS in the mid-1990s; their make-or-break Halloween special fell short of expectations, and a CBS series never came into fruition. Since then Black has appeared as a regular on Comedy Central's "Reno 911!" (2003) starring Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant and Kerri Kenney.

In addition to his regular television appearances, he also performs in the comedy group "Stella" (2005) with fellow State alumni Michael Showalter and David Wain.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Bethany

Spouse

Martha Hagen

(17 October 1998 - present) 2 children

Trivia

Was the voice of the pets.com sock puppet.

Son, Elijah, born 2001.

Attended New York University but left before graduating.

He is a middle child with an older sibling and a younger sibling.

Was not the original choice to play Phil Stubbs on NBC's "Ed" (2000); fellow "I Love the '80s" (2002) commentator Donal Logue played the role in the first episode, but backed out due to scheduling conflicts. Donal Logue appeared in the early promotion for the series but the first episodes were re-shot to include Black.

Has a daughter, Ruth, born 2003. She makes an appearance in the "Stella" (2005) short "Friendship."

His birth name, Schwartz, is derived from the German word "schwarz," which has the same meaning as his stage name, Black. He has joked that he dropped the name Schwartz because "I'm ashamed of my Jewishness." However, the comedy group "Stella" (2005)'s uniting theme is the 3 members' Jewishness (Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain).

Real name is Michael Schwartz, but changed his name to Michael Ian Black because there was already a popular actor named Michael Schwartz.

Where Are They Now

(2005) Is currently a member of the comedy troupe "Stella" (2005) with David Wain and Michael Showalter. They were all cast members on "The State". Stella played weekly shows at Fez Under Time Cafe in NYC until the Fez closed on February 1st, 2005.

(2008) Release of his book, "My Custom Van: And 50 Other Mind-blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face".

(2008) Lives in Connecticut with his wife, Martha Hagen, and their two children.

(2009) Release of his children's book, "Chicken Cheeks: The Beginning of the Ends".