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I have to admit to spiraling into a deep depression after it was announced that Andy Samberg would be leaving Saturday Night Live. However, it looks as though I will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy Andy’s talents post-SNL, as he’s got enough films lined up this year to rival Nicholas Cage at his most ambitious. The first opportunity to gawk at Andy comes this weekend with the release of his film That’s My Boy. To amp up for it, I did a little research into what’s made Andy such a great comedic performer.  Here’s what I found…

David Andrew Samberg was born in Mill Valley, California, in 1978. His father was a photographer, and his mother was an elementary school teacher. As a kid, he snuck Saturday Night Live viewings behind his parents’ backs and quickly became obsessed. While in junior high, Andy teamed up with schoolmates Akiva “Kiv” Schaffer and Jorma “Jorm” Taccone to create live comedy skits. The threesome called themselves The Lonely Island.
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In high school, Andy was most interested in creative writing. He graduated in 1996 and went on to study at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After two years, he transferred to NYU, where he studied experimental film. While there, he also starred in the video for James Kochalka’s “Monkey vs. Robot.”
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Andy worked as a stand-up comedian in the years following college. Then, in 2005, the boys of The Lonely Island, who had continued to create together throughout the years, were asked to write portions of the MTV Movie Awards. Jimmy Fallon, the show’s host, was so impressed with them that he introduced them to SNL’s producer Lorne Michaels. Samberg was then asked to audition for Lorne.
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After his initial audition, Andy was called back for a second. He was then invited to join the cast, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream. Schaffer and Taccone were added to the SNL writing staff at the same time. Behind the scenes, the boys of The Lonely Island took the initiative to film a faux commercial, which they then presented to Lorne. The commercial became the first of SNL’s digital shorts, the most famous of which is “Dick in the Box.”
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Once Andy’s digital shorts blew up, so did his celebrity.  It’s been seven years since he first joined SNL, and I’m pretty sad to see him go.  Luckily, this looks to be just the first step in a very long, Adam-Sandler-sized career.  What do you think is in Andy’s future?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below!