Michael Ian Black is a popular comedian who began his career with The State, a sketch comedy troupe he co-founded at New York University in 1988, which went on to have a successful run on MTV. He then co-created the Comedy Central television series "Viva Variety," a fake European variety show.

From there, he appeared on several television show before landing the role of Phil Stubbs, the quirky bowling alley manager on NBC's "Ed," which ran for almost four seasons. His next project was "Stella," a television show he co-created with Michael Showalter and David Wain, which ran on Comedy Central. Michael has appeared in several films and is a popular contributor to VH1's "I Love the..." series. In 2005, he wrote and his directed his first film, "Wedding Daze," which starred Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher.

His screenplay "Run Fat Boy Run," starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton came out in 2007. Michael is also a stand-up comedian, who regularly tours the country. His first album of stand-up comedy "I Am a Wonderful Man," was released in 2007, and his first book of humorous essays, "My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Face)" came out in 2008. His first children's book, "Chicken Cheeks" was released in January, 2009. His latest project is "Michael and Michael Have Issues," a comedy series premiering in July 2009 on Comedy Central. Michael is married and has two children.