Ken Marino

Biography

Kenneth Joseph Marino (born December 19, 1968, West Islip, New York) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, best known for his work in television comedy and film since the late 1990s. Before building a screen career he was a member of the sketch troupe The State on MTV, a group that gave many of its members a lasting place in American comedy.

Raised on Long Island in an Italian-American family, Marino studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute and at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he met David Wain and Craig Wedren. The three of them helped found the group that became The State. After college the troupe got its own MTV sketch series, which ran until 1995, and Marino went on to guest and recurring roles on shows such as Dawson's Creek and Veronica Mars, where he played a private detective for four seasons.

On film, he worked again and again with Wain, co-writing and producing The Ten, Role Models and Wanderlust while taking small acting parts in each. He also appeared in Wet Hot American Summer and in the comedy The Babysitter. On television he starred in Party Down, Burning Love, Marry Me and Childrens Hospital, and had a recurring part on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He has also directed episodes of comedies including The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife.

His career has moved between sketch comedy, sitcoms and streaming productions. He later appeared in HBO's The Other Two and became known as the lead singer of the garage band Middle Aged Dad Jam Band, formed with Wain. Married to screenwriter Erica Oyama, he remains active in comedy, and his legacy is tied to a circle of performers who shaped much of recent American humor.

Key films

• Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
• Wanderlust (2012)
• The Ten (2007)
• Role Models (2008)
• We're the Millers (2013)
• The Babysitter (2017)