Robert "Bob" Odenkirk (born October 22, 1962) is an American comedian, actor, writer, director and producer. Odenkirk is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David.

Biography

Early life

Bob Odenkirk was born in Berwyn, Illinois, and began his foray into comedy writing as a radio DJ for WIDB, his local college station at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Inspired by the comedy of Monty Python's Flying Circus, SCTV, Steve Martin, Woody Allen, The Credibility Gap, and Bob and Ray, as well as a visit to The Second City Theatre at the age of 14, after 3 years of college Bob decided to try to make a go of it in the Chicago comedy scene. First studying with the famous improv-guru Del Close (who had mentored the likes of Bill Murray and John Belushi) Odenkirk also attended The Players Workshop of the Second City where he met Robert Smigel and they began a collaboration that would last for years and take Bob to Saturday Night Live.

Career

Odenkirk was hired as a writer at SNL in 1987 and worked there through 1991. Working alongside Robert Smigel and Conan O'Brien, he contributed to many sketches they created, but felt uncertain of his own writing and not very effective at the show. In the summers he returned to Second City to do a show with Smigel and O'Brien called "Happy Happy Good Show", then the following summer a one-man show; "Show-Acting Guy" directed by his friend Tom Gianas, and finally, after his third year, to do the Second City Mainstage show "Flag Burning Permitted in Lobby Only" where he wrote for fellow cast member Chris Farley the Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker, character, (which carried onto SNL). Odenkirk's final year at SNL, working alongside Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, and Chris Farley, was his most worthwhile, but his desire to perform caused him to leave the show after his fourth season of writing. He credits SNL with teaching him many lessons about sketch writing, from senior writers like James Downey and Al Franken, as well as his friends, Smigel and O'Brien.