Fred Armisen Movies and Career Information

Fred Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Armisen was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and moved to Manhattan, New York City as a baby. He was raised in Valley Stream, New York, on Long Island. His mother is of Venezuelan descent and his father is of German and Japanese ancestry. He attended the School of Visual Arts (NYC) before dropping out to begin a career as a rock drummer. Armisen began his career in 1988 when he moved from New York to Chicago to play drums for the punk rock band Trenchmouth. In the 1990s, he played background drums with the Blue Man Group in Chicago. He plays drums on three tracks on Les Savy Fav's 2007 album Let's Stay Friends. While playing with the band Trenchmouth, Armisen's interests switched to acting. In a January 2006 interview, he said, "I wanted to be on TV somehow. For some reason, I always thought it would be an indirect route; I didn't know that it would be comedy and Saturday Night Live. I just wanted to do something with performing that would lead me there." Armisen's subsequent television work, such as some "memorable Andy Kaufman-esque