Jerry Trainor

Though he spent several years struggling to make it as an actor, Jerry Trainor finally had his first breakthrough in his 30s on the popular teen series, "Drake & Josh" (Nickelodeon, 2004-07). Like Jim Carrey before him, Trainor was able to portray lovable and goofy characters while deadpanning lines and tackling physically challenging comedy - often in colorful get-ups or even undressed.

Prior to "Drake & Josh," he toiled as a guest star in series television, landing episodes here and there on shows like "Angel" (The WB, 1999-2004), "Crossing Jordan" (NBC, 2001-07), and "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009). Though he appeared in a few features, including the indie hit "Donnie Darko" (2001), Trainor was relegated to minor and often nameless characters that appeared briefly on screen. When he was cast on "Drake & Josh," however, his fortunes changed overnight.

After the show left the air in 2007, he immediately segued into another popular 'tween sitcom, "iCarly" (Nickelodeon, 2007-12), which allowed him to steal the show with the go-for-the-laughs attitude that had finally turned him into a star.

Born on Jan. 21, 1977 in San Diego, CA, Trainor fell in love with acting while he was attending St. Didacus Parish School. He graduated from University of San Diego High School, where his mother taught pre-calculus and calculus, after performing in several school productions, including "Guys and Dolls," "Up the Down Staircase" and "Pajama Game." Trainor soon earned his bachelor of fine arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara prior to moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 2000, Trainor landed one of his earliest roles on the teen soap opera, "Undressed" (MTV, 1999-2000) during its second season.

He followed by making his feature film debut with a small role in the acclaimed independent drama, "Donnie Darko" (2001). Trainor made greater strides on the small screen, landing episodes of "Malcolm in the Middle" (Fox, 2000-05), "Boston Public" (Fox, 2000-04) and "My Wife and Kids" (ABC, 2001-04).

After raising his profile on more popular shows like "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009) and "Angel" (The WB, 1999-2004), Trainor had a recurring role as Brian the AV guy on the long-running procedural, "Crossing Jordan" (NBC, 2001-07). He upped his game when he was cast as Crazy Steve, an oddball movie theater manager whose angry outbursts can be placated by a glass of milk and singing "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain," on the sitcom, "Drake & Josh" (Nickelodeon, 2004-07).

Back on the big screen, he had a tiny part as a smug guy in the straight-to-video sequel, "Bring It On Again" (2004). Meanwhile, he reprised Crazy Steve in the made-for-television movies, "Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp" (Nickelodeon, 2007) and "Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh" (Nickelodeon, 2008).

With his career finally on the rise, Trainor joined "Drake & Josh" cast mate, Miranda Cosgrove, on the 'tween sitcom, "iCarly," in which he played Spencer Shay, the kooky and unpredictable older brother of a young teen (Cosgrove) who is the star of her own web series. Once again, Trainor proved to be a scene-stealer in a supporting role, often receiving his own hilarious subplot for some episodes. Even though he was older than most Nickelodeon actors, Trainor nonetheless managed to become a fan favorite with the network's young audience.

The popular series spawned the movie, "iCarly: iGo to Japan" in 2008 (Nickelodeon) and the television special, "iCarly Saves TV" (Nickelodeon, 2008).

Starting in July 2008, Trainor appeared in the web-based series, "Project Lore," based on the popular "World of Warcraft" computer game, playing the healer Goggins, a Draenei shaman. He next landed his first leading film role with "Wreckless Epic" (2009), a musical comedy about a tambourine player's hilarious journey to perform at a large music festival.