The second youngest of seven siblings, Dane Cook was born in Boston on March 18, 1972. He had an aptitude for drama in high school, but the self-described introvert ultimately gravitated toward the extroverted world of improvisational and stand-up comedy.

As an open-mic comedian, Cook developed a signature style that was frenzied and frenetic, spawning a string of popular specials on Comedy Central and best-selling comedy albums. He hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the first time in 2005 and increasingly became a regular on televised awards shows, including a co-hosting gig with Jessica Simpson at the Teen Choice Awards in 2006.

With good looks in his favor, Cook eventually added big-screen credits to his résumé. Notable films include Waiting... (2005), Employee of the Month (2006), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Dan in Real Life (2007) and My Best Friend's Girl (2008).