Fred Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, musician, and writer. He is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. He also co-created and starred in the comedy series Portlander with Carrie Brownstein.

From 2014 to 2024, Arisen was the bandleader and drummer for the Late Night with Seth Meyers house band, the 8G Band. He has also voiced characters in animated movies and shows. Some of these include The Smurfs (2011), The Lego Ningbo Movie (2017), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

Arisen has acted in many comedy films and TV shows. He has appeared in 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He has won two Peabody Awards for his comedy. One was for Saturday Night Live, and the other was for Portlander.

Early Life and Background

Fred Armisen was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on December 4, 1966. His mother, Hildegard Mirabel Level, was a schoolteacher from Venezuela. His father, Freidan Herbert Armies’, worked for IBM. When Fred was a baby, the family moved to New York. He grew up in Valley Stream, New York.

He studied at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan but left college to become a rock drummer. Fred said he was inspired after seeing bands like the Clash and Devo on TV. Since childhood, he had dreamed of being a performer.

Fred’s mother was Venezuelan. His father was born in Germany to a German mother and a Korean father. For years, Fred thought his grandfather was Japanese. In fact, his grandfather, Masami Kuna, was Korean. Masami was a dancer and later taught dance in the U.S.

Music Journey

In 1984, Fred Armisen played drums in a band with his high school friends in New York. In 1988, he moved to Chicago. There, he played drums for the punk rock band Trench mouth. In the 1990s, he also played with Blue Man Group. Fred recorded drums on albums for other artists too. Some of them include Les Savvy Fav and Matthew Sweet. From 2014 to 2024, he was the music director and drummer for the 8G Band. This was the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers. In 2024, the band was cut due to budget changes. In 2018, Armies’ performed with Devo at a festival in California. He also played at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island in 2021.

Television and Film Roles

While playing in bands, Fred Armisen also became interested in acting. He wanted to be on TV. His first appearances were on shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In 2002, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. By 2004, he became a main cast member. Arisen also acted in comedy films. He had small but memorable roles in Eurogroup and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. From 2011 to 2014, he voiced Speedy Gonzales on The Looney Tunes Show.

He co-created the TV series Documentary Now! with Bill Hader and Seth Meyers. The show makes fun of famous documentaries. Armies’ also co-created and starred in Portland a with Carrie Brownstein. The series began in 2011 and became very popular. For Portland, he earned several Emmy Award nominations.

Saturday Night Live Highlights

Fred Armisen joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2002. He was a cast member for 11 years, leaving in 2013. He was one of the longest-serving cast members on the show. Since leaving, he has returned for many guest appearances, even hosting an episode in 2016.

On SNL, Fred was known for playing many funny characters and doing impressions of famous people.

Other Creative Work

Fred Armisen is part of Thundering, a comedy duo with Carrie Brownstein, guitarist of Seater-Kinney. Together, they create short comedy skits on many topics. Arisen has also directed music videos for bands. He appeared in the documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which is about the band Wilco. He has also voiced characters in video games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption. In 2015, he received the American Ingenuity Award for Performing Arts from Smithsonian magazine.

Personal Life

Fred Armisen was married to musician Sally Timms from 1998 to 2004. He later married actress Elisabeth Moss from 2009 to 2011. In 2022, he married comedian Rikki Lindholm. He has a close working friendship with his Portland co-star, Carrie Brownstein. Arisen has said their relationship is both intimate and functional. He is a big fan of punk rock music. He also enjoys black metal and death metal. Some of his favorite bands include Immortal and Deaf heaven. Fred Armies’ has also said that he is an atheist.