Dax Shepard

Dax Shepard Headshot

Actor • Host

Birth Date: January 2, 1975

Age: 49 years old

Birth Place: Milford, Michigan

Spouses: Kristen Bell

Thanks to being adept at comedy, particularly improvisation, actor Dax Shepard developed his natural gifts into a substantial career in a short period of time. His skills as an improviser led to his breakout role in the hidden camera prank show, "Punk'd" (MTV, 2002-07), starring co-creator Ashton Kutcher in a series that sought to pull practical jokes on unwitting celebrities. Though only on the show for one season, Shepard quickly turned into a cult celebrity overnight and soon branched out into other projects. He parlayed his success into substantial roles in "Zathura" (2005) and "Idiocracy" (2006), though he stumbled a bit with rather lame comedies like the woeful "Let's Go to Prison" (2006). Shrugging off the setback, Shepard bounced back nicely with a supporting part in "Baby Mama" (2008) and followed it up with a regular role on the hit television series "Parenthood" (NBC, 2010-15), which helped establish him as a rising star worthy of attention.

Born on Jan. 2, 1975 in Milford, MI, Shepard had a routinely uneventful life until his junior year at Walled Lake Central High School, when he read a copy of Jack Kerouac's On The Road, which prompted him to ditch his college plans and roadtrip with a friend in a beat-up Mustang for the next five months. But he soon learned the value of a college education, and eventually attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he earned his degree in anthropology, even though he had always had his sights set on becoming an actor. Displaying a knack for comedy, Shepard joined the renowned Groundlings Theater, which led to landing several commercials, including an appearance as a golfer in a lawnmower spot and a guy who nearly gets his head knocked off by Evander Holyfield in a popular beer ad.

Meanwhile, Shepard made his feature film debut in "Hairshirt" (1998), a low-budget romantic comedy that won several awards at the 2000 Slamdunk Film and Video Festival. His next feature role was in the independent and virtually unknown "Boyz-N-The-Burbs" (1998), which he followed with his breakout role as Ashton Kutcher's field agent for the first season of the popular hidden camera show, "Punk'd," which attempted to trap various celebrities in practical jokes. A series of smaller roles on television and in film soon followed. Shepard appeared on "Life with Bonnie" (ABC, 2002-04), playing a young commercial director who desires something other than Bonnie's wholesome image to sell her favorite childhood soup in one episode, and a plastic surgeon who leaves his mark on Bonnie's face before she goes on air in another.

Continuing his track on the small screen, Shepard provided his voice for "King of the Hill" (FOX, 1996-2009), which he followed with a small role on the big screen in "Cheaper By the Dozen" (2003), a remake of the 1950s Clifton Webb family comedy. He next appeared in the Nick Lachey music video "Shut Up," which led to a subsequent appearance on the short-lived "Making the Video" (MTV, 2000-02). Shepard had his first starring role in "Without a Paddle" (2004), a buddy comedy co-starring Seth Green and Matthew Lillard about three misfit friends who embark on a childhood dream of finding a legendary bank robber's secret stash of $200,000. Instead they find trouble in the form of wild rapids, vicious Rottweilers and disgruntled deep-woods marijuana farmers. Somewhat satirizing John Boorman's classic "Deliverance" (1972), the movie found Shepard working alongside that film's star, his childhood idol Burt Reynolds.

Shepard's star continued to rise when he signed on to appear in "Zathura" (2005), the sequel to the surprisingly successful "Jumanji" (1995). He next played the knuckleheaded lawyer of a man (Luke Wilson) whose participation in a scientific experiment transports him to the year 2505, where he becomes the world's smartest man in Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" (2006). In the raunchy prison comedy, "Let's Go to Prison" (2006), he played a three-time convict who opts for a fourth go-round on the inside in order to exact revenge against the son of a judge (Will Arnett).

Following a small role in the sports parody "The Comebacks" (2007), Shepard earned a degree of off-screen notoriety when, not long after beginning to date actress Kate Hudson, her ex-boyfriend Owen Wilson attempted suicide around the same time pictures of Shepard and Hudson kissing were splashed across tabloid covers. While Wilson never publically commented as to the reasons for such desperation, the press deemed him lovesick over his ex moving on with Shepard. Not long after the fracas, the newly minted couple broke up. Shepard went on to appear in a small role in the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy, "Baby Mama" (2008) and was a narcissistic male model in the romantic comedy, "When in Rome" (2010), which starred his future finance, Kristen Bell. Turning back to television, he landed as a regular on the small screen version of "Parenthood" (NBC, 2010-15), an ensemble comedy-drama that was adapted from Ron Howard's 1989 feature film.

Credits

Family Game Fight!Stream

Executive Producer
Game Show
2021

Family Game Fight!Stream

Host
Game Show
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Ultra City SmithsStream

Voice
Congressman Chris Pecker
Series
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88%

Top Gear America

Host
Show
2021

PAW Patrol: The Movie

Voice
Ruben
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2021

The Drew Barrymore ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2020

Spin the WheelStream

Host
Game Show
2019

Bless This MessStream

Actor
Mike
Series
2019
82%

Bless This MessStream

Executive Producer
Series
2019
82%

Today With Hoda & Jenna

Guest
Show
2019

Bless This Mess: Extras

Actor
Show
2019

Buddy Games

Actor
Durfy
Movie
2019

Today 3rd Hour

Guest
Show
2018

The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHaleStream

Guest Star
Series
2018

Daily Blast Live

Guest
Show
2017

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years LaterStream

Actor
Mikey
Miniseries
2017

Top Gear AmericaStream

Host
Series
2017

Red Nose Day

Guest
Show
2017

CHiPsStream

Actor
Jon
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2017
19%

CHiPsStream

Director
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2017
19%

CHiPsStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2017
19%

CHiPsStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2017
19%

El Camino Christmas

Actor
Deputy Billy Calhoun
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2017

The Good PlaceStream

Guest Star
Chet
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2016
97%

Today's Take

Guest
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2016

Red Nose Day

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Show
2016

SuperMansionStream

Guest Voice
Titanium Dax
Series
2015

The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream

Guest
Talk
2015

The Late Late Show With James CordenStream

Guest
Talk
2015

Hot OnesStream

Guest
Reality
2015

Popular Science

Guest
Show
2014

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

Guest
Talk
2014

About a Boy

Guest Star
Crosby
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2014

Off Camera with Sam Jones

Actor
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2014

This Is Where I Leave YouStream

Actor
Wade Beaufort
Movie
2014
44%

The JudgeStream

Actor
C.P. Kennedy
Movie
2014
48%

The Queen Latifah Show

Guest
Talk
2013

The Social

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Show
2013

Hollywood Game Night

Guest
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2013

Baby Mama

Actor
Carl
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2012

Larry King NowStream

Guest
Talk
2012

Comedy Bang! Bang!Stream

Guest Star
Series
2012

CBS This Morning

Guest
Show
2012

Hit & RunStream

Actor
Charlie Bronson/Yul Perkins
Movie
2012
48%

Hit & RunStream

Director
Movie
2012
48%

Hit & RunStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2012
48%

Brain GamesStream

Guest
Series
2011

The Chew

Guest
Talk
2011

The Marilyn Denis Show

Guest
Show
2011

ConanStream

Guest
Talk
2010

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

ParenthoodStream

Actor
Crosby Braverman
Series
2010
88%

ParenthoodStream

Director
Series
2010
88%

When in RomeStream

Actor
Gale
Movie
2010
17%

The Freebie

Actor
Darren
Movie
2010

Brother's Justice

Actor
Himself/Waylan/Patrick Jeung/Patrick Justice
Movie
2010

Brother's Justice

Director
Movie
2010

Brother's Justice

Screenwriter
Movie
2010

Lopez Tonight

Guest
Show
2009

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien

Guest
Talk
2009

The Goode Family

Guest Voice
Show
2009

Parks and RecreationStream

Guest Star
Series
2009
93%

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Guest
Talk
2008

Baby MamaStream

Actor
Carl
Movie
2008
63%

Chelsea Lately

Actor
Talk
2007

Chelsea Lately

Guest
Talk
2007

Smother

Actor
Noah Cooper
Movie
2007

Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen

Guest
Talk
2006

Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen

Guest Star
Talk
2006

Rachael Ray ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2006

etalk

Guest
Show
2006

IdiocracyStream

Actor
Frito
Movie
2006
71%

Employee of the Month

Actor
Vince
Movie
2006

Let's Go to Prison

Actor
John Lyshitski
Movie
2006

My Name Is EarlStream

Guest Star
Dirk
Series
2005
82%

Entertainment Tonight Canada

Guest
Show
2005

It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaStream

Guest Star
Jojo
Series
2005
94%

Robot ChickenStream

Guest Voice
Series
2005

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Guest
Talk
2005

Zathura

Actor
Astronaut
Movie
2005

The Insider

Guest
Show
2004

Tavis Smiley

Guest
Talk
2004

Without a PaddleStream

Actor
Tom Marshall
Movie
2004
14%

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Host
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

Life With Bonnie

Guest Star
Series
2002

Too Smooth

Actor
Vomiter at Party
Movie
1998

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

King of the HillStream

Guest Voice
Zack
Series
1997

Access Hollywood

Guest
News
1996

Cityline

Guest
Show
1993

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Guest
Talk
1992

This Morning

Guest
Show
1988

Entertainment Tonight

Guest
News
1981

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutDax Shepard

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Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard ‘Play Hard and Play Fair’ in ‘Family Game Fight!’

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