David Cross Biography Quotes 24 Report mistakes

Early Life and Background
David Cross was born on April 4, 1964, in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in and around the Atlanta area before striking out on his own as a teenager. Drawn early to satire and stand-up, he moved north to pursue comedy, spending formative years in Boston, where he immersed himself in open mics and experimental sketch shows. He briefly tried college before committing fully to performing, developing a voice that combined sharp political critique, social observation, and absurdist detours.

Starting Out in Stand-Up
In Boston, Cross helped form a local sketch-and-stand-up ensemble called Cross Comedy, which staged fast-paced shows that highlighted his taste for layered premises and left-of-center punchlines. The troupe sharpened his instincts as a writer and performer and connected him with like-minded talents. That collaborative ethic and willingness to push boundaries would soon define his national breakthrough.

The Ben Stiller Show and Writing Breakthrough
Cross's first major television credit came as a writer and performer on The Ben Stiller Show in 1992. Working alongside Ben Stiller, Bob Odenkirk, Janeane Garofalo, and Andy Dick, he contributed to a program that became a touchstone for 1990s sketch comedy. Though short-lived, the series won an Emmy for writing, and the writers' room forged relationships that shaped his career. His collaboration with Odenkirk, in particular, proved essential, as the pair shared a sensibility that valued intricate setups, satirical targets, and the freedom to let sketches collide into one another.

Mr. Show with Bob and David
In 1995, Cross and Bob Odenkirk co-created Mr. Show with Bob and David for HBO, a series that quickly became a cult classic. Mr. Show layered sketches into sweeping episodes, linking ideas and characters in a way that rewarded close attention. The cast and writers included John Ennis, Jill Talley, Jay Johnston, Paul F. Tompkins, and others, with guest appearances from performers like Sarah Silverman and Tom Kenny. The show's irreverence and formal playfulness influenced a generation of comedians and sketch writers. Although it did not dominate ratings, it built a loyal following and earned critical praise, cementing Cross's reputation as a fearless satirist. Years later, the spirit of the show returned in the Netflix limited series W/ Bob & David, reuniting Cross, Odenkirk, and their creative cohort.

Arrested Development and Mainstream Recognition
Cross achieved wider recognition with Arrested Development, the ensemble sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. As Tobias Funke, he crafted one of television's most memorable comic characters: a hapless, enthusiastic therapist-turned-actor whose earnestness collided with the show's intricate farce. Working alongside Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, Jeffrey Tambor, and narrator and producer Ron Howard, Cross helped bring to life a densely layered series that rewarded rewatching and became an enduring favorite. The role connected him with audiences beyond the alt-comedy world while preserving his offbeat sensibility.

Film, Voice Work, and Guest Roles
Even as television became a mainstay, Cross built a varied film and voice-acting career. He appeared in Men in Black and its sequel, contributed a gleefully over-the-top turn in Scary Movie 2, and joined the acclaimed ensemble of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. As a voice actor, he brought a distinctive tone to animation, most notably as Crane in the Kung Fu Panda films. He also took a visible role in family blockbusters, playing the smarmy music executive Ian Hawke in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, a recurring foil whose slick energy gave him a different kind of mainstream visibility. These choices demonstrated his range, moving from art-house fare to broad comedy while remaining unmistakably himself.

Stand-Up, Albums, and Writing
Throughout his screen work, Cross continued to tour as a stand-up. His albums and specials have showcased a pointed, sometimes confrontational style that runs on moral urgency and comedic misdirection. Shut Up, You Fucking Baby! earned a Grammy nomination and was followed by releases such as It's Not Funny and Bigger and Blackerer, each reflecting his interest in politics, culture, and the everyday absurdities of American life. In 2009 he collected essays in I Drink for a Reason, a book that extended his stage persona onto the page, blending memoir-like reflections with takedowns of hypocrisy and cant. His tours often highlight a willingness to test audiences, probing hot-button issues with a mix of incredulity and invention that has remained a hallmark since his earliest club sets.

Creator and Showrunner Projects
Cross has also built shows from the ground up. He co-created the animated series Freak Show with H. Jon Benjamin, applying his alterna-comedy worldview to an ensemble of misfit superheroes in a satirical setting. On the live-action side, he created and starred in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, a cringe-comedy about an American sales rep disastrously out of his depth in the U.K. The series featured Sharon Horgan and Will Arnett, whose performances complemented Cross's portrait of bluster, insecurity, and escalating chaos. These projects emphasized his long-standing commitment to authorship: not merely appearing in comedy, but shaping its premises, tone, and structure.

Collaborators and Community
The breadth of Cross's career is reflected in the people around him. With Bob Odenkirk he forged one of modern sketch comedy's defining partnerships, while the Mr. Show ensemble created a shared language that influenced countless writers and performers. On Arrested Development, working with Mitchell Hurwitz and a cast that included Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, and Jeffrey Tambor embedded him in a landmark sitcom whose intricate writing and ensemble timing set a high bar. Collaborations with H. Jon Benjamin, Sharon Horgan, and a rotating set of stand-up peers and guest stars have kept him connected to comedy communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Personal Life
Outside of work, Cross married actor and poet Amber Tamblyn in 2012. Their partnership, often noted by fans of both performers, has included occasional creative intersections and public appearances while maintaining separate, robust careers. They later welcomed a daughter, adding a family dimension that Cross has sometimes touched upon in interviews and on stage, framing personal anecdotes with the same dry candor that marks his comedy.

Style, Themes, and Influence
Cross's comedy blends caustic social critique with an eye for the ridiculous, often confronting political orthodoxies and cultural trends. He can pivot from precise observations to elaborate bit construction, treating language itself as a target for deconstruction and play. This approach, seen in the spiraling narratives of Mr. Show sketches and the elaborate double-binds faced by Tobias Funke, has inspired comics who value both structure and surprise. His readiness to challenge audiences has sometimes sparked debate, but it has also sustained a career built on risk, curiosity, and a refusal to soften his angles for easy consensus.

Ongoing Work and Legacy
Across stand-up stages, television writers' rooms, and film sets, David Cross has remained a restless presence, returning to touring while continuing to act and develop projects. The continuity among his collaborators, from Bob Odenkirk and the Mr. Show ensemble to Mitchell Hurwitz and the Arrested Development cast, underlines the role of community in his success. At the same time, his individual output as a writer and performer has carved a distinct space in American comedy. Whether voicing an animated crane, skewering a cultural fad in a monologue, or embodying a uniquely hopeful bumbler in Tobias Funke, Cross has left a mark that connects the alt-comedy eruptions of the 1990s to the current landscape of adventurous, creator-driven television and stand-up.

Our collection contains 24 quotes who is written by David, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Wisdom - Music - Friendship - Funny.

Other people realated to David: Robert Fripp (Musician), Jack Black (Actor), Bill Bruford (Musician), Sarah Silverman (Comedian), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Actress), Jamie Muir (Musician)

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