Rob McElhenney, American child actor, author, producer, and podcaster, Robert McElhenney was born on April 14, 1977, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.

McElhenney was born to Helena McElhenney and Robert McElhenney. He has the same parents as his sister Katie McElhenney, as well as another sister and two younger brothers.

His mother came out as a lesbian, leading to his parents’ divorce when he was eight. Although his parents remained close after the divorce, his father primarily raised him and his two younger siblings.

In Philadelphia, McElhenney attended Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School. He then briefly attended Temple University, then temporarily lived with friends on the campus of Fordham University, but ultimately decided not to enroll.

Rob McElhenney’s career

McElhenney’s small appearance in the 1997 film The Devil’s Own served as his first starring role, but was ultimately cut from the final cut. He later appeared in supporting roles in the films Wonder Boys, A Civil Action and Thirteen Conversations About One Thing.

He later had larger roles in the films Latter Days and The Tollbooth, as well as a supporting role in the Law & Order episode “Thrill”. A script by McElhenney, with Paul Schrader attached to the director’s chair, was optioned when he was just 21, but production stalled after a year of editing and rewriting.

After graduating, McElhenney started a business in New York before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 25. He had met Glenn Howerton through his agency when he was 27 and also met Charlie Day while filming a horror film in New York. At the time, he oscillated between acting jobs and waiting tables.

One of his closest childhood friends first suggested he do a sitcom starring himself, Howerton and Day. The pilot was filmed on a budget of $200 and aired on numerous cable channels.

McElhenney received offers from other networks, but ultimately chose to sign with FX because they gave him greater creative flexibility. The show’s final title was It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The showrunner was McElhenney, while executive producers Howerton and Day were both credited. Although he found time to appear in the Lost episode “Not in Portland”, McElhenney claimed that acting, producing and writing for It’s Always Sunny took up 50 weeks of his year.

This happened when he met It’s Always Sunny fan and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof. Later, in another episode, he returned to his Lost character. He said he was thrilled when David Benioff and DB Weiss, the show’s creators, asked him if they could write an episode of It’s Always Sunny. He is a fan of Game of Thrones.

The episode “Flowers for Charlie” premiered in 2013 because he and his co-producers accepted the offer. He made a brief appearance as an extra in the 2019 season finale of Game of Thrones, “Winterfell.”

The director of the planned Minecraft animated film, McElhenney, was officially announced by Mojang in July 2015, although he later left the project. McElhenney played a police officer in the well-received 2017 Fargo episode “The Law of Non-Contradiction.”

Critics praised him for his performance, noting that many of his character traits and narrative aspects were reminiscent of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Along with Megan Ganz and Charlie Day, McElhenney co-created the comedy series Mythic Quest for Apple TV+ in 2020. In addition to writing the scripts and serving as executive producer, he also plays Ian Grimm in the series.

The series received critical acclaim and received an 89% approval rating on the review website Rotten Tomatoes.

The Always Sunny podcast, which McElhenney, Day and Howerton have produced since November 2021, was originally intended to take a behind-the-scenes look at the entire series. However, as the podcast evolved, it became more about banter and chemistry between the three producers.

Who are Rob McElhenney’s children?

McElhenney and his wife Kaitlin Olson have two sons; Axel Lee McElhenney, born September 1, 2010, and Leo Gray McElhenney, born April 5, 2012.