Michael Ian Black

By combining off-the-wall humor with dry, deadpan wit, Michael Ian Black (born Michael Schwartz) rose through the ranks of comedy following his debut on MTV's The State. Black joined the MTV show during its inaugural year in 1993, having recently left New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before graduation (a decision he would later mock on the standup comedy album I Am a Wonderful Man). Mixing sketch comedy with clips of popular alternative music, the series ran from 1993 to 1995, at which point it was sold to CBS and unceremoniously canned after a make-or-break Hall...