Will Ferrell is best known for his comic acting, with roles in fan favorites such as ‘Elf’ and ‘Step Brothers’.
Will Ferrell is left-handed. He is included in several articles listing left-handed celebrities and can be seen in many photos signing autographs with his left hand.
Read more about Will Ferrell, his career, and what it means to be left-handed below.
Who is Will Ferrell?
For many, Will Ferrell needs no introduction, such is the success of his movies.
Ferrell was born in California to a musician father and teacher mother. Far from the comedy characters he portrays, he studied hard in school and showed promise as a football player.
A glimpse of his comedic ability came in high school when he made announcements over the school’s radio system with a disguised voice. Despite this, Ferrell did not immediately pursue a career in comedy and enrolled in the University of Southern California to study sports journalism.
In 2000, Ferrell married Viveca Paulin, a fellow actor.
The couple met five years prior and dated briefly before breaking off their relationship. They rekindled their romance while Ferrell was working on Saturday Night Live.
“She totally got my sense of humor,” he said in a 2008 interview. They have three children together and own a house in Los Angeles which is the former home of TV host Ellen DeGeneres.
What Does it Mean to Be Left-Handed?
Only around 10% of people are left-handed, and it is believed that genetics plays some role in determining which hand a person writes with.
Professor Dominic Furniss, a hand surgeon, says that being left-handed has sometimes been viewed as a negative trait. “In many cultures being left-handed is seen as being unlucky or malicious,” he explains.
Research shows that a person’s dominant hand is controlled by the opposite side of their brain, therefore a left-handed person uses the right side of their brain more. The right side of the brain is associated with problem solving and spatial awareness, which leads many to believe that left-handed individuals are naturally better at math.
Other famous left-handers include Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg, Pink, Bruce Willis, and Oprah Winfrey.
Will Ferrell’s Career
In 1995, Ferrell was asked to audition for a role on Saturday Night Live. In the audition tape, which has been shared by SNL, he impersonated sports broadcasters and in one sketch, pretended to be a cat.
Between 1995 and 2002, he was a regular cast member on the show.
Ferrell starred in the 2003 Christmas movie ‘Elf’, playing the role of Buddy the Elf. Buddy is a human who is raised among elves and the movie follows his journey of discovery into the human world, where he finds his family and makes some hilarious missteps along the way.
“The first two weeks of shooting were kind of all the exteriors in New York and so, you know, still kind of discovering what this movie’s going to be,” he recalls about creating the movie. “Running around New York City in yellow tights.”
In 2008, Ferrell starred alongside John C. Reilly in the comedy movie ‘Step Brothers’. The movie made $128 million in box office sales.
He has also lent his voice to a number of animated movies. His voice acting career includes roles in ‘The LEGO Movie’ and ‘Megamind’.
He has been recognized for his comedic work with a number of awards. He has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards and in 2015, won the GQ award for Comedian of the Year.
Ferrell has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Will Ferrell has made the world laugh with his hilarious characterizations and brilliant timing in films that have entertained so many people,” said the Walk of Fame’s Director of Ceremonies.