Michael Austin Cera (born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor and musician.
He is known for portraying awkward, shy, and offbeat characters, mainly known for his role in Superbad as Evan and Scott Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Cera was born on June 7, 1988, in Brampton, Ontario.
He is the son of Linda (née Cockman) and Luigi Cera, a technician.
He is of Sicilian descent through his father.
His parents both worked for Xerox.
Cera has an older sister, Jordan, and a younger sister, Molly.
He became interested in acting after viewing Ghostbusters repeatedly when sick with the chicken pox at the age of three.
Cera memorized all the dialogue and idolized Bill Murray.
He enrolled in The Second City, Toronto, and took improvisation classes.
Cera attended Conestoga Public School, Robert H. Lagerquist Senior Public School, and Heart Lake Secondary School until grade nine.
After starting acting, he completed school online through grade 12.
His first role was an unpaid appearance in a Tim Hortons summer camp commercial.
That appearance eventually landed him a position in a Pillsbury commercial, in which he poked the Pillsbury Doughboy and had his first role with lines.
1999
In 1999, Cera was cast as Larrabe Hicks in the Canadian children's show I Was a Sixth Grade Alien, which ran for two seasons.
That year, he also appeared in the television films What Katy Did and Switching Goals, starring the Olsen twins.
2000
The next year Cera made his theatrical film debut in the science fiction film Frequency (2000) as the son of Noah Emmerich's character.
Cera also appeared in the films Steal This Movie! and Ultimate G's: Zac's Flying Dream in 2000.
He had his first leading role in the latter film, which was presented in IMAX theaters.
2001
Cera appeared in several television films in 2001, including My Louisiana Sky and The Familiar Stranger.
2002
Cera also has had dramatic roles in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Molly's Game (2017), and Gloria Bell (2019).
In 2002, Cera played the young Chuck Barris (played by Sam Rockwell) in the George Clooney-directed film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
He had a role in the critically panned Fox pilot The Grubbs in 2002, which was never aired.
But Cera successfully auditioned for a part in another Fox sitcom, Arrested Development.
2003
He provided the voice for Brother Bear – an anthropomorphic bear – in the 2003 The Berenstain Bears animated series, which aired for three seasons.
This began airing in November 2003 and ran for three seasons.
The show follows the formerly wealthy and dysfunctional Bluth family, with Cera playing George Michael Bluth, the teenage son of character Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman.
2004
He also began voicing Josh Spitz in the animated series Braceface, which he continued until 2004.
2006
After three seasons, Fox canceled the series in 2006 due to low viewership, although it had received critical acclaim.
In 2006, Cera created and starred in a parody of Impossible is Nothing, a video résumé created by Aleksey Vayner.
Cera and his Arrested Development co-star Alia Shawkat guest-starred as a pair of college students in the teen noir drama Veronica Mars, in the episode "The Rapes of Graff" in 2006.
Along with best friend Clark Duke, Cera wrote and starred in a series of short videos released on their website.
Duke originated the idea, as he was enrolled at Loyola Marymount University and used their videos for his film school studies.
2007
He has had numerous roles in United States television and film productions, and is particularly known for playing the aforementioned character of Evan in Superbad (2007), along with Paulie Bleeker in Juno (2007), Scott Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), a fictional version of himself in This Is the End (2013), and Allan in Barbie (2023).
In 2007, the pair signed a deal with CBS Television to write, produce, direct, and act in a short-form comedy series entitled Clark and Michael.
2008
Other starring roles include in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008), and Youth in Revolt (2009).
2014
Cera is also known for his Broadway performances in the Kenneth Lonergan plays This Is Our Youth in 2014, Lobby Hero in 2018, for which he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, and The Waverly Gallery in 2019.
In addition to acting, Cera is a musician, having released his debut album True That in 2014.
Cera has also performed as the touring bassist for indie rock supergroup Mister Heavenly.
2017
He voiced Dick Grayson/Robin in The Lego Batman Movie (2017), Barry in Sausage Party (2016), and Sal Viscuso, the voice behind the announcements in Childrens Hospital.
