Bill Hader

Hader married filmmaker and writer Maggie Carey in 2006. The couple had three daughters together, Hannah Kathryn, Harper, and Hayley, before divorcing in 2018. Following his divorce, Hader dated actresses Rachel Bilson and Anna Kendrick, and was in an on-and-off relationship with comedian Ali Wong from late 2022 until their amicable separation in January 2026.

Throughout his career, Hader has spoken openly about living with an anxiety disorder and experiencing migraines. During his early years on Saturday Night Live, he frequently dealt with severe performance anxiety and sleep deprivation before live broadcasts, which once culminated in a live on-air panic attack during a 2010 sketch. He also manages a severe peanut allergy.

In a 2016 appearance on the PBS genealogy program Finding Your Roots, historical research revealed that Hader is a direct descendant of King Edward I of England as well as Charlemagne.

William Thomas Hader Jr. was born on June 7, 1978, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to dance teacher Sherri Renee and William Thomas Hader, an air cargo company manager and occasional stand-up comedian. Raised alongside two younger sisters, Katie and Kara, Hader found school challenging and spent much of his youth reading, watching classic cinema, and making short films with friends. After attending Cascia Hall Preparatory School, he pursued college studies at The Art Institute of Phoenix and Scottsdale Community College.

Hader moved to Los Angeles in 1999 with ambitions of working behind the camera. He spent several years working long hours as a production assistant on feature films such as Spider-Man, Collateral Damage, and The Scorpion King, as well as reality television programs like The Surreal Life. Frustrated by the lack of creative growth, he transitioned to night-shift assistant editing and began taking improvisational classes at The Second City in 2003.

While performing with the sketch group Animals From The Future in small backyard venues around Van Nuys, Hader caught the attention of actress Megan Mullally. Impressed by his talent, Mullally recommended him directly to Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, earning Hader an audition in New York.

Hader joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in October 2005. He quickly earned a reputation as one of the ensemble's most versatile performers, building on a wide range of impressions including Vincent Price, Al Pacino, Keith Morrison, and James Carville. In 2012, he became the first male cast member since Eddie Murphy in 1986 to receive a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

His most iconic character on the show was Stefon, the eccentric New York City nightlife correspondent on Weekend Update. Co-created with staff writer John Mulaney, Stefon became a cultural phenomenon known for recommending bizarre, fictional clubs. Hader departed the sketch show in May 2013 after eight seasons to spend more time with his family in Los Angeles.

Hader expanded into cinema with supporting comedic roles in Judd Apatow productions and associated comedies, including Knocked Up, Hot Rod, Pineapple Express, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. His breakthrough feature role came as Officer Slater opposite Seth Rogen in the 2007 hit Superbad. He later took on leading dramatic and romantic roles, starring alongside Kristen Wiig in the Sundance drama The Skeleton Twins in 2014, co-starring with Amy Schumer in Trainwreck in 2015, and playing the adult Richie Tozier in It Chapter Two in 2019.

Parallel to his live-action work, Hader built an extensive voice-acting resume. He voiced the lead role of inventor Flint Lockwood in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and its 2013 sequel, played Fear in Pixar's Inside Out (2015), and contributed vocal work to The Angry Birds Movie series. Along with Ben Schwartz, he served as a vocal consultant creating the voice of the droid BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). On television, he joined the writing staff and voice cast of South Park, earning a Primetime Emmy Award as a producer in 2009.

In 2018, Hader co-created the HBO dark comedy series Barry alongside Alec Berg, starring as the title character Barry Berkman, a depressed Midwestern hitman who travels to Los Angeles for a contract and discovers a passion for acting. In addition to starring, Hader wrote, produced, and directed numerous episodes across its four seasons.

Barry received widespread critical praise, earning Hader two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2018 and 2019, as well as multiple Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series. Following the conclusion of Barry in 2023, Hader moved forward with his feature directorial debut, writing, directing, and starring in the horror film They Know.