Short Biography

David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, and actor. Cross was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Susi, a computer retailer.[1] Six months later, Cross` family moved to Florida. After additional moves to New York and Connecticut, the family settled back in Atlanta, where Cross remained for nearly a decade. Little is known about Cross` father, but he has referred to him as something of "a con man"; at age 15, his father pawned all of David`s personal possessions, most of which he received at his bar mitzvah. Cross has been estranged from his father since age 19, although they both currently reside in New York City. He attended Northside High School of the Performing Arts (now North Atlanta High School), from which he graduated in 1982. Cross was elected treasurer of his senior class and was voted "Most Humorous" by his classmates. He began performing stand-up comedy at 17. The day after he graduated from high school, Cross went to New York. Lacking a plan, he drifted around, working briefly for a lawn care company in Long Island, and later enrolled at Emerson College in Boston. He would drop out after only a semester, but during his time there he discovered his new favorite things: partying and sketch comedy. Cross joined This is Pathetic, a college sketch group, where he met John Ennis. In the summer of 1985, the two aspiring actors took a road trip to Los Angeles, although this did not significantly further their acting careers. In Boston, Cross began to perform stand-up more regularly. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Boston had a booming comedy scene, although Cross did not fit the types of acts being booked most of the time. He recalls that it was "a loud, dumb, pandering, racist, homophobic type scene".

Cross began his professional television career as a writer on The Ben Stiller Show. The short-lived Fox Network series hired him toward the end of its run, and he occasionally made brief appearances in the sketches. He had a speaking role in "The Legend of T.J. O`Pootertoot", a sketch written almost entirely by Cross. It was during this period that he first met Bob Odenkirk, with whom he would later co-create the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show in 1995. Cross won an Emmy for his work on The Ben Stiller Show in 1993. Cross later co-starred as Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development, which was originally intended to be only a minor role. He has also played smaller roles on programs such as Just Shoot Me!, The Drew Carey Show, NewsRadio, and Strangers with Candy.

Cross is an atheist of Jewish descent. Cross has criticized Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton, calling him "pretentious." Lipton would later appear alongside Cross in Arrested Development in the recurring role of Warden Stefan Gentles where Cross later apologized and the two became good friends. On one commentary track for season four of Mr. Show, Cross discussed the encounter, complimenting Lipton for his professionalism and performance but maintaining his criticism of Lipton`s show for its depiction of celebrities

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