Steve Carell

Born: August 16 1963
Where: Concord, Massachusetts, USA

The writer and comedian is poised for international stardom following his hilarious turn as Andy Stitzer - The 40 Year-old Virgin.

Best known to UK audiences for playing the David Brent character in the US version of The Office, Carell originally considered a career as a lawyer.

However, he had been acting since the age of six and, after graduating from Ohio's Denison University - opted for a career on the stage.

A veteran of Chicago's Second City Theatre Group (where he met his wife Nancy Walls), he made his TV debut in 1991 on Life As We Know It.

He went on to play various characters in The Dana Carvey Show before playing a correspondent in the Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show.

In 2003, he attracted acclaim as the nemesis of Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty and had a minor role in the teen comedy Sleepover.

However, it was the part of Brick Tamland in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy that provided his breakout performance.

He co-starred as Walt in Woody Allen's return to form Melinda and Melinda and played the part of Michael Scott in the American remake of The Office.

In 2005, his provided a scene-stealing cameo as Uncle Arthur in Bewitched and landed his first lead role in The 40 Year-Old Virgin (which he co-wrote).