Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant
Merchant in November 2009
Born	(1974-11-24) 24 November 1974 (age 42) Hanham, Avon, England (now in Gloucestershire)
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, writer, television presenter, comedian
Years active	1998–present
Height	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)

Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor.

Merchant is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, co-writer and co-star of Extras, and co-host of The Ricky Gervais Show in its radio, podcast, audiobook, and television show forms. The Ricky Gervais Show in radio form won a bronze Sony Award. He is also known for his voice role as Wheatley in the 2011 video game Portal 2.

Merchant appeared as himself in the BBC series Life's Too Short, which he co-wrote and co-directed. He also appeared in the episode "The Girl Code" of The Simpsons as the computer program ConRad, co-developed the Sky1 travel series An Idiot Abroad, and performs as a stand-up comedian. He has won three BAFTA Awards, four British Comedy Awards, and an Emmy Award. He recently starred in a series he created, wrote, and directed for HBO, called Hello Ladies. His most recent project is starring in his first play by English playwright Richard Bean, The Mentalists, which was in London at Wyndham's Theatre in July and August 2015.

Merchant was born in Hanham, Avon, the son of Jane Elaine (née Hibbs), a nursery nurse, and Ronald John Merchant, an insurance representative. He attended Hanham High School and later the University of Warwick in Coventry from 1993 to 1996, where he received a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Literature.