Nick Kroll Bio
Nicholas Kroll, known professionally as Nick Kroll, is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer born on June 5, 1978, in Rye, New York. He first gained wide recognition for playing Rodney Ruxin on the FX comedy series The League from 2009 to 2015, and he went on to create and star in the Comedy Central sketch series Kroll Show from 2013 to 2015. Kroll is also widely known for co-creating and voicing multiple characters on the animated Netflix series Big Mouth, and for his collaborations with John Mulaney as the character Gil Faizon on the Broadway and Netflix hit Oh, Hello.
Over the course of his career, Kroll has built a reputation for sharp character work, memorable voice performances, and a steady presence across television, film, and stand-up comedy. He continues to balance acting roles in major studio comedies with his own writing and producing projects.
Early Life and Background
Nicholas Kroll was born on June 5, 1978, in Rye, New York, and grew up as the youngest child in his family. He has a brother, Jeremy, and two sisters, Vanessa and Dana. His mother is Lynn Kroll, and his father is Jules Kroll, the billionaire businessman who founded the corporate investigations and risk consulting firm Kroll Inc. Kroll was raised in a Conservative Jewish household and attended the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester for his early education.
He continued his schooling at Rye Country Day School, and during this period he briefly attended The Mountain School in Vershire, Vermont, where he developed a lasting fondness for hiking. In 2001, Kroll graduated from Georgetown University, where he described himself as a history major who minored in art and Spanish while gravitating toward media studies over time.
Path to Comedy and Acting
Kroll began his professional path by contributing writing for Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show and MTV’s Human Giant, helping him sharpen the character-driven voice that would later define his work. He studied and performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City and Los Angeles, and co-hosted the stand-up show Welcome to Our Week with writer and comedian Jessi Klein. In 2005, Kroll co-published the book Bar Mitzvah Disco, written with Jules Shell and Roger Bennett, marking his first crossover into longer-form comedy writing.
His live act blended stand-up, sketch, and original characters, and in late 2008 he toured the United States with Aziz Ansari on the Glow in the Dark comedy tour. In 2011, Comedy Central aired his one-hour stand-up special Thank You Very Cool, which introduced broader audiences to his range as a stage performer.
Nick Kroll Career
Early Career (2004–2008)
Kroll’s first significant on-screen opportunity came when he co-starred in the ABC sitcom Cavemen, based on the popular Geico insurance commercial characters. Although the series was cancelled after just seven episodes, Kroll later described the experience as the most important of his professional career. He followed that with appearances on VH1’s Best Week Ever, which kept him visible while he continued developing characters such as Bobby Bottleservice, Ref Jeff, and Fabrice Fabrice for live shows and online outlets including Funny or Die.
He also began landing guest spots on scripted and comedic series, including Parks and Recreation, Community, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, New Girl, Reno 911!, John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, and The Benson Interruption, frequently appearing both as himself and in character. These early roles helped him transition from a writer’s room contributor into a recognizable on-camera performer.
Breakthrough (2009–2015)
Kroll’s true breakthrough arrived with the FX sitcom The League, in which he played the lovably petty fantasy football enthusiast Rodney Ruxin from October 29, 2009 to December 9, 2015. The series ran for seven seasons and turned Kroll into a leading comedy star on cable television. Around the same time, his characters Bobby Bottleservice, Gil Faizon, and George St. Geegland became internet favorites, with Gil Faizon developed alongside his writing partner John Mulaney.
In 2013, Kroll launched Kroll Show on Comedy Central, a sketch comedy series he created and starred in that ran from January 16, 2013 to March 24, 2015. His work on the show earned him the Breakout Star of the Year award at the 2013 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He also had a recurring role on Adult Swim’s Childrens Hospital, voiced characters on The Life & Times of Tim, Sit Down, Shut Up, and PBS Kids GO!’s WordGirl, and appeared as a roaster on the Comedy Central Roast of James Franco.
Kroll and Mulaney brought their characters Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland to Broadway in the show Oh, Hello, which premiered on September 23, 2016 and ran for six months to positive reviews. The Broadway performance was filmed and released on Netflix in 2017. On the film side, he built a résumé of supporting comedy roles, including parts in I Love You, Man, Get Him to the Greek, Date Night, Dinner for Schmucks, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, and Vacation, before taking on more dramatic work in Loving and Operation Finale.
Animated Work and Big Mouth Era (2016–2025)
In 2016, Kroll voiced his first animated villain role in the adult comedy film Sausage Party and later voiced the villainous Professor Poopypants in the DreamWorks animated superhero film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in 2017. He also voiced characters in animated hits including Sing, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Sing 2, The Bob’s Burgers Movie, and Smurfs, while acting in live-action films such as The House, How It Ends, First Time Female Director, and Red One.
In 2017, Kroll co-created, wrote, and starred in the Netflix animated series Big Mouth, which follows a group of seventh graders navigating puberty. Two of the central characters are based on Kroll and his childhood best friend Andrew Goldberg, and Kroll voices a wide range of roles including Nick, Coach Steve, Maurice the Hormone Monster, Lola, Rick the Hormone Monster, the Jansen twins, and Lady Liberty. He went on to co-create and star in the Big Mouth spin-off Human Resources from 2022 to 2023, and in 2023 he co-created and starred in the Hulu sketch comedy series History of the World, Part II.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across more than two decades, Nicholas Kroll has become one of the most versatile comedic performers in American entertainment, known for anchoring ensemble comedies, voicing major animated franchises, and creating original projects from the ground up. His work on The League, Kroll Show, Big Mouth, and Oh, Hello has cemented him as a defining voice of his generation of comedy.
Nick Kroll Award Nominations
Nicholas Kroll has received recognition from festivals and industry bodies throughout his career, including honors tied to the success of Kroll Show, Big Mouth, and his stand-up specials.
Nick Kroll Awards Won
Nicholas Kroll was honored with the Breakout Star of the Year award at the 2013 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal for his work on Kroll Show, a milestone that reflected his rapid rise in television comedy.
Nick Kroll Family
Nicholas Kroll is the son of Lynn Kroll and Jules Kroll, the founder of the corporate investigations and risk consulting firm Kroll Inc. He has a brother, Jeremy, and two sisters, Vanessa and Dana, and he was raised in a Conservative Jewish family in Rye, New York. His brother-in-law is journalist Roger Bennett, and through his wife he is related to fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra as a cousin-in-law.
Personal Life
Kroll previously dated comedian and actress Amy Poehler from May 2013 until they ended their relationship in 2015. He later met landscape artist Lily Kwong in 2018, and the couple married in November 2020. Their son was born in January 2021, and in November 2023 they announced the birth of their daughter.
