David Wain

David Benjamin Wain (born August 1, 1969) is an American comedian, writer, actor and director. He is most widely known for directing the feature films Role Models and Wet Hot American Summer, the 1990s' sketch comedy series The State and for producing/directing/writing the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. Wain was a founding member of Stella, along with Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black. --- Wain was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Wain first began his career in 1991 as a writer/director, with the short film Aisle Six. The film stars Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Michael Patrick Jann and other members of The State. In 1988 while attending NYU, Wain became a founding member of the sketch comedy group The New Group. This group would later come to be known as The State, and in 1993 he and his fellow members created and starred in The State, a sketch show that lasted 26 episodes on MTV. After The State ended, he, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter eventually formed the comedy trio Stella. In 1978, a young David (roughly age eight or nine) gave a video tour of Shaker Heights. Wain's first feature film Wet Hot American Summer (2001) is an absurdist summer camp comedy starring Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black and Elizabeth Banks. Wain directed the film, and co-wrote/co-produced it with Michael Showalter, who also plays a lead role. Showalter credits Wain with being an active and observant Jew who infused the movie with an authentically Jewish sense of humor. --- Wain grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. As a young person, Wain went to a summer camp in Maine, which Wet Hot American Summer was loosely based on. Wain lives in New York City with his wife Zandy Hartig. They have two sons.