Bob Odenkirk and Steve Odenkirk are both successful actors, comedians, and filmmakers, who have worked on some of the most popular and acclaimed shows and movies in the entertainment industry. But are they related by blood or by comedy? The answer might surprise you.
Contents
Bob Odenkirk: From Mr. Show to Better Call Saul
Bob Odenkirk was born in 1962 in Berwyn, Illinois, and grew up in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago. He is the second oldest of seven siblings, and his parents were Catholics of German and Irish descent. His father, Walter, worked in the printing business, but was also an alcoholic who divorced his mother, Barbara, when Bob was young. Bob described his father as “remote, fucked-up, and not around”.
Bob developed an interest in comedy and writing at an early age, and graduated from high school at 16. He attended Southern Illinois University, but dropped out three credits shy of graduation to pursue a career in comedy. He moved to Chicago, where he joined the improv group The Players Workshop and later the Second City. He also performed stand-up comedy and met fellow comedian Robert Smigel, who would later help him get a job as a writer for Saturday Night Live.
Bob wrote for SNL from 1987 to 1991, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1989. He also wrote for other shows such as Get a Life, The Dennis Miller Show, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He made his acting debut on The Larry Sanders Show, where he played Stevie Grant, the hyperactive agent of Larry Sanders. He also met David Cross, another comedian and writer, who would become his partner in creating the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David.
Mr. Show ran from 1995 to 1998, and featured Bob and David as the hosts and stars of a variety of sketches that often satirized American culture, politics, and media. The show also launched the careers of many other comedians, such as Sarah Silverman, Jack Black, Paul F. Tompkins, Tom Kenny, Brian Posehn, Scott Aukerman, and Bob’s younger brother Bill Odenkirk, who was also a writer and producer on the show.
After Mr. Show ended, Bob continued to write, direct, produce, and act in various projects. He directed three feature films: Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003), Let’s Go to Prison (2006), and The Brothers Solomon (2007). He also produced the comedy duo Tim & Eric’s shows Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004-2006) and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007-2010). He appeared in many TV shows and movies as a guest star or supporting actor, such as Just Shoot Me!, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody Loves Raymond, Arrested Development, How I Met Your Mother, Weeds, Nebraska (2013), Fargo (2014), The Post (2017), Incredibles 2 (2018), Little Women (2019), and Nobody (2021).
However, Bob’s most famous role came in 2009, when he was cast as Saul Goodman on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad. Saul Goodman was a sleazy lawyer who helped the main characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman with their illegal drug business. Bob’s performance was praised by critics and fans alike, and he became one of the most popular characters on the show. He reprised his role in the spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015-present), which explores Saul’s backstory before he met Walter and Jesse. For his work on Better Call Saul, Bob has received six nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Steve Odenkirk: From Ace Ventura to Kung Pow
Steve Odenkerk was born in 1961 in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Huntington Beach, California. He is the son of Martin Oedekerk, who was of Dutch Frisian, Irish, Hungarian, and Italian descent, and Rena Borlandeli, who was an emigrant from Magnago, Italy. He attended Mater Dei High School and Golden West College.
Steve started his career as a stand-up comedian and actor in the 1980s. He appeared in several television specials for NBC, ABC, and UPN. He also wrote for FOX shows such as In Living Color and The Edge. He befriended Jim Carrey while working on In Living Color, and this led to many collaborations between the two.
Steve was the project consultant for Tom Shadyac’s first film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), which starred Jim Carrey as a goofy detective who specialized in finding missing animals. The film was a huge success, and Steve was given the chance to write and direct its sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), which was also a hit. He also wrote and co-produced The Nutty Professor (1996), a remake of the 1963 comedy starring Eddie Murphy as a professor who transforms into a slim and confident alter ego after taking a weight-loss potion.
Steve also created his own series of short films called “Thumbmation”, which featured human thumbs with superimposed faces and voices parodying popular movies and genres. Some of his thumb films include Thumb Wars, Thumbtanic, The Blair Thumb, Bat Thumb, Frankenthumb, and The Godthumb. These films were aired on Showtime and Cartoon Network, and were also released on DVD.
Steve’s most ambitious project was Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002), a comedy film that he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. The film used footage from a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts movie called Tiger & Crane Fists, and inserted Steve as a new character called The Chosen One, who had to fight an evil warlord with a cow and a squeaky toy as his allies. The film also featured new scenes that spoofed other martial arts movies and clichés. The film was a cult hit, and Steve announced plans for a sequel, but it has not been made yet.
Steve also ventured into animation, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his producing and creative leadership role on Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), a computer-animated film about a boy inventor and his friends who have to save their parents from aliens. He also directed and wrote Santa vs. the Snowman 3D (2002), a 3D animated short film that was shown in IMAX theaters. He created and produced Barnyard (2006), a computer-animated film about a group of farm animals who have a secret life when humans are not around. He also developed the TV series based on Jimmy Neutron and Barnyard, which were both successful on Nickelodeon. His latest animated project is Planet Sheen (2010-2013), a spin-off of Jimmy Neutron that follows Sheen Estevez, Jimmy’s hyperactive friend who gets stranded on an alien planet.
Are They Related?
So, are Bob Odenkirk and Steve Odenkirk related? The answer is no, they are not related by blood or by marriage. They just happen to share a similar last name, which is actually spelled differently: Bob’s surname is Odenkirk, while Steve’s surname is Oedekerk. They are not brothers, cousins, or distant relatives. They are not even friends or acquaintances, as far as we know.
According to Wikipedia, the only family member that Bob has in the entertainment industry is his brother Bill Odenkirk, who is a comedy writer and producer who worked with him on Mr. Show and other projects. Steve does not have any siblings or relatives who are involved in show business.
However, Bob and Steve do have some connections in their careers, besides having similar names. They both started as stand-up comedians and writers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They both worked for FOX shows such as In Living Color and The Ben Stiller Show. They both collaborated with Jim Carrey on some of his most famous movies. They both created their own series of short films that parodied popular movies and genres. They both ventured into animation and produced successful TV shows for Nickelodeon.
So, while they are not related by blood or by comedy, they are related by their shared passion, talent, and success in the entertainment industry.
