Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk is an American actor, screenwriter, comedian, and producer born on October 22, 1962, in Berwyn, Illinois, who was raised in Naperville. The second oldest of seven siblings, he is the son of Walter Henry Odenkirk, who worked in the printing business, and Barbara Mary Odenkirk. His parents divorced in part due to his father's alcoholism, and Walter Odenkirk died of bone cancer in 1986. Odenkirk's younger brother Bill Odenkirk is also a comedy writer who contributed to Bob's early career development.

Odenkirk attended Naperville North High School, graduating at sixteen after accumulating enough credits to leave while still a junior. He initially enrolled at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, before transferring to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. At SIU he worked as a radio DJ for WIDB, where he created a late-night comedy program called The Prime Time Special. He completed his final credits at Columbia College Chicago and received a bachelor's degree in communications from SIU in 1984. While in Chicago, he studied with Del Close and attended the Players Workshop, where he met Robert Smigel. He also performed at the Improv Olympic alongside future Saturday Night Live cast members Chris Farley and Tim Meadows. Among his stated comedic influences were Monty Python's Flying Circus, SCTV, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, and the radio duo Bob and Ray.

Odenkirk was hired as a writer at Saturday Night Live in 1987, working there through 1991 alongside Smigel and Conan O'Brien. During that period he wrote the character Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker for Chris Farley, a character later reprised on SNL. He also appeared on camera in small roles, including a 1990 parody commercial for Bad Idea Jeans. After leaving SNL he relocated to Los Angeles, writing for Get a Life and The Dennis Miller Show before joining The Ben Stiller Show in 1992 as both a writer and performer. The Ben Stiller Show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, with Odenkirk sharing in that recognition; he had previously won the same award in 1989 for his SNL work. He served as a writer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien during its 1993 and 1994 seasons and took on a recurring role as agent Stevie Grant on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show from 1993 to 1998.

Having met David Cross at The Ben Stiller Show, Odenkirk co-created the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David, which ran for four seasons from 1995 to 1998 and featured early appearances by performers including Sarah Silverman, Jack Black, Paul F. Tompkins, and Brian Posehn. The two reteamed for the Netflix sketch series W/ Bob & David in 2015. Odenkirk made his feature directorial debut with Melvin Goes to Dinner in 2003, and subsequently directed Let's Go to Prison in 2006 and The Brothers Solomon in 2007. He also wrote the films Run Ronnie Run! in 2002 and Girlfriend's Day in 2017.

Odenkirk's profile as a dramatic actor expanded significantly when he was cast as Saul Goodman on the AMC series Breaking Bad, a role he played from 2009 to 2013. The character anchored the spin-off Better Call Saul, in which Odenkirk starred as Jimmy McGill from 2015 to 2022, earning six nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He also played Bill Oswalt in the first season of the FX anthology series Fargo in 2014 and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance in The Bear in 2024. His film work includes supporting roles in Nebraska in 2013, The Post in 2017, Incredibles 2 in 2018, and Little Women in 2019. He starred in and produced the action film Nobody in 2021 and its sequel Nobody 2 in 2025. Across his career, Odenkirk's accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards from eighteen nominations, three Critics' Choice Television Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and five Golden Globe Award nominations.

Odenkirk made his Broadway debut in 2025 in a production of Glengarry Glen Ross. For that performance he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.