Ed Helms

Edward Parker "Ed" Helms was born on 24 January 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia, as the youngest child of John A. Helms, who was a navy veteran, insurance executive and lawyer, and Pamela Ann, a school administrator.

He has two siblings, an older sister named Susan Carol Helms and a brother named John Paxton Helms.

At the age of 14, he underwent a major surgery to treat a severe case of heart murmur.

While pursuing high school at the Westminster Schools, he took up theatrical arts and played the guitar. Post his graduation in 1992, he enrolled at the Oberlin College in Ohio. Though he initially chose geology, he later graduated with a B.A degree in film theory and technology in 1996.

While at college, he got the opportunity to attend the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for a semester as part of a student exchange program. During this time he also learnt improv and singing from A capella group ‘The Obertones.’

After his graduation, Ed Helms shifted to New York City, where he began his career. He started as a writer and performed with the New York sketch comedy bands, simultaneously studying improv with the troupe ‘Upright Citizens Brigade’.

He later worked as a film editor trainee at a post production facility named ‘Crew Cuts’ in New York City. Simultaneously he used to record voice-over tracks that led him to getting work as a voice-over artist and later into acting.

He was performing standup comedy in New York when he got the opportunity to audition for the satirical news program ‘The Daily Hunt’. He got the part and was associated with the program as a correspondent between 2002 and 2006.

During this period, he contributed as host and ‘field reporter’ in various segments of the show such as ‘Mark Your Calendar’, ‘Digital Watch’ and ‘Ad Nauseam’. Though he left the show in 2006, he made occasional appearances later as well.

He made his feature film debut in 2004 with the improvisational comedy ‘Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story’. The film went on to win several awards.

Ed Helms is popularly known for his comic roles, including his role as a correspondent in the ‘The Daily show’ and Andy Bernard in television series ‘The Office’. His performance in ‘The Hangover’ movie trilogy also earned him much appreciation and recognition.