William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian-American actor, voice actor, comedian, and producer, known for his distinctive husky voice. He is best known for his television roles as G.O.B. in the Fox/Netflix sitcom Arrested Development (2003–2019) and Chris Brinkley in the NBC sitcom Up All Night (2011–2012). He is also well-known for voicing the Lone Gunslinger and Vlad Vladikoff in Blue Sky's Ice Age: The Meltdown and Horton Hears a Who! (respectively), the Missing Link in DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens, Batman in The LEGO Movie franchise, and Surly in The Nut Job and its 2017 sequel. Additionally, he played Vernon Fenwick in the 2014 Paramount/Nickelodeon live-action film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2016 sequel, as well as voiced the titular character of the Netflix adult animated black comedy-drama series BoJack Horseman.
For Disney, he voiced Horst in Disney/Pixar's 2007 film Ratatouille and Pod Clock in the English dub of Studio Ghibli's The Secret World of Arrietty. He also voiced Ryder in the Wander Over Yonder season finale episode entitled "The Rider". Additionally, he played Kip Killian in the 2009 spy-fi comedy film G-Force, Antonio/"Anthony" in the 2010 Touchstone Pictures film When in Rome, and Ghost Host/The Great MacGuffin in the 2021 Disney+ film Muppets Haunted Mansion. He also voiced Sweet Pete in the 2022 hybrid film Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers.
Arnett was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Edith Alexandra "Alix" (Palk) and Emerson James "Jim" Arnett, who was a corporate lawyer and brewer, among other occupations. His parents were originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and he has roots on both sides of his family, going back many generations. Arnett has two older sisters and a younger brother. His father, a graduate of Harvard University and a corporate lawyer, served as the president and CEO of Molson Breweries from 1997 to 2000.
Arnett briefly attended Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario, but was asked not to return after a semester for being a troublemaker. He eventually graduated from Leaside High School and attended Concordia University, Montreal for one semester, but dropped out. As a teenager, he was encouraged by his mother to pursue an acting career. He auditioned for commercials in Toronto and enjoyed acting. In 1990, he moved to New York City to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. As mentioned on the SmartLess podcast, Arnett is an avid hockey fan and workout enthusiast, known to often boast about his "Pro Dumper" and ability to bench press as much as 165 pounds.
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