Aurora Starchild
Will Ferrell is one of the world’s most beloved comedians and actors. He’s been making people double over in laughter for over 30 years and has 133 acting credits, not including 321 appearances as himself on TV shows such as on Saturday Night Live. Considering how hilarious the man is, it may warm your heart to know that he has three sons who share his sense of humor. Meet Will Ferrell’s kids: Magnus, Mattias, and Axel.
Videos by Rare
Will Ferrell Discovered Comedy as a Third Grader
Will Ferrell was born July 16, 1967, and raised in Irvine, California. His father was a musician, and his mother was a schoolteacher. According to biographical author Cherie Abbey, Will was turned off from show business after seeing how hard his father worked. Between the continuous moving around and unreliable sources of income, Ferrell decided he’d rather find a “steady job.”
According to Abbey, Will Ferrell found third grade to be a “pivotal year” because he realized the power of humor. Pretending to fall down and acting hilarious made kids laugh and he made friends that way. He also is credited with saying that the “boredom” of suburbia made humor a form of survival. It got him through his days and became a regular part of his life. He began making comedy skits as a senior in high school, which were performed over the school intercom system.
Ferrell enrolled at the University of Southern California and studied sports broadcasting and sports information. He graduated with a B.A. in 1990 but had no desire to find a job in his field of study. He then picked up a series of small jobs including as a bank teller and a valet, all of which seemed to go horribly wrong in a kind of funny way that may have later inspired him in writing comedy. Ferrell then started performing with the Los Angeles-based sketch and improv comedy group The Groundlings. Meanwhile, he picked up more odd jobs including as a mall Santa Claus while being cast in minor roles on film and TV.
He Became a Household Name on SNL
Will Ferrell’s big break came in 1995 when he joined Saturday Night Live. He stayed with the show for 7 years and officially was the highest-paid cast member in 2001. He’s hosted SNL 5 times and is known for parodying a variety of politicians and musicians including former President George Bush, Vice President Al Gore, and Cuban President Fidel Castro.
In 1998, Ferrell portrayed Steve Butabi, a character he created while with The Groundlings, in the film A Night at the Roxbury. He’s starred in countless comedy classics including Zoolander, Old School, Elf, Anchorman, and Superstar. He’s also produced and starred in films such as Talladega Nights, Anchorman 2, Casa de mi Padre, and executive produced the TV series Drunk History. Ferrell has voice acted for shows like Family Guy and King of the Hill as well as animated movies like Megamind, The Lego Movies 1 and 2, and Curious George. He’s also performed in a one-man show on Broadway, portraying George W. Bush in You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush.
As of today, Will Ferrell has been nominated for 18 Emmys and won 4. He has been nominated for a Tony and two Golden Globes. He has an estimated net worth of $160 million. That’s not bad for someone who didn’t even want to be famous anyway.
Will Met His Wife Viveca at an Acting Class
Will Ferrell met his wife, Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, while at an acting class in 1995. He told Elle that she got his sense of humor and impressed him with her beer chugging. But after dating only briefly, they went different ways. “Viv was the one that got away,” he said.
They reunited later on after being friends for 5 years, eventually marrying in 2000. “What I love most about Viv is very simple,” Ferrell told Elle. “She totally got my sense of humor. I sent her flowers every day for a week with a card like, ‘You’re the fifth-prettiest woman in the office.’ She loved it. We had a shorthand with each other.”
Like her husband, Viveca is also a producer. However, these days she works as an art auctioneer.
Will Ferrell’s Eldest Son is Magnus
The couple welcomed their first of three sons, Magnus, on March 7, 2004. Will told Parade that all three of his sons are “funny in their own ways… They kind of have their own senses of humor,” he said. It’s fun to see them make their friends laugh. Very similar to me, they’re good kids at school and yet they like to try to be funny.” On that note, the Ferrell family has an annual tradition where the kids all decide what their dad will wear on Halloween. One year he had to dress up as a poop-emoji.
For Magnus, that sense of humor comes out subtly. Ferrell noted a time when his eldest son borrowed another student’s glasses for a yearbook photo so he could look extra serious. “Like ‘Magnus, that is so subversive and funny Totally my sense of humor,’” he recalled telling his son. “He’s like, ‘Am I in trouble?’ Like, ‘No, you’ve got to do it every year! Fantastic!’”
These days, Magnus is a student at USC. He’s also a talented music artist and often shares his projects and upcoming show events on his Instagram page. He made his film debut in 2013 as a Sea World Kid on Anchorman 2 and has also made a cameo in the 2017 film If You Build the House They Will Come.
Mattias Paulin Ferrell
Mattias was born on December 30, 2006. Speaking to Parade, Will Ferrell said that Mattias was discovering SNL sketches on his own, usually while sleeping over at friends’ houses. “It’s fun when they discover. My sixth-grader is really getting into SNL so he’s seen old sketches on YouTube,” he said. “With Cowbell, he’s like, ‘How did you do that, Dad? Isn’t that embarrassing?’ How do you not get embarrassed?’ You realize the act of being a comedian is getting over any kind of a shame. And it is an unnatural thing for us to do as human beings. They kind of marvel at that.”
Mattias doesn’t seem to have social media at the moment so there isn’t much known about him. His dad once said he played soccer when he was younger. He was also present with the entire Ferrell family when Will received his Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2015. And in 2013, Mattias also played a Sea World kid on Anchorman 2.
Axel Paulin Ferrell
Like his older brothers, the youngest Ferrell family member has a Viking name. He was born on January 23, 2010, making him 13 today. He played another Sea World Kid on Anchorman alongside his brothers in 2013, making him only about 3 years old at the time of his film debut. Not much else is known about Axel. However, his father has opened up about the joy he takes in embarrassing his three kids.
“In terms of my own kids, as a dad I love to embarrass them constantly,” Ferrell told the Associated Press. “If they have been mouthing off or something, I turn up at dinner wearing just my underpants to warn them.” He also likened his home life to “running a prison.”
“What happens with three boys is you end up barking out orders like, ‘Upstairs now!’ ‘Brush teeth!’ ‘Lights out!’ There is so much chaos you can’t really take the time to articulate,” he said.
Will Ferrell’s family sounds like a lot of fun!
