Brendan Hunt

Brendan Hunt was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on June 28, 1972. He completed his theater program at Illinois State University in 1996, where he also performed at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and participated in a master class with actress Judith Ivey. Following his university education, Hunt further honed his comedic skills by studying with The Second City in Chicago before moving to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, he joined the renowned Boom Chicago comedy troupe, where he established himself as a versatile writer and performer from 1998 to 2008. During his time with Boom Chicago, Hunt worked alongside notable talents such as Jason Sudeikis, Jordan Peele, and Seth Meyers. He served as the head writer for Comedy Central News (CCN), a satirical news program produced by Boom Chicago, and co-wrote and co-starred in two-man shows, “Iconic Yanks” with Seth Meyers and “Here Comes the Neighborhood” with Jordan Peele, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Upon returning to the United States, Hunt created “Five Years in Amsterdam,” a successful one-man show based on his experiences living in the Netherlands, which he performed at The Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2007, and other prominent venues. His theatrical career also includes joining the Sacred Fools Theater Company in 2007, where he won a Lead Actor in a Musical Ovation Award in 2010 for his role in “Savin’ Up for Saturday Night.” In 2013, Hunt wrote and starred in “Absolutely Filthy,” a dark comedy parody of the “Peanuts” comic strip, which earned multiple awards at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and FringeNYC, including Best Comedy and an acting award for Hunt. This period marked a significant expansion of his film and television work with roles in “We’re the Millers” (2013) and “Horrible Bosses 2” (2014), both featuring his former colleague Jason Sudeikis. He also contributed as a writer and performer to the Comedy Central series “Key & Peele,” receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2015 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.

A pivotal career development for Hunt was the co-creation of the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,” launched in 2020. He not only co-developed and wrote for the series but also became a regular cast member, playing the character Coach Beard. His work on “Ted Lasso” has garnered significant critical acclaim, including multiple Writers Guild of America Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. Additionally, Hunt has lent his voice to video games like “Fallout 4” (2015), playing DJ Travis, and has appeared in various commercials for brands such as GEICO, Skittles, Oscar Mayer, and Volkswagen. In 2023, he embarked on another solo show, “The Movement You Need,” which explores his life experiences in relation to The Beatles, further demonstrating his diverse talents as a performer and writer.