How Many Kids Does Will Arnett Have?

The Short Answer

Will Arnett is 56 years old — born on May 4, 1970. That makes Will Arnett one of the most-searched public figures for age-related questions, with fans regularly looking up birthday and family details.

Will Arnett: Early Life and Background

William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom Arrested Development (2003–2019) and the titular character in the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020). He has received nominations for seven Primetime Emmy Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

On television, Arnett is also known for his Emmy-nominated recurring role as Devon Banks in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2007–2013). He has also acted in films such as Hot Rod (2007), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro (2008), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), Is This Thing On? (2025), and Behemoth! (2026). Known for his deep baritone voice, his voice roles include Ratatouille (2007), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Despicable Me (2010), The Lego Movie franchise (2014–2019), Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018), Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022), and Twisted Metal (2023–).

From 2020 to 2025, he hosted the Fox reality series Lego Masters. Arnett co-hosts the comedy podcast SmartLess (2020–) alongside Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman.

Career and Rise to Fame

Early life

Arnett was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Edith Alexandra "Alix" (née Palk) and Emerson James "Jim" Arnett, who was a corporate lawyer and brewer, among other occupations. His parents were originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and he has roots on both sides of his family in Manitoba going back many generations. Arnett has older twin sisters and a younger brother. His father, a graduate of Harvard University, served as the president and CEO of Molson Breweries from 1997 to 2000.

His mother is the cousin of noted Canadian stage actress Nancy Palk.

Arnett briefly attended Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario, but was asked not to return after a semester for being a troublemaker. The Subway Academy II allowed him to take theatre classes at the Tarragon Theatre. He eventually graduated from Leaside High School and attended Concordia University, Montreal, for a semester but dropped out. As a teenager, he was encouraged by his mother to pursue an acting career. He auditioned for commercials in Toronto and enjoyed acting. In 1990, he moved to New York City to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He appeared in plays in New York, and his first screen role was in Felicity Huffman's independent film Erie, which was filmed on the Erie Canal. As mentioned on the SmartLess podcast, Arnett is an avid hockey fan and workout enthusiast, known to often boast about his "Pro Dumper" and ability to bench press as much as 165 pounds.

Age and Birthday Details

Will Arnett was born on May 4, 1970.

As of 2026, Will Arnett is 56 years old.

Birthday milestones for public figures like Will Arnett routinely trend on social media, which is why "how old is" questions generate such consistent search demand.

Personal Life and Family

In 1994, Arnett was one of the hosts of the weekend-long Pay-Per-View event for Woodstock '94, his first television appearance.

1996–2002: Rise to prominence

In February 1996, Arnett made his first television pilot with Kevin Pollak and Pollak's wife Lucy Webb for CBS; it was not picked up. In 1999 he appeared in season 2 episode 12 of Sex and the City as Miranda's love interest. Also in 1999, Arnett was in another pilot for The Mike O'Malley Show on NBC as the protagonist's friend Jimmy. The show was picked up, but it was cancelled after two episodes. Arnett has referred to 2000, the year after that show was cancelled, as "the darkest year of [his] life", and he admits that he "didn't get a lot of work" and "drank those years away". In summer 2000, a friend helped pull Arnett out of his battle with alcoholism, and he began to get his career back on track. In 2001, Arnett was cast in the CBS television pilot, Loomis as the slacker brother of a local news reporter (Cheri Oteri), that was not picked up. In 2002, Arnett was cast in a fourth television pilot which was for the CBS sitcom Still Standing, which was picked up and ran for several seasons, but his character was cut from the series after the pilot. Arnett became so frustrated, after his fourth failed pilot, that he "swore off pilots" altogether, until his agent persuaded him to audition for the pilot for Arrested Development. In 2002, prior to Arrested Development, Arnett guest-starred in The Sopranos and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

2003–2013: Arrested Development and sitcom roles

Recent Years

In 2003, Arnett found mainstream success in television when he played George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development and in 2006 he was nominated for his first Emmy. The show was cancelled after three seasons due to low ratings, despite its critical acclaim and cult following. (He played Max the Magician in Sesame Street, in a nod to Gob Bluth's penchant for using Europe's "The Final Countdown" during his magic shows.) According to a 2006 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Arnett's two favourite episodes of the show were "Pier Pressure" and "Afternoon Delight". His exposure on Arrested Development led to a number of larger roles in feature films. Though having worked in drama, his role for Arrested Development is still comedy, and he often portrays smug antagonists. He "never considered himself a comic" and considers himself an "actor first". In 2006, Arnett starred in his first leading role in Let's Go to Prison, directed by Bob Odenkirk. It earned more than US$4 million at the box office and more than US$13 million in rentals. In Blades of Glory, Arnett and his then-wife Amy Poehler played brother/sister ice-skating pair with an incestuous relationship. The film was No. 1 at the U.S. box office during its first two weeks, and grossed approximately US$118 million domestically during its theatrical run. and US$36 million on home video. He guest-starred in King of the Hill and 30 Rock; in the latter, he played the recurring role of Devon Banks, Jack Donaghy's archnemesis, for which he was nominated for four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

Arnett's distinctive gravelly voice has earned him voice-over work for CBS television promos, film trailers and numerous advertisements, including Lamisil medication. Perhaps most recognizable is Arnett's voice saying, "It's not more than you need, just more than you're used to" in ads for GMC trucks. He has lent his voice to a number of television shows, such as Ghost Writer in the 2005 Nickelodeon's series Danny Phantom, Duncan Schiesst for the Comedy Central animated program Freak Show, which was created by and stars the voice of his Arrested Development co-star David Cross. Arnett was the announcer for the faux trailer "Don't" in the 2007 film Grindhouse, and became announcer for Cartoon Network in October 2008 during its "Noods" era, replacing Greg Cipes. He has voiced characters in animated films, including Vlad in Horton Hears a Who!, The Missing Link in Monsters vs. Aliens, Horst the German sous-chef in Ratatouille, and Mr. Perkins in Despicable Me. He planned to be the voice of the K.I.T.T. in Universal's Knight Rider, a sequel to the popular 1980s television series. The production featured a Ford Mustang as K.I.T.T. Since Arnett had a previous long standing relationship with competitor automaker General Motors as the voice for GMC Trucks commercials, GM asked Arnett to pull out of the project. Arnett opted to withdraw from the project and he was replaced by Val Kilmer. Arnett made a commercial cameo for the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

In 2009, he voiced the title character in Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, a video game developed by Vicious Cycle Software and starred as an out of work former video game protagonist hoping to make a comeback, versus a greedy game executive played by Neil Patrick Harris. In the Fox animated comedy series Sit Down, Shut Up, he voiced Ennis Hofftard, a bodybuilder who teaches English and always attempts to chase women. The show premiered on April 19, 2009, but was eventually cancelled after several months due to poor ratings. It aired its last episode on November 21, 2009.

Arnett played supporting roles in the films Spring Breakdown, Hot Rod, The Comebacks, and On Broadway, where he once again worked with his close friend and director Dave McLaughlin. In The Brothers Solomon, he again teamed with Odenkirk and starred with Saturday Night Live member Will Forte. He appeared in a major supporting role in the basketball comedy Semi-Pro, his second film with Ferrell. He plays Lou Redwood, the commentator of the team, who...

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