Danny McBride

Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He starred in the HBO television series Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals, which he co-created with frequent collaborator Jody Hill, and The Righteous Gemstones, which he created himself. He has appeared in films such as The Foot Fist Way (2006), Hot Rod (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), Tropic Thunder (2008), Up in the Air (2009), Land of the Lost (2009), Your Highness (2011), This Is the End (2013), and Alien: Covenant (2017). He has done voice acting for Despicable Me (2010), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), 30 Minutes or Less (2011), Hell and Back (2015), The Angry Birds Movie (2016), Sausage Party (2016), The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021). Early life McBride was born on December 29, 1976, in Statesboro, Georgia. His mother, Kathy Rudy, and his stepfather both work at Marine Corps Base Quantico, as civilian support. McBride has Irish, Scottish, English and Jewish ancestry, with Catholic ancestors from Ulster who emigrated to Virginia in the 1870s. He was raised Baptist and has said, "church was very much part of my life when I was a kid. My parents were really involved and went all the time." His mother performed sermons in church using puppets, and McBride stated that his "interest in telling stories comes from her." He was raised in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, where he graduated from Courtland High School and attended University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and became one of the "Three Flavas" along with director Jody Hill and Kris Baucom. Career McBride served as a second-unit director for David Gordon Green's feature film debut George Washington. McBride made his acting debut in 2003, starring in Green's second film All the Real Girls. In 2006, McBride played Fred Simmons in the low-budget comedy film The Foot Fist Way, which he co-wrote with collaborators Jody Hill and Ben Best. His character later appeared in Late Night with Conan O'Brien on February 26, 2008. McBride wrote and starred in the HBO original comedy series Eastbound & Down (also a collaboration with Hill and Best), as Kenny Powers, a washed-up former major league baseball pitcher with anger management issues. The series was produced by Gary Sanchez Productions, and the pilot episode premiered on February 15, 2009, featuring Will Ferrell and Craig Robinson.