Michael Ian Black

Acting

Michael Ian Black

Born 1971-08-12 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Michael Ian Black (born Michael Ian Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella, Another Period and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times. He released a well-received children's book, Chicken Cheeks, in 2009. Black was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jill and Robert Schwartz, a store owner and an executive, respectively. His family is Jewish. He grew up in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, where he attended Hillsborough High School. His parents divorced when he was three years old; his mother, Jill, later came out as a lesbian. Black's father died at age 39 due to a head injury apparently suffered in an assault and allergic reaction during subsequent surgery. His birth name, Schwartz, is derived from the German word schwarz, which means black. He changed his name to Michael Ian Black to avoid confusion with the actor Mike Schwartz. Black briefly attended New York University, but dropped out to portray Raphael in the promotional campaign for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles concert tour.

Acting credits

Superman poster
7.3

Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

Superman

2025

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass poster
6.5

Small-town Kansas hairdresser Gail Daughtry's fiancé uses his 'celebrity sex pass' on Jennifer Aniston, prompting Gail to travel to LA with her friend Otto to find her own pass, Jon Hamm, to even the score.

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

2026

This Is 40 poster
5.9

Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.

This Is 40

2012

Wanderlust poster
5.5

Rattled by sudden unemployment, a Manhattan couple surveys alternative living options, ultimately deciding to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love rules.

Wanderlust

2012

Wet Hot American Summer poster
6.2

It's the last day of Camp Firewood's season, but there's still time for the big talent show, a little romance… and for everyone to be wiped out by the piece of NASA's Skylab that's hurtling toward Earth.

Wet Hot American Summer

2001

Misery Loves Comedy poster
6.0

Do you have to be miserable to be funny? More than sixty comedians—including stand-ups, writers, actors, and directors from the US, Canada, and abroad—take on this question, sharing anecdotes and insights with lively enthusiasm.

Misery Loves Comedy

2015

Sextuplets poster
6.2

Father-to-be Alan is shocked to learn that he was born a sextuplet. With his newfound brother Russell riding shotgun, the duo sets out on a hilarious journey to reunite with their remaining long-lost siblings.

Sextuplets

2019

Reno 911!: Miami poster
5.8

A rag-tag team of Reno cops are called in to save the day after a terrorist attack disrupts a national police convention in Miami Beach during spring break. Based on the Comedy Central series.

Reno 911!: Miami

2007

Take Me Home Tonight poster
6.0

Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin should be well on his way to a successful career at a Fortune 500 company, but instead he rebels against maturity by taking a job at a video store. Matt rethinks his position when his unrequited high-school crush, Tori, walks in and invites him to an end-of-summer party. With the help of his twin sister and his best friend, Matt hatches a plan to change the course of his life.

Take Me Home Tonight

2011

Spinning Gold poster
5.5

A biopic of 1970s record producer Neil Bogart, co-founder of Casablanca Records.

Spinning Gold

2023

They Came Together poster
5.5

A small business owner is about to lose her shop to a major corporate development.

They Came Together

2014

Linoleum poster
6.3

When the host of a failing children’s science show tries to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by building a rocket ship in his garage, a series of bizarre events occur that cause him to question his own reality.

Linoleum

2023

The Ten poster
4.8

Ten stories, each inspired by one of the ten commandments.

The Ten

2007

Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot poster
6.4

Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage offers a glimpse into the comic minds behind a "Wet Hot" summer-camp cult hit featuring many future stars.

Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot

2015

No artwork available
NR

Ben Stiller, Mike Myers, Seth Meyers and Michael Ian Black have a roundtable comedy discussion.

Nantucket Film Festival's 2nd Comedy Roundtable

2013

Smosh: The Movie poster
4.4

An embarrassing video of Anthony surfaces online right before his fifth high school reunion. The Smosh dudes then race to pull down the clip before it blows Anthony's chances of reconnecting with his teen crush Anna.

Smosh: The Movie

2015

The Baxter poster
6.0

Mild mannered tax accountant Elliot Sherman is what he calls a "Baxter": the kind of calm, unexciting fellow who "wears sock garters" and "enjoys raking leaves." Loved by bosses and parents, Elliot is a perfectly nice guy. And that's his problem.

The Baxter

2005

Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles poster
7.4

In the spring of 1984, a strange new comic book sat beside cash registers in select shops, too big to fit in the racks, and too weird to ignore. Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles presented a completely original breed of super hero. It was too bizarre, too crazy. It broke all the rules and should never have worked. Until it sold out. Again and again and again. For 30 years. Now, peek under the shell and see how this so-called "happy accident" defied every naysayer to become one of the most popular and beloved franchises in the world.

Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2014

Deepfaking Sam Altman poster
NR

Director Adam Bhala Lough sets out to better understand the technology and people at the center of the AI boom. His quest sends him on a path towards the father of AI, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman. When he isn’t able to sit down with Altman himself, Adam travels to India to create an AI version of him to interview instead.

Deepfaking Sam Altman

2026

Reno 911!: It's a Wonderful Heist poster
5.7

It’s Holiday Season in Reno, and Lieutenant Dangle wishes he’d never been born. With the help of a roller skating “Angel,” he learns how much better the lives of the other deputies would be if he never existed. Will he decide to live on anyway? There’s still Christmas criminals to catch!

Reno 911!: It's a Wonderful Heist

2022

Hell Baby poster
5.1

After she and her husband move into a haunted house, a woman gives birth to a demonic infant that wreaks havoc.

Hell Baby

2013

First One In poster
4.7

Thrown off a reality show in disgrace, an unemployed real estate agent joins a group of slightly menopausal tennis players to rescue her career and take down the reigning queen of the court.

First One In

2020

No artwork available
NR

A Bigfoot hoax goes horribly wrong in the middle of an actual Sasquatch hot spot, leading to a chaotic struggle between the hoaxers, investigators, and a supernatural force that defies explanation.

Bad Day For Bigfoot

The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special poster
4.0

Comedy troupe The State hosts a Halloween special on CBS.

The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special

1995

Behind the camera

Wedding Daze poster
5.6

After losing the woman of his dreams, Anderson is convinced he'll never fall in love again. But at the urging of his best friend, he spontaneously proposes to a dissatisfied waitress named Katie and an innocent dare evolves into the kind of love that both have been looking for all along.

Wedding Daze

2006

Wedding Daze poster
5.6

After losing the woman of his dreams, Anderson is convinced he'll never fall in love again. But at the urging of his best friend, he spontaneously proposes to a dissatisfied waitress named Katie and an innocent dare evolves into the kind of love that both have been looking for all along.

Wedding Daze

2006

Run Fatboy Run poster
6.2

Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day, out-of-shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back.

Run Fatboy Run

2007

Stella Shorts 1998-2002 poster
4.0

STELLA is a three-man comedy troupe from New York City, comprised of well-known comedians/actors Michael Showalter, David Wain, and Michael Ian Black. Though the three have made a living performing at comedy clubs, they are perhaps best known for their home-made short films. The STELLA SHORTS have garnered cult success because of their nonsensical plotlines, absurd dialogue, graphic sexual humor, sporatic violence, and sheer hilarity. This DVD showcases the trio's first twenty-three adventures, each one more bizarre and hysterical than the last. Highlights include: a game of whiffleball that goes terribly awry, an expedition to the South Pole (?) to meet Santa Claus, an edge-of-your-seat moustache-growing contest, a twisted "whodunit"-style murder mystery, and much, much more.

Stella Shorts 1998-2002

2002

Stella Shorts 1998-2002 poster
4.0

STELLA is a three-man comedy troupe from New York City, comprised of well-known comedians/actors Michael Showalter, David Wain, and Michael Ian Black. Though the three have made a living performing at comedy clubs, they are perhaps best known for their home-made short films. The STELLA SHORTS have garnered cult success because of their nonsensical plotlines, absurd dialogue, graphic sexual humor, sporatic violence, and sheer hilarity. This DVD showcases the trio's first twenty-three adventures, each one more bizarre and hysterical than the last. Highlights include: a game of whiffleball that goes terribly awry, an expedition to the South Pole (?) to meet Santa Claus, an edge-of-your-seat moustache-growing contest, a twisted "whodunit"-style murder mystery, and much, much more.

Stella Shorts 1998-2002

2002

No artwork available
7.0

Leslie must deliver evidence of Richard's illegal money siphening scam to the FBI. At her rendezvous, a trendy party, she'll meet a loser named Jack.

I'm Your Man

1992

Beef poster
6.1

BEEF is a comedic spin on a real person courtroom show. Set in a NY deli, BEEF revolves around Lou, his family, and the cases he settles. People march in with a "beef" for Lou to solve with old-school advice, simple justice, or a fine cut of meat.

Beef

2014

Beef poster
6.1

BEEF is a comedic spin on a real person courtroom show. Set in a NY deli, BEEF revolves around Lou, his family, and the cases he settles. People march in with a "beef" for Lou to solve with old-school advice, simple justice, or a fine cut of meat.

Beef

2014

Michael Ian Black: Noted Expert poster
6.7

Veteran of sketch, television, and film, comedian Michael Ian Black has mastered a delivery that's equal parts dapper and deadpan, whether he's discussing the pro-choice debate or the Tilt-A-Whirl. Taped at John Jay College in New York City, Black's first comedy special for EPIX includes his wry take on the human experience, from parenting and gender roles, to guilty pleasures of all shapes and sizes.

Michael Ian Black: Noted Expert

2016

Alaskan Murder Mystery poster
NR

Three brothers embark on an adventure in the Alaskan wilderness trying to find a mythological creature - the Qalupaliks. A band of creatures that devour children! Plunging deeper into the wilderness and against all odds, they are forced to rely on one another.

Alaskan Murder Mystery

2025

Michael Ian Black: Very Famous poster
7.0

Michael Ian Black may be joking, but he is indeed getting very famous. A stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Michael is known for his character Phil on the hit TV show ED, as a member of the cult comedy legends Stella, on VH1's clip series, and in numerous other projects (including the legendary comedy troupe The State and his new breakout podcast "Mike and Tom Eat Snacks")

Michael Ian Black: Very Famous

2011