Steve Carell spent years in improv comedy at Chicago's Second City and as a correspondent on The Daily Show. He stole scenes in Bruce Almighty, but he wasn't a household name.
That changed in 2005, when he was 42. That year he became Michael Scott in NBC's The Office and starred in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which he co-wrote. Both were hits, and a supporting actor became a leading man almost overnight.