Steve Carell is most famous for his role as Michael Scott on NBC's The Office. The iconic character will most definitely be what he is always be remembered for. He has done a lot of projects since playing that character the fans are well aware of and have surely seen, but what about his life before The Office?

Carell's pre-Michael Scott days aren't as well known. He landed the role on this American sitcom at the age of 42. What exactly was he doing all the years before that? The truth is, Carell was an entertainer far before he got cast as the world's best boss. He just wasn't well known for a while.

Before The Office, Carell went to college, did improv, acted in commercials, auditioned for SNL, and fell in love with his wife, Nancy. It's hard to believe the man had a life before Michael, but he surely did.

Updated on May 5, 2023: Steve Carell has had a busy few years. In 2021, he starred in the series The Morning Show alongside Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston and Netflix's Space Force. Last year he continued the Netflix series, as well as a new show called The Patient and the movie Minions: The Rise of Gru.

As of now, Carell has three projects in the making. One will be a film from the Despicable Me franchise releasing in 2024, another movie is Imaginary Friends, which is also releasing next year, and the last is coming out later this year, a film called Asteroid City.

8 Steve Carell Went To Denison University

Steve Carell smiling on the red carpet
Via: Instar

Steve Carell graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from Denison University in 1984. He grew up in Acton, Massachusetts, and moved to Granville, Ohio for college. It's the same university that his friend and film co-star Jennifer Garner attended, though not at the same time.

Carell spent four years as the goalie for the school's ice hockey team and was also a member of the university's improv comedy troupe. Yep, those ice skating skills Carell demonstrated on The Office go back to his college days as an ice hockey goalie.

7 Steve Carell Studied At Second City In Chicago

steve carell snl
via YouTube

According to Second City's website, Carell spent nearly ten years in Chicago studying and teaching improv there. Who knew that he had so much training under his belt long before he got the role of Michael Scott?

Needless to say, Carell is a bit better at improv than his fictional character. The actor spent his time at Second City alongside now-famous stars such as Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Jackie Hoffman.

Related: Fans Agreed This Was The Single Most Annoying Plotline In The Office

6 When Was Steve Carell's Film Debut?

Marisa Tomei, Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone
Via: Instar

Carell had a very brief appearance in the movie Curly Sue; he was basically a featured extra. He played a waiter named Tesio in the opening scene. The film was released in 1991 when Carell was 29. It was his first film role. With such a small part, it is hard to believe he would end up one of the biggest comedic stars in Hollywood, but hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere.

5 Steve Carell Fell In Love With His Wife, Nancy

Via: Instar

Carell met his wife, Nancy Walls, while at Second City in Chicago. She was actually a student in one of the classes that he taught there. She worked as a bartender at a bar that Carell would frequent, and the two hit it off.

It took some time for them to start a relationship, though, because they were both very shy and neither would make the first move. The two eventually got together and were married in 1995.

Related: What The Office Cast Really Thought Of Mindy Kaling And B.J Novak's Behind The Scenes Relationship

4 Steve Carell's Wife Worked at SNL

Steve Carell and Nancy SNL
Via: YouTube

Walls worked on Saturday Night Live for the 1995-1996 season. After that, she wanted to start a family and have children, so Carell and his wife made the move to Los Angeles. Carell would later go on to host a few episodes of SNL over the years, funnily enough.

His wife even made an appearance during one of his monologues. Carell made a joke in one of his monologues that he once auditioned for SNL but later tweeted that it wasn't true and just a part of a joke. Carell would have been awesome as an SNL cast member, that's for sure.

3 Steve Carell Got Noticed In The Film Bruce Almighty

Steve Carell Bruce Almighty
Via: Universal Studios

Steve Carell's first notable film role before The Office was the role of the anchorman in Bruce Almighty. He had one scene that was a very memorable one, as Jim Carrey's character used his superpowers as God to make Carell's character, Evan, speak a bunch of gibberish.

Carell was brilliant in the scene, and it got him noticed for his excellent and hilarious work. His character became so popular that they gave him his own movie in a spin-off, Evan Almighty.

Related: Rainn Wilson Could've Starred In Arrested Development Instead Of The Office If It Weren't For A Terribly 'Awkward' Audition

2 How Many Kids Does Steve Carell Have?

steve carell and kristen wiig
via YouTube

Before he dove into the character of Michael Scott, Carell and Walls had a daughter together. Elisabeth Anne was born in 2001. Shortly after he got the role on The Office, they had their son, John, who was born in 2004.

The pilot episode of The Office was filmed that same year in February. Carell told ET in 2017 that his kids haven't really watched anything he has done, including The Office. He said that to them, he is just "dad," and they aren't very impressed by him. Sounds so silly, right?

1 Steve Carell Did A Sitcom Right Before The Office

Steve Carell
Via: NBC

Before he was offered a role on The Office, Carell was tied to another sitcom called Come to Papa and wasn't able to commit to another series. Luckily for the producers on The Office, that sitcom he was working with ended up being a flop and inevitably got canceled.

Producers desperately wanted him for the role of Michael, and he was able to take the job. If Carell's other show hadn't been canceled, Bob Odenkirk would have been cast in the role of Best Boss.