Improvisational theater or improv in short has paved the way to stardom for many celebrities. They used the skills that improv taught them to advance professionally. Some use improv on sets. Many times, some of the funniest moments in TV shows and comedies aren't scripted, but improvised.
Celebrities who started out in improv tend to have a lot in common. Some performed in the same improvisational troupes, such us The Groundlings and Second City. From Chicago to LA, improv classes exist everywhere! Some A-listers actually met each other or their spouses through improvisational theater and have therefore worked on a lot of projects together in the future.
10 Ryan Reynolds
It shouldn't come as a surprise that this relatable and incredibly likable celebrity dabbled in improv. After all, he has proven time and time again that he's really funny and has come up with quite a few of his most famous Deadpool lines on the spot. Ryan Reynolds also founded his very own improv group, called Yellow Snow.
9 Adam DeVine
Adam DeVine decided he wanted to be an actor and a comedian, so he moved to LA and started working tirelessly to make his dreams come true. He went to Hollywood Improv, looking for a job, but they wouldn't take him. The Modern Family start wouldn't take no for an answer, though. Eventually, he got in and attended improv classes. Those undoubtedly came in handy while working on Workaholics.
8 Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper's love for improv dates back to her high school years when she first started dabbling in theater. Her drama teacher was no other than Jon Hamm, the Mad Men star. Later, she attended Princeton University and was a member of an improv comedy troupe, called Quipfire!.
Improv was a part of the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star's life after graduating, too. In New York City, she was a member of two improvisational theaters. After doing so much improvisation, acting in TV shows must've felt like a piece of cake for this immensely talented lady.
7 Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy was a member of one of the most famous improv groups in the country, The Groundlings. It's how her career started: doing improvisational comedy and stand up. It wasn't easy, though. Before finally landing her first big TV role on Gilmore Girls, Melissa McCarthy almost gave up on acting.
Luckily for the world, she finally got her lucky break. She still uses her improv talents to this day. According to ScreenRant, she came up with one of the most famous and hilarious lines in Bridesmaids on the spot.
6 Kristen Wiig
Before she made it big on SNL, Kristen Wiig was performing with the already mentioned LA troupe, The Groundlings. Among her greatest achievements in show business are writing and starring in Bridesmaids (2011) and lending her voice to the Despicable Me franchise.
5 Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert first got involved with theater in hopes to become a dramatic actor, not a comedian. But then, he fell in love with improv and soon started performing with the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago.
Colbert didn't initially intend to become a comedian, but today, he is one of the most famous and funniest hosts on television. And it's all thanks to improv.
4 Tina Fey
Tina Fey joined Chicago's Second City improvisational troupe in the early 1990s and that's also where she met her husband, Jeff Richmond. Later, she joined SNL and soon became the show's first female head writer.
If it wasn't for the art of improvisational comedy, Fey probably wouldn't have been married to her husband nor would she know her friend and collaborator, Amy Poehler.
3 Steve Carell
While studying history at Ohio's Danison University, Carell first encountered improvisational comedy. It changed his life forever. He soon started studying it at Second City and with time, also taught classes himself. Just like Fey, he is also married to a fellow improv enthusiast, Nancy Carell.
Carell used his knowledge of improvisational theater on the set of The Office, too. The infamous scene in which Michael (played by Carell) kisses Oscar (Oscar Nuñez) was actually not scripted, but improvised on the spot. Even Nuñez didn't see it coming!
2 Amy Poehler
Tina Fey's beloved friend Amy Poehler is an absolute queen of improvisational comedy as well! Not only did she study it profusely in Chicago's ImprovOlympics, she also founded her very own troupe, called Upright Citizens Brigade. While many actors just enjoyed improv as a side gig, this particular form of theater dramatically affected Poehler's life. Without it, she wouldn't be the comedy giant she is today.
1 Will Ferrell
After moving to LA in hopes to make it big there, Will started pursuing a career in comedy. It took some time for him to develop the skills due to which he later on successfully joined The Groundlings.
Today, Ferrell is one of the biggest comedy actors in the entire industry. He hasn't forgotten what he had learned from improv. Quite on the contrary: he still likes to improvise while on the set.
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