Beck Bennett

Beck Bennett took an unusual route to TV fame. It was a series of much-loved advertisements for a cell phone company that first brought him to the attention of the American public. However it wasn't an overnight success there were years of hard work for the comic actor before he landed that overnight success. Even at a young age Bennett wanted to be an actor, taking on the challenging role of Jean Valjean in a production of "Les Miserables" at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL while at the same time taking improvisational classes at the legendary Second City in nearby Chicago. Heading to the University of Southern California where he enrolled in the BFA Acting program, Bennett joined improv/sketch comedy group Commodus Interruptus with Kyle Mooney and Nick Rutherford; they would later be renamed Good Neighbor with the addition of fourth member Dave McCary.

Releasing a slew of videos on YouTube, their offbeat sketches soon earned praise from the likes of Louis C.K., Steven Spielberg and Will Ferrell. Another web series, "Fresh Perspectives" (2011), featured Bennett as a deadpan host on a panel show where children discussed politics. These were quickly followed by AT&T's "It's Not Complicated" advertisements, where Bennett puts a series of questions to a group of kids and their unscripted answers provided plenty of cute laughs. The ads considerably raised Bennett's profile and he landed roles in "Last Man Standing" (ABC 2011-), "Arrested Development" (Netflix 2013- ) and the surrealist animated crime comedy "Axe Cop" (Fox 2013-). Good Neighbor even made a pilot for Comedy Central during this period. However, the troupe dissolved in 2013 as Bennett and fellow GN alumni Mooney and McCary moved to New York and joined "Saturday Night Live" (NBC 1975-) as featured players.