Michael Cera Biography

Michael Austin Cera (born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Michael Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.

Michael Cera

Michael Cera was born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. He is the son of Linda, a native of Quebec, and Luigi Cera, a technician who is originally from Sicily. His parents both worked for Xerox. Michael Cera has an older sister, Jordan, and a younger sister, Molly. He became interested in acting after viewing Ghostbusters repeatedly when sick with the chicken pox at the age of three. Michael Cera memorized all the dialogue and idolized Bill Murray. He enrolled in The Second City Toronto and took improvisation classes.

Michael Cera attended Conestoga Public School, Robert H. Lagerquist Senior Public School and Heart Lake Secondary School until grade nine, but then completed high school through correspondence.

Acting

His first role was an unpaid appearance in a Tim Hortons summer camp commercial. That eventually led to a Pillsbury commercial in which he poked the Pillsbury Doughboy, his first role with lines.

Rise
Michael Cera's career began when he was cast as Larrabe Hicks in the Canadian television series I Was a Sixth Grade Alien in 1999. In 2002, Michael Cera played the young Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and he also provided the voice for Brother Bear in The Berenstain Bears animated series. Also in 2002, he was cast in The Grubbs, a new Fox TV series. It received a poor critical response, including an E! Online review that called it "the worst sitcom ever produced". He also voiced Josh Spitz in the cartoon Braceface. He played George Michael Bluth in the award-winning television series Arrested Development for three seasons before it was canceled. In 2005, he starred as Harold in the award winning short film Darling Darling, for which he was awarded Best Actor at the San Gio Festival in Verona, Italy. In 2006, he created and starred in a parody of Impossible is Nothing, a video résumé created by Aleksey Vayner. He also guest-starred in an episode of teen noir drama Veronica Mars – in the episode "The Rapes of Graff", which also featured Arrested Development co-star Alia Shawkat – and also in the Adult Swim series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

Michael Cera

Michael Cera, along with best friend Clark Duke, wrote and starred in a series of short videos released on their website. The idea came from Duke, who was enrolled at Loyola Marymount University and did it for his film school studies. In 2007, they signed a deal with CBS Television to write, produce, direct, and act in a short-form comedy series entitled Clark and Michael. The show featured guest stars such as David Cross, Andy Richter and Patton Oswalt, and was distributed via CBS's new internet channel, CBS Innertube. Duke and Michael Cera are both members of the band The Long Goodbye.

Michael Cera also appeared in a staged comedy video that shows him being fired from the lead role of the film Knocked Up after belittling and arguing with the director, in a scene that mocks the David O. Russell blow up on the set of I Heart Huckabees.

Continuation into movies
Michael Cera starred alongside Jonah Hill in the film Superbad, which was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The film opened in North America on August 17, 2007. In November 2007, he hosted Saturday Night Live on strike, a live staged version of SNL not shown on television due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America Strike. Also in 2007, Michael Cera co-starred in Juno as Paulie Bleeker, a teenager who accidentally impregnates his long-time school-friend Juno (Ellen Page). Arrested Development star Jason Bateman co-starred in the movie, but they did not share any scenes together. For Superbad and Juno, Michael Cera won Breakthrough Artist in the Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2007.

In 2007, Michael Cera appeared in the comedy short "Drunk History", playing Alexander Hamilton in a comedic retelling of Hamilton's duel with Aaron Burr.

Michael Cera

Michael Cera starred in the independent film Paper Heart, released August 7, 2009. It was written by and co-starred Charlyne Yi, and premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where it won a screenwriting award. Michael Cera and Yi composed the movie's soundtrack. He also starred alongside Jack Black in the 2009 comedy Year One, which received overwhelmingly negative reviews.

In 2009, Michael Cera's first published short story, "Pinecone", appeared in McSweeney's Quarterly. In January 2010, Cera starred in a film adaptation of the novel Youth in Revolt, in the role of the lead character, Nick Twisp.

On the August 3, 2010 episode of The Late Show with David Letterman, Michael Cera described getting lost in Red Rocks Park, and his relief when found by other hikers.

Michael Cera played the titular character in the film adaptation of the graphic novel Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, released in August 2010.

Upcoming projects
According to press reports, Michael Cera will appear in the Arrested Development film.

Sherwood Schwartz is on the record as saying he would like to see Michael Cera play Gilligan in the film remake of Gilligan's Island.

Michael Cera

Michael Cera was being considered for the voice of the new Muppet Walter, for The Muppets, but the role was given to muppeteer Peter Linz. Michael Cera is set to star in a film by Sebastian Silva in Chile, and he is “spending five hours a day learning Spanish" for the role.

Music

In 2010 Michael Cera contributed mandolin and backing vocals to the Weezer song "Hang On" from their album Hurley. Michael Cera has also established himself as the touring bass player in Mister Heavenly, an indie rock band originating in the American northwest. Michael Cera also played bass and sang back up during songs in both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.