Posts Tagged ‘rob corddry’

Rob Corddry has been busy.  He co-stars in the soon to be released comedies Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (June) and Butter (October). He’s starring in the zombie film Warm Bodies (February 2013). His hit comedy series Children’s Hospital begins its fourth season this summer and he’s also reprising his role as Alan Connor in the season finale of NBC’s Community.  And in no signs of slowing down, Corddry is also in discussions to join Mark Walhburg and Ed Harris in Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain, a film based on the true story of a group of body builders who go on a spree of kidnapping, extortion and murder.

Corddry, 41, was born and raised in Weymouth, MA. (His younger brother Nate Corddry is also an actor). After graduating high school, he enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, planning to major in journalism. He very quickly changed his major to English and by his sophomore year he was hooked on drama and the theater. He appeared in several plays, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Torch Song Trilogy and Reckless. He graduated from UMass in 1993 and by January of 1994 was heading to New York City.

He landed a job with the National Shakespeare Company for a year long tour but eventually gravitated towards comedy, training in improve at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. His association with the theater led to his appearances on Comedy Central in Upright Citizens Brigadefrom 1998-2000.

In 2002, Corddry joined the Daily Show, quickly becoming one of its most popular correspondents.  In February of 2006, he hosted an episode of the show, filling in for Jon Stewart. He stayed with the show until August 2006, and has since returned for several guest appearances.

After leaving the Daily Show, Corddry worked on the 2007 television series The Winner. He has also built up quite a number of film appearances. The Heartbreak Kid, Blades of Glory, What Happens in Vegas, The Winning Season , Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay,  and perhaps his best known film role, Hot Tub Time Machine are just a few of the over dozen movies Corddry has worked on.

He and his wife Sandra, who appeared in a January 2006 Daily Show segment with him, have two daughters, Sloane Sullivan and Marlo Stevenson.

Should someone in the New England area have an interest in getting a solid education in acting, directing, or other components of the industry, two of the first places to look would be the Boston and Amherst campuses of the University of Massachusetts (UMass).  Both programs give you a systematic study of modern theater and its many aspects, while imparting lifelong learning skills in creative problem-solving, effective teamwork, and how to succeed in your area of expertise.

The Boston campus has a Performing Arts Department which focuses on music and dance as well as theater, all of which have different career paths to specialize in. There are internships, a fall festival of student plays, and the chance to compete in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, among numerous other opportunities.

The Amherst campus has both undergraduate and graduate programs in its Department of Theater.  According to their website, the campus’s theater department offers a “broad-based training program that emphasizes collaboration and mentoring. Broad-based training teaches students a shared vocabulary and instills a mutual respect, better enabling them to collaborate and to create exciting theater.”

Famous guests go hand-in-hand with intensive connections between students and faculty.  Former students of UMass Amherst include actors Bill Pullman, Jeffrey Donovan, Richard Gere, Marissa Matrone, and Rob Corddry.  All auditions for the school’s major productions are open to the general public as well as students.

With such high quality programs offered, these two UMass campuses are first-rate destinations for anyone in New England seeking an education regarding the industry.