Ian Michael Roberts (born July 29, 1965) is an American actor, comedian and writer. Roberts is a founding member of the famed

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Ri ...

improv and sketch comedy troupe.

Life and career

Roberts was born in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, to parents Don and Penny Roberts, but spent the majority of his childhood in

Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-st ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, where he majored in theater. After graduating from college, Roberts moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

and eventually to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

where he became involved in improvisational comedy, studying improv under comedy legend

Del Close Del Close (March 9, 1934 – March 4, 1999) was an American actor, writer, and teacher who coached many of the best-known comedians and comic actors of the late twentieth century. In addition to an acting career in television and film, he was ...

. In the early 1990s, Roberts and

Matt Besser Matthew Gregory Besser (born September 22, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer, best known as one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy ...

(along with several other Chicago improv comics) would eventually form the

sketch comedy troupe.

Amy Poehler Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...

and Matt Walsh would later join the group, forming the ''UCB'' foursome who went on to create their own

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

series and later opened the affiliated

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (shorter UCB Theatre) is an American improvisational theatre company and training center founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh. Prior to ...

in New York and Los Angeles. Both theaters have become well-known hotspots for watching live

alternative comedy Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...

and improv shows and in recent years have helped launch the careers of many of today's most popular comedians. Roberts wrote and starred in the limited release film ''

Martin & Orloff ''Martin & Orloff'' is a 2002 feature film written by and starring Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, best known as half of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe, along with Ian's wife Katie Roberts. The film was produced and directed by Lawrence ...

'', and appeared with memorable supporting roles in films such as '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'', ''

Bring It On Bring It On may refer to: Books * ''Bring It On'' (book), by Pat Robertson * ''Bring It On!'' (manhwa), a romance manhwa by Baek Hye-Kyung Film and stage * ''Bring It On'' (film series), an American series of teen comedy cheerleading films capit ...

'', '' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'', ''

Drillbit Taylor ''Drillbit Taylor'' is a 2008 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Steven Brill, produced by Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth with screenplay by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen based on an original story by John Hughes ( ...

'', '' Reno 911!: Miami'' and ''

Semi-Pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

''. On the Upright Citizens Brigade's sketch series on

, Roberts was often seen as the UCB Agent Antoine, but also portrayed many other sketch characters such as Steve Youngblood and Astronaut Mike Birchwood. A running joke on the sketch series was that his character (Agent Antoine) was thought by the other UCB Agents (Colby, Trotter, Adair) to be a

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

despite his constant assertions to the contrary. Roberts, along with his other ''UCB'' castmates, has regularly appeared in sketch comedy segments on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

'' for many years. Roberts also had a recurring character in the sitcom ''

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

'', Dr. Fishman (AKA The Literal Doctor, AKA Dr. Wordsmith), and also returned for several episodes for the show's revived 4th season on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in 2013. Circa 2002, he voice-acted in ''Home Movies'', a largely improvised cartoon that has since developed a cult following. His character, Tom Wilsonberg, featured in the episode "Stowaway," was an entrepreneur with a gambling addiction and eccentric behavior. Roberts was one of the additions to the cast of ''

Reno 911! ''Reno 911!'' is an American comedy television series airing on Comedy Central. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically '' Cops'', with comic actors playing the police officers. Thomas Lennon, Rober ...

'' in its final season, playing the role of Sgt. Jack Declan. In 2010. Roberts starred alongside ''UCB'' partner Matt Walsh in the

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

improvised comedy series ''

Players Players may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Players'' (1979 film), a film starring Ali MacGraw * ''Players'' (2012 film), a Bollywood film * ''Players'' (Dicks novel), a novel by Terrance Dicks, based on the television series ''Doc ...

'', which was created by Walsh. Roberts and Walsh starred as two brothers who run a sports bar, the two also directed several episodes on the show. The series ran for one season, concluding on August 14, 2010. In September 2010, Roberts appeared with

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

in a series of commercials promoting O'Brien's new show on TBS. Roberts played the captain of the "Conan Blimp", with O'Brien riding along as a passenger. Roberts has written several screenplays with writing partner Jay Martel, one of which was recently sold to

DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

, with Steven Brill in talks to direct. Roberts and Martel wrote the script for the comedy ''

Get Hard ''Get Hard'' is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Etan Cohen (in his directorial debut) and written by Cohen, Jay Martel and Ian Roberts. The film stars Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart with Tip 'T.I.' Harris, Alison Brie and Craig T. Nelson ...

'', starring

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...

and

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

. Roberts and Martel were also the

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

s for all five seasons of the

sketch series ''

Key & Peele ''Key & Peele'' (abbreviated to ''K&P'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for Comedy Central. Both Key and Peele previously worked on ''Mad TV.'' Each episode of the show consists m ...

''. They currently are executive producers and showrunners of the 2016

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...

series ''

Teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

''.

Personal life

Roberts lives in

Agoura Hills, California Agoura Hills () is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the S ...

with his wife Katie and their two children, Declan and Josie.

Selected filmography

Actor * ''

'' (1998–2000), Antoine/Various * ''

'' (2000), Sparky Polastri * '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2004), Stage Manager * ''

'' (6 episodes, 2005–2013), The Literal Doctor * '' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' (2006), Kyle * '' Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story'' (2007), Drug Dealer * ''

'' (2008), Spurs Coach * ''

'' (2008), Jim * '' Step Brothers'' (2008), Male Therapist * ''

I Love You, Man ''I Love You, Man'' is a 2009 American bromantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, based on a script by Larry Levin. The film stars Paul Rudd as a friendless man looking for a best man for his upcoming wedding. However, his new b ...

'' (2009), Venice Boardwalk Jogger * ''

'' (main cast, 2009), Sergeant Jack Declan * ''

Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...

'' (2 episodes, 2009–2010), Ian Winston * ''

'' (main cast, 2010), Ken Fitzgerald * ''

Workaholics ''Workaholics'' is an American sitcom created and predominantly written by Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck, all of whom star in the series. ''Workaholics'' originally ran on Comedy Central from April 6, 2011, to Marc ...

'' (1 episode, 2011), Cal * ''

'' (2 episodes, 2012–2013) * ''

Hate Crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

'', Three * ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

'' (1 episode, 2013), Coach Jason Chapman * ''

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural comedy television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan G ...

'' (1 episode, 2014), Lucas Wint * ''

Drunk History ''Drunk History'' is an American educational comedy television series produced by Comedy Central, based on the Funny or Die web series created by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner in 2007. They and Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are the show's exec ...

'' (1 episode, 2014),

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

* '' Playing House'' (5 episodes, 2014–2017), Ian * ''

Review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...

'' (1 episode, 2015), Cassius * '' Freaks of Nature'' (2015), Chaz Sr. * ''

'' (1 episode, 2016), Superintendent Greg * '' The House'' (2017), Driver at College Campus Writer * ''

'' (1998–2000) * ''

'' (2012–2015) * ''

'' (2015) * ''

'' (2016) * ''

Craig of the Creek ''Craig of the Creek'' is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the official app on December 1, 2017. The series premiered online on February ...

'' (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Ian 1965 births Living people People from Queens, New York Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from New York City American sketch comedians American male film actors American male screenwriters American male television actors American television writers Grinnell College alumni People from Secaucus, New Jersey 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male television writers Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from New Jersey 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians